Henry County, Illinois - The whole text, 1910 (part 2 of 32)

Lawrence C. Warner

Lawrence C. Warner, well known in business circles of Western township as president of the Warner Elevator Manufacturing Company and the owner of three hundred acres of valuable land, was born on the old Warner homestead in this township on the 27th of February, 1861, a son of Wilder W. and Olive (Washburn) Warner. The father, a native of Massachusetts, was there reared and educated, receiving a good education in the common schools ef that state. He came west to Illinois in 1849 and for a time was engaged in teaching school in Rock Island, Illinois, then known as Stephenson, and later in Andover, Henry county. Subsequently he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in Western township, which formed a nucleus of his later extensive possessions, paying seventy-five cents per acre for this tract. He was here married to Olive Washburn, also a native of the Old Bay state, who came to Henry county with her parents in 1835, when about four years of age. She was a daughter of Nathan W. and EHzabeth (Sheldon) Warner, who upon their arrival in this county took up their abode in Colona township. Here she received a good education in the common schools of Rock Island and also became a pupil in Old Oxford, a select school in Qover township. She was united in marriage to Mr, Warner about 1853 and they took up their abode upon the farm which he had purchased in Western township. He later added to his possessions, until he became the owner of seven hundred acres in this and Colona township. He took an active part in bringing the railroad to this section of the county, the road passing through his land, upon which was established the station known as Warner's Station. Here he erected an elevator and began buying and sellingi grain. Previous to this he had been engaged extensively in feeding and shipping cattle and had been very successful in his undertaking. He became well kiiown in local republican circles, being elected to fill various offices such as assessor and collector, and for several years served as justice of the peace and also as supervisor of Western township. He also represented his district in the state legislature in 1871-72. He was one of the early members of Mount Pleasant Baptist church, which was organized in the home of his maternal grandfather, Nathan W. Washburn. The congregation afterward moved to Orion and a branch was established at Warner's Station in 1893. In 1896 he built himself a handsome mansion on the old homestead but lived but a few years to enjoy it, passing away on the 31st of January, 1898, his remains being interred in Western cemetery.

In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Wilder W. Warner were six children, namely: Wilder W., the eldest, married Ella Lockwood and has two children. He now makes his home in Sedalia, Missouri. Mary E. resides at home with her mother, Wilmot S., who married Fannie Wood, resides in Geneseo and is associated with our subject in the manufacturing business as secretary and treasurer of the company. He has two children. Lawrence C, of this review, is the next in order of birth. Frank C, who married Harriet Sanford, by whom he has four children, makes his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he is treasurer of the Great Western Printing Company. Alice M. became the wife of Clarence M. Bills and makes her home in Geneseo, where Mr. Bills is engaged in the real estate business. She is the mother of three children.

No event of special importance came to vary the routine of daily life for Lawrence C. Warner during the period of his boyhood and youth, which were spent on the home farm. He attended the district schools during the winter months, acquiring a good knowledge of the various phases of the English language. He remained with his father, assisting him in his different business enterprises, until the death of the latter, after which he and W. J. Blodget acted as administrators of the estate. Mr. Warner took, along with other property, his father's elevator and store, which he later sold in 1902. In 1903 they organized the Warner Elevator Manufacturing Company and began the manufacture of portable elevators for farm use. In 1905 they extended their business to include the manufacture of gasoline engines, also for farm use, and today they have one of the largest manufacturing industries in the county. They have worked up an extensive trade, shipping their product to all of the greatest grain producing states of the union and also to Canada. Mr. Warner has been president of the company since its inception, and as its head has directed his efforts toward the further upbuilding and growth of the business, the gratifying proportions which it has already assumed being due in no small measure to his excellent administrative ability and executive control.

It was on the 23d of June, 1891, in Western township, that Mr. Warner was united in marriage to Miss Isabelle Carson, a native of Yonkers City, New York, and a daughter of David and Jean (McGee) Carson. The parents came to Henry county in 1861, the father now making his home in Western township. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Warner has been born one daughter, Inez Jean, who is now in her sophomore year in Rock Island high school. The entire family are members of the Baptist church, in which Mr. Warner is serving as a trustee. He is stalwart in his support of the repubHcan party, and, like his father, has never sought nor desired public office as the reward for party fealty, although he has been called upon to serve as justice of the peace and also as a member of the school board. Fraternally he holds membership with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Colona, having filled all of the chairs therein and having been sent as a delegate to the state lodge. His interests in public affairs is deep and sincere and is manifest in the substantial cooperation which he has given to plans and measures for the public good. He stands as an excellent representative of the business life of the times, alert and enterprising, watchful of opportunities and recognizing and improving advantages as they come.

Elias Lyman

The life record of Elias Lyman covered seventy-three years, and there stood conspicuously forth in his history those traits of honorable, upright manhood, of business sagacity and commercial enterprise which ever awaken respect and regard. Kewanee numbered him among her citizens for more than forty years and profited in large measure by his efforts in her behalf. He was one of New England's contributions to the citizenship of Illinois. His birth occurred in Royalton, Windsor county, Vermont, January 5, 1831, and in the Green Mountain state his early life was passed. In his youth he embraced the opportunities offered by the public schools near his home and later spent some time as a pupil in the military academy. His father, removing to White River Junction, Vermont, there established a mercantile store, in which the son received his initial business training, becoming his father's assistant. Afterward he was employed in a store owned by his grandfather Briggs at Rochester, Vermont, and it was while residing in that place that Mr. Lyman formed the acquaintance of and wedded Miss Adelaide Trask, their marriage being celebrated on the 14th of December, 1858.

Largely through the influence of his friend, Mr. Willard, of Galesburg, Illinois, Mr. Lyman determined to locate in the middle west and in February, 1862, established his home in Kewanee. He had little idea of locating here when he paid his first visit to the small prairie town, but finding the outlook for trade bright, he determined to establish his permanent residence here. Forming a partnership with W. C. Willard of Galesburg, the pioneer store of Kewanee was purchased and the business conducted under the firm style of Willard & Lyman, the store being located on Miain street. At length Mr. Willard disposed of his interest to Henry R. Trask, under the firm name of Lyman & Trask, and the business was thus carried on for about two years. Mr. Lyman then became sole proprietor by the purchase of his partner's interest and was conducting the business alone when his store was destroyed by fire June 6, 1866. His building and stock were covered to the sum of fifteen thousand dollars, and with this and other resources which he was able to obtain, Mr. Lyman at once opened another store so that there was but a brief lapse between the time of the fire and the period in which he reentered commercial circles in Kewanee. About 1868 he admitted H. T. Lay to a partnership and the firm of Lyman & Lay was then organized. In 1874 W. H. Lyman, the brother of our subject, also became a partner to the firm and the style of Lyman, Lay & Lyman was assumed. A business of extensive proportions was developed until the firm name became a familiar one throughout all this part of the state. When Elias Lyman disposed of his interest to his partners in 1883 the firm name of Lay & Lyman was assumed and Mr. Lyman remained an active factor in the management and control of the business until 1883, when he retired. He was a successful business man, well known as a careful buyer, whose keen insight and business acumen constituted effective and valuable forces in the prosperous management of the institution which he built up. His commercial integrity stood as an unquestioned fact in his career and his ability to coordinate forces into a harmonious whole was one of the salient features in his career.

Following his retirement from the field of merchandising Mr. Lyman gave much of his time until recent years to the purchase and care of real estate, horses and stock, and to the breeding and raising of high grade horses. He was the owner of very fine stock farms, well equipped and particularly adapted to the business. At various times he owned a number of finely bred trotting and pacing horses, with which he made the circuits, but in later years he lived in quiet retirement, relinquishing business cares of all kinds. His unfaltering energy and powers of organization, however, were utilized in the establishment of many institutions of Kewanee that were all of importance in the upbuilding and business development of the city. He was one of the inaugurators of the First National Bank and acted as its president from its inception in November, 1870, until 1874. The record book of the bank, purchased by him, as indicated on the first page, was still in use at the time of his demise. He had great faith in Kewanee real estate and owned many pieces of valuable property in and near the city. Although he frequently purchased he rarely sold the property which he acquired and at the time of his death owned a number of valuable farms, his possessions aggregating . sixteen hundred acres. These and other investments made him one of the wealthiest men of his section of the state.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Lyman were bom two daughters, one of whom, Lillie Louise, became the wife of Charles I. Pierce, of Kewanee and Chicago, and died June 17, 1901, leaving two children, Katharine Louise and Adelaide Lyman Pierce. The other daughter, NelHe, became the wife of Frederick A. Smith, of

Rockford, and they have two daughters, Helen Lyman and Louise Lyman Smith Mr. Lyman was most devoted to his family and it was his earnest purpose to provide for them in such manner that his wife and children should lack nothing needed for their happiness. As they went to him with their plans and projects he was ever an interested listener, ready to cooperate in every way.

Mr. Lyman had no political aspirations but was a strong republican and could have filled various poHtical positions had he not resolutely refused to do so. He was at one time a member of the Odd Fellows Society but was not affiliated with the organization at the time of his demise. His generous spirit and humanitarianism found expression in substantial gifts to charity and to benevolent enterprises and one of his most recent benefactions was the gift of the site of the fine hospital building to the Sisters of St. Francis. Death came to Mr. Lyman suddenly, although his health had not been good for more than a year. He passed away at the age of seventy-three years on the 15th of December, 1894, and he was sorely missed in the community where he had long lived and was uniformly honored. Kewanee owes much to his efforts in her behalf. In all movements to help the city, in all attempts to improve Kewanee during the years of his business activity Mr. Lyman could be depended upon to be among the foremost. For years it was the custom of those undertaking to promote any public project to secure his name as the first signature to the subscription paper. He gave a fair hearing to every call upon him, and if his judgment sanctioned it his financial response was a most liberal one. He gave generously to the support of various religious denominations although not a member of any church. He regularly attended the services of the First Congregational church during many years and for a long time served on its board of trustees. He felt in his last years his enforced absence from the services of the church and expressed his regret at this on various occasions. His life in all of its business and social relations was the expression of high and noble purposes and of kindly spirit, and his recognition and observance of the rights of others was one of his strongly marked characteristics.

George D. Palmer

George D. Palmer is well known in the financial circles of Galva not only as the organizer of the Galva State bank but also as the cashier of that institution, which responsible position he has held since its inception. He was born in Otsego county, New York, on the 6th of July, 1853, a son of Dudley W. and Laura L. (Bard) Palmer, both natives of the Empire state. The paternal grandfather, Nathan S. Palmer, a farmer by occupation, was born in New- York and came to Illinois in 1858, locating in Galva township, where his death occurred when he had reached the seventy-seventh year of his life. His wife was Eliza (Smith) Palmer, whose parents moved from Connecticut to New York it an early day. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Nathan S. Palmer consisted of three children, Louise, Dudley W. and Christopher C. Dudley W. Palmer, the father of our subject, followed the wagonmaker's and machinist's trade in New York but after coming to lUinois in 1858, purchased a farm of sixty acres in Galva township, to which he later added fifteen acres, and he devoted his remaining days to the occupation of farming. He married Laura L. Bard, a daughter of Wilson and Lucina Bard, both natives of New York, the former coming from English ancestry. Her mother passed away at Paris Hill near Litchfield, New York, and after her death the father, who followed agricultural pursuits, came west, taking up his abode in Hastings, Nebraska, where he passed away after reaching the eightieth milestone on life's journey. He and his wife were the parents of three children, Lucinda, Laura L. and John A. The family of Dudley W. Palmer and his wife consisted of four children, two sons and two daughters, as follows: Louise E., the widow of Alvin G. Bruce, who served in the Civil war as a soldier in Company G, One Hundredth and Twelfth Illinois Volunteer Infantry; George D., of this review; William H., of Galesburg, Illinois; and Delia M., the wife of C. D. Palmer, of Sterling, Colorado. The father passed away in 1867 when forty-three years of age, while his wife still survives and makes her home with her daughter in Sterling, Colorado. The entire family were members of the Baptist church.

George D. Palmer, whose name introduces this review, was not yet five years old when he came with his parents to Galva township, where upon his father's farm he was reared to manhood. In the district schools he acquired his early education and he supplemented this training by a course of study in the Galva high school. He remained under the parental roof until he had attained his majority, and in the meantime he assisted his mother in the operation of the home farm, thus becoming familiar with all the duties that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He started out in business on his own account as a farmer and continued in this line of activity until 1881, when, selling his property, he removed to Galva where he became identified with the grocery business in partnership with John A. Regnall. This relationship continued for two years and then his father-in-law, Joseph A. Walker, purchased the interest of Mr. Regnall and the firm became known as Palmer & Walker. In 1887 another partner was admitted and the firm was changed to Palmer, Walker & Johnson, while the business was extended to include a hardware department. In 1891 the original partners bought out Mr. Johnson and the firm again became Palmer & Walker, being thus continued until 1893, when both members sold out and the partnership was consequently dissolved.

In 1895 Mr. Palmer organized the Galva State bank, which was opened for business in November of that year, with the following officers : president, O. P. Stoddard ; vice president, Dyer Ford ; cashier, George D. Palmer ; assistant cashier, B. S. Peck. In 1909 Dyer Ford was elected to the presidency of the bank and R. F. Beals became vice president in his stead. The directors are now Dyer Ford, George D. Palmer, L. F. Matteson, F. A. Hurlbutt, R. F. Beals, James Riner and B. S. Peck. For fifteen years Mr. Palmer has held the position of cashier and during that time his labors have been potent elements in the success of the institution, which is one of the strong financial concerns of Galva township. The patrons of the bank find him courteous and approachable at all times aild these characteristics make him popular with all who have any business with the bank, while his business ability and keen discernment make him a most valuable officer.

It was on the 6th of November, 1875, that Mr. Palmer was united in marriage to Miss May L. Walker, a daughter of Joseph A. and Angeline (Tilton) Walker, and a native of Wethersfield township, Henry county, Illinois. Her parents, who were born in West Virginia, were among the early settlers of this county, where the father passed away in 1903, while the mother's death occurred in 1909. Mr. and Mrs. Palmer became the parents of five children, namely: Rena May, a milliner of Aledo, Illinois; Ray Dean, the assistant postmaster of Galva, who married Miss Pearl Hartsell of Monmouth, by whom he has one daughter, Irma May; Angie L. ; Dorothy D. and Howard W., still at home. Mr. Palmer and his wife are members of the First Baptist church of Galva, of which he is chairman of the board of trustees.

Mr. Palmer is a prominent figure in fraternal circles, holding membership in Galva Lodge, No. 243, A. F. & A. M., while he also belongs to Galva Lodge, No. 408, I. O. O, F., and to Galva Encampment, No. 174. He likewise is a member of the Modem Woodmen of America and he and his wife are connected with the Eastern Star. Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr, Palmer has cast his ballot for the republican party and has ever been an active figure in local party ranks. He served for three terms as supervisor and ten years later was reelected to that office, which position he is now filling. He is president of the Galva Fire Department, No. i, and is preeminently publicspirited in his citizenship, his influence at all times being upon the side of improvement, progress and advancement. In business life he has made an excellent official, while in the various relations of life in which he has been found he has shown himself fully worthy the confidence and trust which are uniformly given him.

George W. Hutchinson

George W. Hutchinson came to Henry county in 1869 and started in business for himself as a renter. Today he is the owner of twenty-five hundred acres of land and is numbered among the most progressive, prominent and prosperous farmers and stockmen of Cambridge and this section of the state. There has been no esoteric phase in his career, his success being won through earnest, honest effort and close application. A native of Pennsylvania, he was born at Phoenixville, June 22, 1856, and is a son of Robert and Jane (Livingston) Hutchinson. His paternal grandparents were natives of Ireland and were of Scotch lineage and of the Presbyterian faith. The grandfather was a farmer by occupation and became well-to-do. Both he and his wife died in Scotland, the latter reaching a very advanced age. They reared a large family, five of whom - fours sons and a daughter - came to America, while two of the number are now living, Mrs. Elizabeth Finley and Robert, both of whom are residents of Geneseo. Two of their brothers were soldiers of the Civil war: Samuel, who was killed in battle, and William, who was starved to death in Libby prison. The maternal grandfather of George W. Hutchinson was George Livingston, who came from Ireland, his native country, and settled in Pennsylvania, where he lived with one of his daughters. They afterward became pioneer residents of Henry county, Illinois. His wife had died in the Emerald isle, and Mr. Livingston lived for only a short time after coming to Henry county, dying as the lesult of paralysis, while sitting in a chair.

Robert Hutchinson, the father of our subject, was born near Colerain, in the north of Ireland, and when sixteen years of age came to America. He was employed for a time as boss of the iron blast furnaces at Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and in 1869 he came to Illinois, where he purchased a farm of eighty acres, lying in Munson township, Henry county. This he improved, and his farming interests were so wisely and carefully conducted that he won substantial success, enabling him to add to his original holdings until his landed possessions at one time aggregated four hundred and forty acres. For the past eight years he has lived retired in Geneseo. His wife died in Munson township in 1884 at the age of forty-seven years, while Mr. Hutchinson is still living at the age of seventy-seven years. Their family numbered six sons and two daughters, namely : William H., deceased ; George W. ; Samuel C. ; Robert E. ; Ida M., residing with her father in Geneseo ; Hugh, of Munson township ; Jennie, the wife of John Douglas, of Munson township, and Howard.

George W. Hutchinson spent the first thirteen years of his life in the Keystone state and then accompanied his parents on their removal to Henry county, Illinois, where he was reared to manhood upon his father's farm. He had attended the public schools of Pennsylvania, and his education was continued in the district schools of this county. The periods of vacation were devoted to the work of the fields and he continued to assist in the operation of the old home place until he had attained his majority, when he started out in life on his own account. For several years he rented land but during that period carefully saved his earnings until his capital justified his investment in eighty acres of land in Munson township. He at once located upon that farm and after a few years purchased one hundred and sixty-six acres more. Later he added two hundred and eighty-three acres, subsequently bought eighty acres in Cambridge township, then one hundred and fifteen acres, ninety-five acres adjoining the corporation limits of Cambridge, also eighty acres adjoining the village and one hundred and four acres in Cambridge township. Thus as a result of his diflferent investments he became the owner of over one thousand acres in this county. There is no finer farming land to be found in all of the country, and Mr. Hutchinson's different farms are valuable property from which he derives a very substantial and gratifying annual income. He also turned his attention to Texas as a place of investment and is now the owner of thirteen hundred acres in Lipscomb county and six hundred and fifty acres in Randall county, Texas. His landed possessions therefore aggregate over twenty-five hundred acres, making him one of the most extensive property holders in central Illinois. He likewise is building a new home in Cambridge, and his success indicates clearly the business ability whch he has displayed. He is financially interested in the Farmers National Bank of Cambridge, in which he holds the office of vice president.

On the I'Jth of March, 1882, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Hutchinson and Miss Justina C. Nelson, a native of Munson township, this county, and a daughter of Charles and Hannah (Armstrong) Nelson. Her father was a na- tive of Sweden and her mother, of the state of New York, and they became early settlers in this county, being closely identified with its agricultural development for many years. The father died in 1900 at the age of seventy-two, while the mother passed away in January, 1903, at the age of seventy years. They were the parents of five children, three daughters and two sons, as follows : Justina C. ; Etta I.; the wife of Sherman L. Rishel; Marian M., who married J. M. Anderson; William C. ; and Frederick J.

Politically Mr. Hutchinson is a republican, giving unfaltering support to the party. For eight years he was a member of the town board and has held various other positions, the duties of which he has discharged with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents. He was secretary of the fair association for two years and has labored to stimulate the interest of his fellowmen in all that tends to promote progress in agricultural and other lines. Fraternally he is connected with Cambridge Lodge, No. 199, I. O. O. F., while his wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His record has been characterized by steady progress resulting from the wise and intelligent utilization of every opportunity that has come to him. In all of his work he has been prompted by a laudable ambition yet has never sacrificed the interests of others to his own ends, his record at all times being creditable and satisfactory.

Mrs. Eliza Ann Cone

Mrs. Eliza Ann Cone, who passed away in June, 1908, was one of the little colony of people who founded the town of Geneseo in 1836 and was a prominent factor in its development and upbuilding along moral and educational lines. She was born in Bloomfield, New York, on the i8th of April, 1810, a daughter of Joseph and Cynthia Hill, who had come to the Empire state from New England. When sixteen years of age Eliza Ann Hill gave her hand in marriage to Elisha Cone and their union proved a most congenial and happy one. The young couple began their domestic life in Victor, New York, where their first child, Harriet, was born, and soon afterward removed to Le Roy, at which place the birth of their second daughter, Clara, occurred. Mrs. Cone was converted when eighteen years of age, embracing the Congregational faith, while later,in the year 1836, her husband also identified himself with that church. They then began to take a very active interest in religion and aided in the formation of a colony to be located in the "far west" for the purpose of establishing religious and educational institutions.

The charter members of this colony convened at the home of Mrs. Cone, where they planned to organize and go west as a church of the Congregational denomination. They were thirteen in number and the little band gathered at the stone church in Bergen, where they were organized into a church by the ecclesiastical council, Mr. Cone being ordained as the first deacon. A few days afterward, on the 19th of September, 1836, the little company of men with their wives and children, numbering altogether about forty persons, started overland for their new home. They located on the site of the present city of Geneseo, which was named in honor of Genesee county, New York, the place from which they had emigrated. The first house - a log structure - was built by Mr. Cone on the south side of the present park and was occupied by three families. During the winter of 1837 religious services were also conducted there. The following summer a tent was erected in the park for church and school purposes, and in July, 1855, the corner stone of the present edifice was laid. Mrs. Cone was a prominent, consistent and devoted member of the church and her eldest daughter, Mrs. Harriet T. Miller, is now the only living charter member thereof.

Mr. Cone died at the comparatively early age of forty-three years, leaving a widow and five children to mourn his loss. At the time of the Civil war his two sons went bravely to the defense of the Union and one of them laid down his life on the altar of his country, dying in a hospital at Nashville, Tennessee. Mrs. Cone was called to her final rest June 4th, 1908, when she had attained the ripe old age of ninety-eight years. Her long and useful life, consecrated to the service of her Master, was filled with many deeds of loving devotion and self-sacrifice, and her memory is enshrined in the hearts of all who knew her.

Daniel Lavery

Daniel Lavery was for many years closely associated with the farming interests of this county but is now living retired in Geneseo. He was born in Ireland, in 1832, a native of County Down, and his parents, Daniel and Esther (Bonn) Lavery, were also natives of the same land. They have both been dead for many years, the father having passed away in 1845, while the mother's death occurred in 1846.

Daniel Lavery is the only survivor in a family of six children. He pursued his education in the schools of his native country and in his boyhood and youth remained on his father's farm, assisting in the cultivation of the fields and also engaging in weaving. He was a young man of twenty-three years when in 1855 he bade good-by to friends and native land, sailing for New York in May. After reaching the shores of America he remained in New York for a time and was employed in a tannery. He afterward came to the middle west and in the vicinity of Decatur, Illinois, worked as a farm hand for another year. He then made a trip to California in 1857, when the Panama railroad was opened up, by way of New Orleans and remained for two years in the Golden state, devoting his time and energies to mining. In 1861 he returned to Pennsylvania, where he engaged in farming.

It was in the same year that Mr. Lavery was united in marriage to Miss Mary O'Neil, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1842, a daughter of James and Margaret O'Neil, both of whom were natives of Ireland. They became farming pec^ole of Wayne county, Pennsylvania, where they spent their remaining days and at last were called to their final rest. They were the parents of eight children, of whom three are yet living: Thomas, Edward and John, all residents of Pennsylvania.

Mr. and Mrs. Lavery began their domestic life in the Keystone state and in 1863 removed westward to Henry county, IlHnois, settling in Hanna township, where Mr. Lavery at first secured eighty acres of land. He was ambitious to own a larger farm, however, and whenever it was possible he added to the original tract until within the boundaries of his farm were comprised two hundred and eighty acres. Upon this place he remained until 1909 when he removed to Geneseo, retiring from active business life. He purchased a comfortable home in the town and is now pleasantly situated there. His rest is truly earned and richly deserved, for through a long period he diligently tilled the soil and cultivated his crops according to modern progressive methods, having achieved success which was honorably won.

In October, 1906, Mr. Lavery was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife who died in Geneseo and was laid to rest in the Catholic cemetery for she had long been a faithful communicant of the Catholic church. By her marriage she had become the mother of eleven children of whom eight are now living: James, a resident of Geneseo; Daniel, who lives on the old homestead farm ; Cecilia, who is now in a convent of Pennsylvania as a Sister of Charity ; Margaret, the wife of James Welch, living near Woodhull; Frank, who resides with his father in Geneseo; Minnie, at home; Charles, who follows farming; and Sadie, who is in a Wisconsin convent.

In his political views Mr. Lavery has always been a stalwart democrat since becoming a naturalized American citizen. He has never been an office seeker but has served as school director. He belongs to the Catholic church. He is' entirely a self-made man, for he started out in life empty-handed, and it has been only through constant energy, perseverance and self-denial that he has worked his way upward, accumulating much of this world's goods, so that now in his declining days he can enjoy all of the comforts and some of the luxuries of life. In manner he is jovial and genial, pleasant to all, and it is, therefore, a pleasure to meet and converse with Daniel Lavery.

Kewanee lost one of its most honorable and useful citizens in the death of Charles E. McCullough. He was a representative of that group of men whose lives are conspicuous for ability, force of character, integrity and generous aims. Progress and determination might well be termed the keynote of his character, for he always sought advancement for the individual and the community and manifested his public spirit in active and effective cooperation in measures for the general good.

A native of Pennsylvania, Charles E. McCullough was born at Mount Joy on the 20th of May, 1849, his parents being Charles and Martha F. (Eyerhart) Mc- Cullough, who were originally from Virginia but resided in Pennsylvania for several years prior to their removal to Illinois. Their son, Charles, acquired his early education in the pubic schools and afterward attended Mount Morris Academy at Mount Morris, this state. While there he had three classmates whose warm friendship he retained until his death, Justice Carter and Justice John P. Hand, both of the IlHnois supreme court, and H. D. Judson, general superintendent of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company. Following the completion of his literary course Mr. McCullough took up the study of law and was admitted to practice before the Illinois bar, but subsequently turned his attention to the banking business, accepting the cashiership in Barber's Bank at Polo, Illinois. His identification with Kewanee dated from November, 1882, when he came to this city as assistant cashier of the First National Bank. On the resignation of C. S. Wentworth he became cashier of that institution, ably filling the responsible position until he went to McKeesport, Pennsylvania, to accept the proffered position with the National Tube Works Company. There he continued until his return to Kewanee in the early '90s for the purpose of entering the office of the Western Tube Company in this city. His manifest executive ability and keen discrimination led to his selection for the position of treasurer of this company, in which capacity he continued until the ist of February, 1908, when he retired from active business life. He displayed great aptitude for the financial work in which he was engaged and acquired a reputation as one of the best known credit men in the country. His previous training was such as specially qualified him for the onerous and responsible duties which he discharged so well during his long term of office wth this great manufacturing institution. He won early recognition by his business capacity and his eminent trustworthiness and in the promotion of the interests of the Western Tube Company he contributed indirectly in large measure to the upbuilding of Kewanee.

Mr. McCullough was a many-sided man, not only intensely active in business affairs but also deeply engaged in the finest forms of public service, a devout church man and an active member of club and fraternal organizations. He belonged to the First Congregational church and to the Kewanee Club, of which he was president at the time of his death. His retirement from business giving him time and leisure, he manifested much interest in the affairs of the club, giving of his energy and ability to promote its upbuilding. He was also a member of the Kewanee Lodge of Elks and when in Polo, Illinois, was raised to Master Mason in Mystic Tie Lodge, No. 187, F. & A. M. On the 20th of April, 1883, he became affiliated with Kewanee Lodge, No. 159, and was raised to the position of master, holding the office in 1888. He became a member of Kewanee. Chapter, No. 47, R. A. M., and was filling the office of treasurer at the time of his death. His name is also on the membership roll of the Kewanee Council, R. & S. M., Kewanee Coirmiandery, No. 71, K. T. and Medinah Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He was regarded as one of the leading representatives of Masonry in Kewanee and was honored with various official positions in the different branches of the fraternity. He acted for many years as worthy patron of Harmony Chapter, O. E. S., and was a member of both committees which undertook the work of securing tlie establishment of a commandery in Kewanee. When the Masonic Building & Aid Association was organized he was named as the representative of Harmony Chapter, was reappointed every year to the time of his death and was treasurer from the time the organization was effected.

On the 28th of December, 1875, Mr. McCullough was united in marriage at Brookville, in Ogle county, to Miss Sarah Garman, and unto them was born a daughter, Martha AHce, who became the wife of Charles R. Lewis, a native of Chicag-o, who at that time was residing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Mrs. Lewis passed away November 7, 1904, leaving one child, Mary Wakefield Lewis. Mr. McCullough spent his last evening at the Kewanee Club and, returning to his home, had but entered his door when he dropped dead, his death being occasioned by apoplexy. This was on the 23d of April, 1909, so that he had scarcely rounded out his sixtieth year. He was a man in whom both the physical and moral life were intensely vital. It was impossible to be with him half an hour without recognizing his capacity and his moral vigor. He was one of the men whose character gives a ringing response to every test and his was a familiar face in the many places where the most interesting men of Kewanee gathered.

At the time of his passing one of the local papers said : "Charles E. McCullough was a man among men. His best friends were those who knew him best. A trifle reserved many thought, yet no trace of anything but cordiality was evident to all with whom he mingled. He was a man of plain, direct speech and of thought that was never devious. His ideals were high and he sought daily to approach them. He was a man of lofty patriotism and keen sense of duty to his fellowmen. His ability, wide information and his rugged honesty are qualities first to be recalled by those who knew him. His interest in his surroundings was ever deep. In whatever he engaged he went at the matter heart and soul. When he worked he gave his exclusive attention to the afifair in hand ; when he took his recreation nothing except that which was before him seemed to receive a thought. So he lived and so he died, his faculties alert to the last. He would have had it even so. We can ill afford to lose such a citizen. The years come and go, but they bring none too many like Mr. McCullough. As the sympathy of the community goes out to the bereaved family circle all realize that not alone has the sorrowing home suffered, but the city as well."

Albert August Fuerst

The agricultural interests of Henry county find an enterprising and progressive representative in Albert August Fuerst, who owns and operates a well improved and productive farm of one hundred and ninety-six acres on section 25, Kewanee township. He was born in that township on the 14th of July, 1866, his parents being August and Augusta (Bartz) Fuerst, who are mentioned at greater length on another page of this work. Our subject obtained his education in the district school of section 23, Kewanee township, and also pursued a course of study in a German school, learning to read and write that language. After putting aside his text-books he remained on the home farm until the time of his marriage, giving his father the benefit of his services in the cultivation of the fields. For one winter season he was employed at the pumping station of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company and during another winter he worked in the shops of the Piano Machinery Company at Piano, Illinois. Subsequent to his marriage he took up his abode on his present farm of one hundred and ninety-six acres three miles northeast of

Kewanee, which was given to him by his father. The place is known as the old Enslow property. Mr. Fuerst has built an addition to the house, has likewise erected several sheds and has made numerous other improvements until today the place is lacking in none of the accessories and conveniences of a model farm of the twentieth century. The land is all under a high state of cultivation and annually yields bounteous harvests as a reward for the care and labor which is bestowed upon it. Mr. Fuerst has the assistance of but one hired man in the active work of the farm and the success which has crowned his labors is directly attributable to his untiring energy and capable management.

On the lOth of March, 1892, in Kewanee township, Mr. Fuerst was united in marriage to Miss Antonie Schmidt, a daughter of William Schmidt, who was formerly a prominent agriculturist of Brandenburg and is now living retired near Kewanee. He was one of the founders and is a leading member of the German Evangelical church at Brandenburg. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Fuerst has been born a son, Clarence A., who is now six years of age.

In his political views Mr. Fuerst is independent, always supporting the candidate whom he believes best qualified for the office in question, regardless of party affiliation. For a number of years he acted as secretary of the Farmers Alliance Association. Both he and his wife are valued and faithful members of the German Evangelical church near Kewanee, and he takes an active and helpful part in its work, having for a number of years served in the capacity of Sunday-school superintendent. He has remained a resident of Henry county from his birth to the present time and that his life has ever been upright and honorable is indicated by the fact that the associates of his boyhood and youth are still numbered among his stanch friends and admirers.

Charles H. McHenry, of Cambridge, was only three years old when brought to Henry county and through a long period was closely identified with its agricultural interests, but since 1901 has lived retired in the village. He represents one of the old pioneer families of the state. The Black Hawk war occurred only two years before his birth, which was on the 14th of June, 1834, the place of his nativity being in White county, Illinois.

His paternal grandfather was Robert McHenry, a farmer by occupation who, removing to this state settled in White county among its earliest residents. He married Elizabeth Jones and died in White county, while his wife passed away in Henry county. Their son, William McHenry, was born in Barren county, Kentucky, and devoted his life to general farming and to the work of the ministry as a preacher of the Methodist denomination. He cast in his lot with the pioneer settlers of White county, Illinois, and was also one of the first residents of Henry county, arriving in 1836, at which time he entered land in Osco township. In 1837 he removed his family to this county, arriving on the loth of May, and for more than three decades thereafter he was closely associated with the development and the progress of this portion of the state, leaving the impress of his individuality upon the agricultural life of the community and also upon its moral progress. He died March 15, 1868, when about sixty-eight years of age, while his wife passed away in 1890 at the age of seventy years. Mrs. McHenry bore the maiden name of Susie Land and was born in White county, Illinois, her parents being Robert and Lucy (Fike) Land. Her father was a native of South Carolina and became a pioneer settler of White county, Illinois, where he entered claims from the government that have since been in possession of the family. Both he and his wife lived to a ripe old age and had a family of four children, two sons and two daughters, who reached years of maturity. This number included Mrs. McHenry who by her marriage became the mother of ten children, who reached adult age, as follows: Francis; Thomas C. ; Joseph B. ; Charles H.; Elizabeth, the widow of Isaac Stafford; Mary, the wife of Brown Mapes, of Moline, Illinois; Gelina, the wife of Perry Aldrich ; Melinda, the wife of Albert King ; Emma, the wife of Silas Aldrich ; Laura, the wife of Frank Cox ; and two who died in infancy.

Charles H. McHenry was not quite three years of age when his parents removed to this county and from the age of four years he was reared upon the home farm in Phenix township, attending the old-fashioned subscription schools at a day when the teacher "boarded round." Later the district schools were established and he continued his studies through that method of instruction. He has lived to see remarkable changes in the county and the ways of life here. He can remember when the wheat was threshed by being tramped out by horses upon the barn floor and when grain was hauled to Chicago by ox team. The great pork market at that time was at Galena, eighty miles away. Many of the homes were log cabins, cooking was done over the fireplace and the house was lighted by candles. The farmers depended upon what they raised for almost everything they needed, resorting to stores only for a few dry goods and such groceries as sugar, coffee and a few others that could not be raised in this climate. Through the period of his youth when not attending school Mr. McHenry was busy in the fields and after attaining his majority he started out in life for himself, renting land for two years. He decided, however, to own property and purchased eighty acres from his father to which he has added from time to time until he now owns three hundred and twenty acres in Osco township. This he improved from the virgin soil, transforming the raw prairie into rich and productive fields. He continued to engage actively in farming until 1901, when he removed to Cambrdige, where he has since lived retired.

Mr. McHenry has long been pleasantly situated in his home life. On the 3d of January, 1863, he wedded Miss Lucy G. Kilmer, who was bom in New York, of which state her parents, William and Lucinda (Larkin) Kilmer, were also natives. They became early settlers of Osco township, where they continued to reside until called to the home beyond. Upon their farm there they reared their family of four sons and four daughters. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. McHenry was a native of New York and a soldier of the war of 181 2. His ancestors came from Germany. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. McHenry was Henry Larkin, who was likewise born in the Empire state and also aided in protecting American interests in the second war with England.

Mr. and Mrs. McHenry have become parents of six children: AHce, Hving in Chicago; Emma, the wife of Curtis Sheesly, a resident of Rock Island, Illinois ; Lucy, who became the wife of Edward Lindberg and died in 1895, a few months after her marriage; Alvin, who conducts the home farm in Osco township and married Ida Guthrie, of Nebraska, by whom he has three children : Robert, John and Jessie; Edgar, of Geneseo, who married Cora Blair of that place, and has one daughter, Ruth; and Arthur, who is employed in the tube works of Kewanee. He married Jennie Church and they have one daughter, Dorothy.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. McHenry are members of the Methodist church, with which they have long been identified. His political allegiance is given to the democracy but during the period of his active life he was too busy to seek or desire public office. He now has a nice home in Cambridge where he and his wife are living. They have traveled life's journey together for forty-seven years, sharing each other's joys and sorrows, adversity and prosperity. Few residents of the county have so long resided in the village borders or have more intimate knowledge of its history that Mr. McHenry, who for seventy-two years has made his home here.

Dyer Ford

Dyer Ford is the president of the Galva State bank, at Galva, where he has spent the greater part of his life. He is prominent among the enterprising, progressive and prosperous business men whose efforts have contributed to the best interests of the community as well as to his individual success. He was born in Penn Yan, New York, March 5, 1855, and is a son of Milton Morris and Laura (Spencer) Ford, who were also natives of the Empire state. The paternal grandfather. Dyer Ford, was a native of Hampton, Connecticut, born in 1798 and at an early day in the development of central Illinois he became a resident of Canton, whence he afterward removed to Galesburg, while later he established his home at Oneida, Illinois. He engaged in general merchandising in all three places and died in Oneida when more than eighty years of age. He married Lovisa Morris, who was born in Greenfield, New York, in 1802. The maternal grandfather of Dyer Ford was Martin Spencer, who was born at Hillsdale, New York, in 1769, and spent his entire life in the east. In 1799 he wedded Sybil Richmond, who was born in 1783.

Milton Morris Ford became a resident of Galva in i860 and spent the remainder of his days here. He established a dry-goods store, which he conducted with success until about 1882. He was also an attorney and was admitted to the Illinois bar but did not practice to any extent in the courts, preferring to give his attention to general mercantile pursuits. He was, however, prominent in the public life of the community and exercised a wide-felt and beneficial influence in public affairs. He was one of the leading representatives of the republican party and became identified in this way with some of the most prominent men of the state. He was a personal friend and warm admirer of General John A. Logan, also of E. C. Ingersoll and John B. Hawley, member of congress. He served for one term in the house of representatives and was afterward elected from his district to the state senate, serving in the thirtysecond general assembly. He left the impress of his individuality upon public thought and action and while in the legislature took active part in framing the laws enacted during that period. For a number of years he was engaged in the general loan business and success followed his wise investments and unfaltering energy as a logical sequence. He died November 5, 1894, at the age of seventy-one years, and his wife passed away in 1893, also at the age of seventyone. They were members of the Congregational church and their upright lives won for them the unqualified esteem and confidence of all who knew them. In their family were five sons and two daughters, of whom three lived to years of maturity: Florence F., now the wife of Dr. B. S. Peck, of Galva; Jennie S., who died in early womanhood; and Dyer, of this review.

The last named was only five years of age when brought to Galva, where he was reared and made his home until 1883. He attended the public and high schools of the city, also became a student in Griswold College, in Davenport, Iowa, and for three years attended Oberlin College, of Ohio. Thus liberal education qualified him for the practical and responsible duties of a business career. After putting aside his text-books he engaged in merchandising in Galva with his father until 1883, when he went to Stromsburg, Nebraska, where he followed general merchandising in partnership with his brother-in-law, Dr. Peck, with whom he continued for ten years. He then removed to Lansing, Michigan, where he continued until his father's death and in 1894 returned to Galva, since which time he has been continually identified with the business interests of the city. In 1895 he became one of the incorporators of the Galva State Bank and was its vice president until January i, 1909, when he was elected to the presidency. From the organization of the bank he has been active in its control, bending his energies to administrative direction, and his executive force and keen insight have been salient features in making this one of the sound financial institutions of the county.

On the 2d of September, 1874, Mr. Ford was married to Miss May E. Mitchell, of Davenport, Iowa, who was born in Exeter, New Hampshire. Her parents, Colonel and Mrs. A. L. Mitchell, were natives of Maine and became early residents of Chicago, after which they removed to Davenport, Iowa. Her father was a carpenter and joiner and won his title as commander of a regiment in the Civil war. He was afterward in the commission business in St. Louis and subsequently returned to Davenport but is now living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His wife is deceased and Eddie Mitchell, the second of their four children, has also passed away. The others are Julia, Phil and May E. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Ford was Abner Mitchell, who lived in Alfred, Maine, and was a prominent citizen there and justice of the peace.

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Ford has been blessed with three children: Laura B., the wife of F. H. Wilson, of Galva, by whom she has one son, Ford H. ; Morris M., who is assistant cashier of the Galva State bank and married Blanche L. Lowrey, by whom he has one son. Dyer; and Everett P., who has just completed school. The parents are members of the Congregational church, in which

Mr. Ford is serving as a trustee. He is prominent in Masonic circles, belonging to Galva Lodge, A. F. & A. M.; Galesburg Commandery, K. T. ; and the Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Peoria. He also holds membership in Galva Lodge, No. 408, L O. O. F. and the Encampment and with the x^ncient Order of United Workmen. His political endorsement is given to the republican party, and while in Nebraska he served as chairman of the republican county central committee, while at the present time he is a member of the township central committee of Galva. As the greater part of his life has here been passed he is widely known and that the record is an honorable one is indicated in the regard which is given him. That his Hfe has been well spent is proven in the success which has attended his efforts, making him one of the prosperous citizens of Galva. His geniality, his unfaltering courtesy, and his deference for the opinions of others, constitute the source of his popularity and he stands today as one of the foremost men in this section of the county.

Matthew Bonar Blish

The student of history cannot carry his investigations far into the annals of Henry county without learning of the long and active connection with the Blish family therewith, and Matthew Bonar Blish is numbered among those who are today prominent in the life of the community. He has for a number of years been a leading business man of Kewanee and like the others of the name merits and receives the high respect and good will of those with whom he has been associated. He is a son of Charles Cheney Blish and a brother of James K. Blish, both mentioned elsewhere in this volume. His birth occurred at Wethersfield, Illinois, December 5, 1848, and he attended the local schools of that place and Kewanee, while subsequently he spent one year in the University of Michigan. Following his marriage he began farming, which continued to be his business until a year or two after the death of his father in 1890. He had previously in connection with his father under the firm name of C. C. Blish & Son, developed one of the finest herds of shorthorn cattle in the west and they became widely known as prominent stock breeders and dealers. After the death of the senior member of the firm M. B. Blish, never of strong physique, felt that the constant care necessary to maintain the herd was telling upon him and disposed of it at a public sale, the high prices realized being an unmistakable index of the quality of the animals.

It was on the 23d of December, 1868, in Wethersfield, Illinois, that Matthew B. Blish was united in marriage to Miss Martha Florence Morrill, a daughter of Daniel Webster and Elizabeth Almira (Wedge) Morrill. Mrs. Blish was born November 18, 1849, at Ripley, Virginia, and this marriage has been blessed with three children: Kate Elizabeth, who was bom in Wethersfield, October 13, 1869; Charles Bonar, born February 25, 1871 ; and Dwight Morrill, May 23, 1881. For a number of years Mr. Blish, to avoid the rigors of the northern climate, spent the winter months in Mobile and Citronelle, Alabama. He is officially connected with the Kewanee Fair Association and is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity. The family has always stood for a high type of American manhood, for loyalty and progressiveness in citizenship, for trustworthiness and enterprise in business life, and the history of those who bear the name constitutes a most important and interesting chapter in the records of Henry county.

James Knox Blish

James Knox Blish, for thirty-six years a member of the Kewanee bar, whose record is in contradistinction to the old adage that a prophet is never without honor save in his own country, for he is a native son of the county in which he resides, having here passed his active life and so directed his ability and efforts as to gain recognition as one of its representative and valued members of the bar. His birth occurred near Kewanee, May 2, 1843, his parents being Charles C. and Elizabeth P. (Bonar) Blish. There has been compiled an extended genealogical record of the family which says that all of the name of Blish are descended from Abraham Blish, who was in Duxbury, a part of the Plymouth colony, in 1637, and is mentioned in Winsor's History of Duxbury. He removed to Barnstable as early as 1640 and his homestead there was owned by him and his descendants for nearly two hundred years. On July, 1658, he purchased of Dolar Davis for seventy-five pounds, a farm in the easterly part of the town near the present site of the town of Barnstable, a portion of which land was in the old common-field. He was "propounded for freeman," June 5, 1661, and seemed to be a man of considerable local influence in that he served in various offices. His son Joseph Blish was born April i, 1648, at Barnstable, was there married September 15, 1674, to Hannah, a daughter of Tristram and Agnes Hull. She was born in 1657. He was admitted as a freeman in 1689 and died June 14, 1730. His son, Tristram Blish, son of Joseph and Hannah (Hull) Blish, was born in April, 1694, at West Barnstable, Massachusetts, and was married October 17, 1717, to Anne Fuller, who was born at Barnstable in November, 1693, a daughter of Matthew and Prudence (Young) Fuller. Tristram Blish was a weaver by trade. He was executor of the will of his father in Barnstable and members of his family removed to Colchester, Connecticut, about 1726, his name occurring several times in the land records of that place. David Blish, son of Tristram and Hannah (Fuller) Blish, was born at Colchester, Connecticut, October 26, 1732, and was married about 1752, to Zeruiah, daughter of Deacon Nathaniel and Mary (Gillett) Skinner. She was born June 25, 1730, at Colchester, Connecticut. David and Zeruiah Blish were communicants in the church at Marlboro in 1754 and all of their children were baptized there. It seems that the name has been variously spelled Blish and Blush through succeeding generations, perhaps not so much by members of the family but by others who had occasion to write the name. On the records of Captain David Miller's Company that marched in September, 1776, to East Chester to join General Washington's army, appears the name of David Blish "David Blish, sergeant." He was also sergeant in Captain Rudd's company in Colonel Chapman's regiment in the Revolutionary war, which took part in the movement of the army to dis- lodge the British at Newport in 1778, and was also present at the battle of Rhode Island. The only town office he is recorded as holding is that of highway surveyor in 1794. According to the inscription on his tombstone in the Marlboro cemetery, he died October 26, 1817, and his wife's tombstone records her death as January 2,y, 1813. Deacon Thomas Bhsh, son of David and Zeruiah (Skinner) Blish, was born September 13, 1762, at Glastonbury, Connecticut, and was married September 21, 1785, to Prudence, daughter of Elizur and Abigail (Hollister) Hubbard. She was born in Glastonbury, April 23, 1767. Thomas Blish was a farmer, owning several hundred acres of land in East Glastonbury. He filled a number of town offices and was prominent in the work of the church. He died April 15, 1831, and his widow afterward lived for a time with her son Sylvester, who in 1837, removed to Wethersfield, Illinois. Later she went to Rockton, Illinois, to live with her daughter, Dorothy Talcott, and there remained until her death, which occurred in 1848.

Colonel Sylvester Blish, the grandfather of James K. Blish and a son of Deacon Thomas and Prudence (Hubbard) Blish, was bom December 31, 1790, at Glastonbury, Connecticut, and on the ist of January, 1812, at South Manchester, Connecticut, wedded Rhoda Cheney, who was born December 5, 1794, at South Manchester, a daughter of Timothy and Rhoda (Skinner) Cheney. Colonel Sylvester and Rhoda (Cheney) Blish were the parents of Charles C. Blish and William H. Blish and the grandparents of James K. Blish, whose name introduces this review. As Colonel Sylvester Blish and his descendants have been prominently identified with the history of Henry county they are mentioned more at length on another page of this volume.

James K. Blish, whose name introduces this record, acquired his early education in the Union school of Wethersfield and Kewanee and afterward became a student in the preparatory school at Ann Arbor, and in 1862 he entered the University of Michigan, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1866. His college days being ended, he returned to his home in this county and was identified with farming interests in Wethersfield township for three years. His alma mater conferred upon him the Master of Arts degree in 1876. After devoting three years to farming he went to Council BluflFs, Iowa, where he entered the firm of Kiter, Bonar & Blish, manufacturers of blank books, his identification with that house continuing for two years, after which he disposed of his interest there and went to Chicago, where he entered the employ of J. W. Middleton, engaged in the same line of business, until the disastrous fire of 1871. He then returned to Kewanee and with the determination of entering upon a professional career became a law student in the office of Howe & North, the senior partner being Judge John H. Howe, who a year later was appointed by President Grant as chief justice of the territory of Wyoming. Mr. Blish then continued his law studies under the direction of Hon. Levi North, and while pursuing his law course was elected justice of the peace, being the youngest man who has ever filled that position in Kewanee.

In 1873 Mr. Blish passed the required examination before the judges of the supreme court at Springfield, among whom was the venerable Sidney Breese, and being thus admitted to the bar opened a law office in Kewanee, where he has since successfully followed his profession. He is today one of the oldest repre- sentatives of the bar of this city in years of continuous practice here. He has won for himself very favorable criticism for the careful and systematic methods which he has followed. He has remarkable power of concentration and appHcation, and his retentive mind has often excited the surprise of his professional colleagues. As an orator he stands high, especially in the discussion of legal matters before the court, where his comprehensive knowledge of the law is manifest and his application of legal principles demonstrates the wide range of his professional acquirements. The utmost care and precision characterizes his preparation of a case and has made him one of the most successful attorneys of Henry county. Mr. Blish has also become known in business circles and since 1894 has been the honored president of the First National Bank, which was organized in 1870, at which time his father was elected president and so continued for about twenty years. Various other corporate interests have benefited by his wise counsel and sagacious judgment in business affairs. He took a leading part in the organization of the Kewanee Building & Loan Association and was chosen its first secretary. He also assisted in organizing the Kewanee Electric Light Company and has been prominently identified with a number of other business enterprises that have promoted the welfare of the city.

While the life work of Mr. Blish has been preeminently that of a successful practitioner of law, he has ever been mindful of his duties and obligations of citizenship and has labored earnestly and effectively for the benefit of the city along many lines. He was one of the organizers of the Kewanee public library and served for twelve years on its board of directors. For thirteen years he was president of the Kewanee Fair Association, which he had aided in organizing, and for four years he was a member of the board of county supervisors, during which time he served on the building committee for the erection of the Henry county courthouse. His service as a member of the school board covers eighteen years, during which period he acted for a part of the time as its secretary and at all times was a stalwart champion of the cause of public education, promoting its interests through the employment of competent teachers and the adoption of improved methods of instruction. Called to the city council, he served as alderman for several years and exercised his prerogatives in support of every measure which he deemed of municipal benefit. In politics he is a democrat but not an advocate of free silver. He has been a delegate to nearly all the state conventions of his party and in 1888 was one of the presidential electors. His highest political honors were conferred upon him in 1902, when he was elected minority representative to the general assembly of IlHnois for the thirty-seventh district composed of Bureau, Henry and Stark counties.

Mr. Blish has been married twice. On the 25th of December. 1867, in Chicago, lUinois, he was married to Miss Mary E. McManus, who was born January 31, 1846, in Sherburne, New York, and died September 18. 1883. There were three children of that marriage: Carrie Elizabeth, who was born Februarv' 7, 1869, at Wethersfield, Illinois, died June 8, 1870, at Council Bluffs, Iowa. James Louis was born July 18, 1871, in Chicago. Bertha Belle was born September 19, 1877, in Kewanee, Illinois. Mr. Blish's first wife died September 18. 1883, and he was again married October 5, 1886, in Cambridge, Illinois, to Mis? Amy Mason Rhodes, who was born in Providence. Rhode Lsland, September 15,

1855, and is a daughter of Albert and Ann Elizabeth (Read) Rhodes, who came to this state during her infancy and settled on a farm at Bunker Hill, Bureau county. There Mrs. Blish attended the local schools until the failing health of her father compelled him to quit farming and the family removed to Buda, Illinois. She finished her education in Providence, Rhode Island, and at once began teaching, which she followed for more than ten years, during most of which time she was first assistant in the high schools of Buda, Sheffield and Cambridge. Since her marriage she has been an active participant in social, charitable and literary circles of Kewanee, is a member of the Ladies Reading Club and was the organizer and for several years the regent of the Kewanee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. For fifteen years she was an officer and one of the managers of the Dorcas Society, an organization supported by voluntary contributions for the benefit of the worthy poor. By her marriage she has become the mother of three children : Elizabeth, born March 22, 1888 ; Matthew Rhodes, born April 28, 1889; and Asa Rhodes, born June 8, 1893.

Mr. Blish is numbered among the pioneer residents of Henry county, where he has spent his entire life and has served for several terms as president of the Old Settlers Association. The county might well be proud of her native sons if their records were all as clean and honorable and their work as valuable in the upbuilding and promotion of public interests as that of James Knox Blish - a man respected and honored wherever known and most of all where best known.

Mrs. Susan Hulse Jennings

The desire on the part, of many friends of Mrs. Susan Hulse Jennings is in harmony with the wish of the publishers to present to our readers her history, for through forty years she bore a prominent part in the life of the community not only in its social relations but also in the larger field of business, where she displayed remarkable energy, foresight and capability in management. She made her home on section 12, Cambridge township, where she and her husband located on a tract of four hundred acres of land in 1849 and there she remained until her demise in February, 1898, her influence being a beneficent force in the community. She was born August 20, 1813, near Chillicothe, Ohio, and was a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Van Meter) Shepherd. Her paternal grandfather, Thomas Shepherd, was a pioneer of Jefferson county, Virginia, and a prominent factor in all the general interests of that part of the state, being closely associated with its settlements and the development of its agricultural and business affairs. He built and operated what was then known as a merchant mill and in the conduct of his agricultural and industrial interests won prosperity. Through his eflForts the town of Shepherdston, Virginia, was laid out and became a place of more than ordinary pretensions. This successful and enterprising business man in his early manhood was fortunate in winning for his bride Miss Susan Hulse, the belle of Wheeling, West Virginia, and to them were born eight children. Two sons of the family, two sons-in-law and the father all enlisted as soldiers in the war of 1812, and the latter gave a drove of cattle for the use of the army. His granddaughter, Mrs. Jennings, whose name introduces this review, first opened her eyes to the light on the day when her father returned from the war.

Her father, John Shepherd, was born February 16, 1776, and married Elizabeth Van Meter, a daughter of Isaac and Rebecca (Wright) Van Meter. Her parents were prosperous people so that the splendid opportunities of education and culture were afforded her. Her father was one of the most prominent and influential citizens of the county in which he made his home and was highly esteemed for his sterling worth as a man and for his unfaltering integrity in every relation of life. Unto John Shepherd and his wife were born eight children. The parents when still young went to Ohio and the father served as sheriff of the county in which they settled. In the fall of 1835 they removed westward to Vermilion county, Illinois, where the death of Mr. Shepherd occurred April 3, 1841. He had devoted his life to farming and milling and his industry, energy and reliability were factors in his success.. His wife was born May 4, 1783, and died in Pickaway county, Ohio, September 5, 1835.

Mrs. Jennings was the fourth child of her parents and the other members of the family were Abraham, Rebecca W., Isaac V., Rachel, Mary, Elizabeth and Joseph L., all now deceased. She spent her girlhood days under the parental roof and on the 6th of March, 1835, gave her hand in marriage to Levi Jennings, who was bom in Virginia, March 10, 1794. They began their domestic life on a farm in Peoria county, Illinois, where they continued to reside for fourteen years, after which Mr. Jennings disposed of his property there and returned to Ohio, where they remained for one summer. They then became residents of Canton, Fulton county, Illinois, and in April, 1849, arrived in Henry county, where they purchased four hundred acres of land and two thousand head of sheep. This was still a pioneer district and their primitive home was a log cabin barely large enough to accommodate the members of the family. They occupied it for five years, however, bending their energies to the improvement of their farm, Mrs. Jennings wisely managing the household affairs while her husband had charge of the work of cultivating the fields.

The death of Mr. Jennings occurred December 28, 1859, at Henderson, Minnesota. The original purchase of four hundred acres remained in possession of the family and Mrs. Jennings prosecuted the interests of the estate with characteristic energy. Not only did she make the home farm a profitable enterprise but from time to time as her financial interests increased made investment in other property until she became one of the large landowners of Henry county, her possessions aggregating thirteen hundred acres. Of this eleven hundred and twenty acres were included in the home farm, while the remainder was timber land about three miles distant. Mrs. Jennings gave personal supervision to all the work of the farm and stock raising was made a prominent feature of the place, about three hundred hogs and two hundred head of cattle being fattened annually, while at one time sixty head of horses were kept on the place.

Mrs. Jennings proved a most devoted and faitliful mother to her children, who were four in number, namely: Annie V., who was born February 20, 1836, and is now the widow of James Bush, residing in Winterset, Iowa; Mary J., who was born November 14, 1838, and is the widow of Nathaniel B. Gould; John

The death of Mrs. Jennings occurred in February, 1889, when she was in the seventy-sixth year of her age. She was a remarkable woman, possessing notable business tact, enterprise, the keenest discrimination and sound judgment. Her memory was retentive and her knowledge of detail most accurate. She saw and recognized the possibilities for judicious and profitable investment and her business ability made her the peer of the successful men of the county, while in all those true womanly traits of sociabiHty, kindliness and consideration she was richly endowed.

Robert A. Manguson

Among the representative citizens whom Sweden has given to the new world is Robert A. Manguson, who belongs to a family that, like many another that has come from across the water, sought the opportunities of the new world that advancement might be made in business lines and better advantages given to the members of the household. Born on the nth of October, 1856, in Gottenburg, he is a son of Eric and Sarah Stena (Samuelson) Manguson, the former a native of Kisa, Sweden, born there on the nth of February, 1822.

The parents, in company with four brothers of Mrs. Manguson, came to America when the subject was but a year and a half old. The vessel upon which they embarked foundered and was lost at sea, and they were rescued by another ship. They were eleven weeks in making the journey but finally landed in New York city, where they resided for about five years, during which time the father was engaged in the carpenter's trade. Later they came to Henry county, where the brothers of Mrs. Manguson had already located. The home was established in Western township and there the father was employed as a laborer and at the same time operated a rented farm which belonged to the Samuelsons, his wife's brothers. About the year 1866 he purchased eighty acres of land on section 20, Osco township, where he erected a small house and upon which he resided for a number of years. He became very prosperous in his agricultural pursuits and as the years passed was able to add to his original purchase. He first invested in one hundred and sixty acres on section 18, Osco township, to which he removed and upon which he made many improvements, continuing to reside thereupon for several years. Later he purchased one hundred and nine and a half acres on section 30, this township, upon which farm our subject now resides. His entire life was given to general farming pursuits and he never had occasion to regret his determination to seek his fortune in this country, for here, where individual effort is unhampered by caste or class, he prospered and through industry, thrift and perseverance gained a place among the substantial agriculturists of the township. He was a stalwart republican in politics but not an aspirant for public office, and his religious faith was indicated by his membership in the Swedish Lutheran church. Death came to him on the 30th of December, 1905, at the advanced age of eighty-three years, having survived his wife about two years, her death occurring on the 21st of October, 1903. Their family consisted of nine children, eight of whom grew to maturity and seven are still living. They are as follows : Matilda, the wife of Samuel Peterson, who with their ten children reside in Orion; CaroHne, who married August Hart and passed away in Merced, California, leaving five children ; Charles, who wedded Christine Swanson, by whom he has six children, and makes his home in Rolfe, Iowa; Robert A., of this review; Alfred, who resides in Osco; Ida, the wife of Frank Elm, of Cambridge, by whom she has three children ; Emily, the wife of John Westerlund, of Elliott, Iowa ; Frank, who married Emily Shellberg, and with his wife and one child resides on section 29, Osco township ; and one who died in infancy.

Coming to America in very early childhood, Robert A. Manguson has therefore spent almost his entire life in this country and in the schools of Osco township, Henry county, acquired a very good knowledge of the various branches of English learning. His entire boyhood and youth were passed under the parental roof and he early became familiar with the tasks that fall to the lot of the country lad. He continued to give his father the benefit of his assistance until twenty-two years of age, when he launched out in an independent venture, renting one of his father's farms for a year or two and during that time making his home with his parents. He then laid the foundation for a happy home life in his marriage on the 2d of July, 1889, at Orion, to Miss Minnie Johnson, a native of Tiersom, Sweden, and a daughter of Jonas Diederic and Charlotte (Nelson) Johnson. She was sixteen years of age when she accompanied her parents on their removal to America, settlement being made in Orion, Henry county, Illinois. The father still survives and makes his home in Osco township, while the mother passed away September 16, 1905.

After his marriage Mr. Manguson came to his present farm, which he operated in the capacity of renter until his father's death, when he purchased the property from the estate, paying for it one hundred and fifty-four dollars per acre. It consists of one hundred and nine and a half acres located on section 30, Osco township. It was in excellent condition when it came into his possession and he has since directed his efforts towards its further cultivation. He has fully equipped it with the modern conveniences and accessories for facilitating farm labor and it contains all of the modern improvements which go to make up a model farm. He engages in general agricultural pursuits. Up-to-date and progressive in his methods, possessing excellent business ability, he has, through his close application and good management worked his way upward in the agricultural world until today he ranks among the progressive, prosperous and representative farmers of the township.

As the years have come and gone four children have come to bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. Manguson, namely: Robert Clyde, who was born on the nth of November, 1890; Ralph Amos, born May 22, 1895 ; Hazel Delsina, whose birth occurred on the 7th of May, 1898; and Alice Lorena, born on the 31st of August, 1900. The parents are both members of the Swedish Lutheran church of Orion, the teachings of which form the giiiding principles of their lives. Mr. Manguson is stalwart in his support of the republican party, doing all in his power to further its influence in the community, although he has never sought nor de- sired public office as the reward of party fealty. He has, however, served as a director on the school board, the cause of education finding in him a stanch champion. In his business affairs he has ever displayed sound judgment and keen discrimination and at the same time has ever been straightforward and honorable, basing his business principles and actions upon the rules which govern strict and unswerving integrity. He is a man of many friends and has long been numbered among the valued citizens of the township.

Isaac Sprouse

On the roll of Henry county's honored dead appears the name of Isaac Sprouse, who was for many years actively identified with the farming interests of this section of Illinois. He was a man of kindly purpose and unbounded sympathy and all who knew him felt honored by his friendship. Born in Staunton, Virginia, November 17, 1839, he was a son of Mr. and Mrs. McCady Sprouse. The father served in the war of 1812 and afterward received a soldier's grant of land in Henry county, this tract constituting the farm which has since been in possession of the Sprouse family. He died on the old homestead, at the age of sixty-seven years. The mother, who bore the maiden name of Patterson, and was born in Kentucky, departed this life when eighty years of age.

Isaac Sprouse was reared in Staunton, Virginia, to the age of fourteen years, when he accompanied the parents on their removal to Henry county. His studies, begun in the schools of the south, were completed in the public schools of Nekoma, this state. Being the youngest of ten children, he remained with his parents on the home farm, caring for them in their declining years. After the father put aside business cares, the son managed the homestead place and continued to render such assistance to his widowed mother after the father passed away. Following her demise, he purchased the interest of the other heirs and thus became owner of one hundred and seven acres in Weller township. When the place came into his possession he replaced the old buildings with new and modern ones and made it a valuable farming property. He carried on farming for many years, the only interruption to his business being at the time of the Civil war, inheriting his father's loyal and patriotic spirit, he joined the army on the 25th of August, 1862, and served until June 10, 1865, when he received an honorable discharge. His death occurred August 15, 1903.

It was prior to his service in the Civil war that Mr. Sprouse was married, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary Anderson, a daughter of Samuel Anderson, a prosperous farmer of Orion, this county. The wedding was celebrated in Cambridge, Illinois, on the 25th of November, i860. Their union was blessed with five sons and three daughters: William G., forty-seven years of age, is farming in Worthington, Minnesota. Charles E., who is forty-two years of age, lives in Cameron, Missouri, and also gives his attention to agricultural pursuits. J. Franklin, forty years old, farms near Osco, in Henry county. Emma, thirty-six years of age, is the wife of George Wingader, of Galesburg, Illinois. Carrie M., who is the wife of W. S. Whitney, of Nekoma, is thirty- three years old. Melvin O., thirty-one years of age, is also a farmer of Henry county, making his home near Woodhull. Mary J., passed away on the 30th of December, 1907, when twenty-six years old. Elmer L., an enterprising young man of twenty-six years, operates the old homestead farm.

Mr. Sprouse was independent in politics, voting for the man whom he deemed best fitted and most worthy of office regardless of his platform. His fraternal relations were with the Modern Woodmen and the United Workmen of America, and while he was deeply interested in these organizations, he yet found time to devote to matters of a public nature, filling the office of constable for many years, while for thirty-three years he was a school director. He always advocated a good school system in order that his own and other children of the neighborhood might receive an education suited to the demands of the times and that they might start out in life well equipped for the strenuous service of this exacting age. Last, but none the less important, was his church relationship. Mr. Sprouse was a charter member of the Methodist Episcopal church organized at Nekoma and from that date until his death he served on the board of trustees. For many years he likewise acted as superintendent of the Sunday school and in every movement and department of church work, whether of a business or social nature, he gave freely of his time and means. It is a difficult task to offer a fitting memorial to the life and accomplishments of a man of his character. Of broad and comprehensive views, of indomitable perseverance and strong personality, his life was as an open scroll, inviting the closest scrutiny. He directed his efforts in those lines where his judgment led him and carved his name deeply on the record of the political, agricultural and moral history of Henry county, which owes much of its advancement to his efforts.

Charles K. Ladd

A man of national prominence in democratic politics, with a state-wide reputation as a member of the bar, and honored and respected wherever known by reason of his eminent ability and his fearless defense of his honest convictions, Charles K. Ladd in his home city of Kewanee occupied a position almost unique in the opinion of his fellow townsmen. His own clear convictions and frank expression thereof caused many to differ from him in opinion on vital questions, and yet those same people entertained for him warm and friendly regard, recognizing his large heart, his generous nature and his public spirit.

The life history of Charles K. Ladd given in detail with an analyzation of his character is an interesting one. He was born February 26, 1839, in Wilmot. New Hampshire, and his history was in measure shaped by the influences of his youthful days spent among the granite hills of that state. He always had the deepest attachment for his New England home, to which in reminiscent mood he referred with tenderness and eloquence. His parents were John T. and Lydia Ladd, the former a stone-cutter by trade. They remained residents of New Hampshire until 1855, when they brought their family to Illinois, settling at Indian Hill, a small place near Mineral. There Charles K. Ladd assisted in the cul- tivation and improvement of the home farm until the fall of 1858, when he came with his parents to Kewanee. Soon after he had opportunity for supplementing his early educational privileges by a course at Lombard College in Galesburg, Illinois, and in that institution pursued his studies to graduation. In his college days he formed the determination to become a lawyer and to this end entered the law school of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, his admission to the bar following the completion of his course there. Throughout the years of a successful professional career he remained a resident of Kewanee, first entering upon practice in connection with Judge Wilson, with offices on Tremont street. After four or five years the firm removed to another location at the corner of Tremont and Third streets, and soon Mr. Ladd purchased the interest of Judge Wilson and continued in practice alone there throughout the remainder of his life. For nearly thirty years he occupied offices in the Fischer building and about five years prior to his death removed to the location in which he continued until his demise. He was one of the eminent lawyers, not only of the Kewanee bar but of the state, and practiced in various sections of Illinois, having cases pending in many courts at the time of his death. Constant and close study brought him thorough knowledge of the law, and, moreover, he attained rare ability as an orator and forceful speaker, these qualities resulting in winning him enviable success in his profession. He was retained as counsel for the defense or prosecution in many important cases and during the latter part of his life lost none of the eloquence which characterized him as a lawyer and public speaker in his earlier years.

Judge Graves said of him : "He was a lawyer of eminent success. I find especial reason for his success and that lay in his ability to present his case effectively to the jury. He did not use the same speech for all cases, but changed its sentiment and style of presentation to suit occasions. He was tactful and knew how to get the jury to return the verdict he was working for. I have known him to obtain verdicts which the court could not allow to stand. I attribute this to his tact and his skill in presenting the law and his side of the case. Lawyers are many times slandered and declared to be lacking in veracity. In all my acquaintance with Mr. Ladd I know that he has never violated an agreement with me regarding any of fhe cases on the docket or on trial. I needed no written stipulation. His word was as good as his bond." He was attorney for the Tube Company from its inception until his death and of other important business interests and corporations in Kewanee.

While Mr. Ladd was prominently known to the legal profession of Illinois, he was even more widely known because of his political labors in behalf of the democratic party, of which he was always a stanch advocate. His words and voice carried weight, not only in local but in the state and national councils. In the political campaign of 1892 he delivered many addresses and following the election of Grover Cleveland was offered the United States district attorneyship of northern Illinois. He had no desire, however, for public preferment and, declining the proffered honor, recommended that his friend, Sherwood Dixon, of Dixon, Illinois, be appointed, which suggestion was honored by President Cleveland. He also declined at the same time to become ambassador to the court of Italy. When Carter Harrison first became mayor of Chicago he offered Mr.