Henry County, Illinois - The whole text, 1910 (part 1 of 32)

Judge George Elliot Waite

If one were asked to find the characterization of Judge Waite amid the lines that poets have penned, the following might be fittingly chosen:

Such was the life of Judge Waite, who in the long years of his connection with Henry county stood as one of its most honored citizens, seeking ever the good of the state before personal aggrandizement and at all times standing fearlessly in defense of what he believed to be for the best interests of the public at large. He was born in 1827 in Stratton, Windham county, Vermont, and comes of a family in the paternal line of English origin. The name was originally spelled Wayte, while later the orthography was changed by diflferent branches of the family to Waite and Wait. The American ancestor was Thomas Wayte, who emigrated to Massachusetts upon the restoration of King Charles II in 1660. He was a member of the long parliament and was identified with Hampden, Pym, Sir Harry Vane, Sir Thomas Fairfax, Cromwell, Ireton and others with the struggle for freedom of conscience and constitutional government. He did not waver in his opposition to the king and no doubt saw Cromwell at the head of the famous Ironsides regiment and may have been present at Marston Moore and Naseby. He sat on the trial of Charles I and witnessed the matchless prosecution by John Bradshaw, and signed the death warrant of the king. Through successive generations his descendants have been prominent in public affairs and loyal in citizenship, standing courageously in defense of their honest convictions and at all times advocating progress and improvement.

John Wayte, the grandfather of Judge Waite, was a soldier of the revolutionary war and fought in the battles of Concord, Lexington and Bunker Hill. After the cessation of hostilities he removed to Stratton, Vermont, where he resided until his death. He had five sons, Amasa, Luther, Daniel Tyler and Alpheus.

Judge Waite is a son of Tyler and Lucia (Taylor) Waite. His mother was a daughter of Ebenezer Taylor of Woodbury, Vermont, and a representative of a family of Scotch origin. Tyler Waite was a prosperous farmer and a man of education and influence. He and his wife reared and educated a family of seven children, Laura, George E., Lucia, Henry A., Chastina, Ruth and Dexter, but only Henry and Dexter are still living. Dexter has two sons, George and Frank Waite, who are prominent business men of the state of Washington.

Judge Waite attended the public schools of Vermont and after preparing for college took a four years' classical course in the Wesleyan University at Middletown, Connecticut. In his college days he was especially noted for his ability as a writer and speaker and was graduated with high honors. In the year 1856 he arrived in Geneseo, Illinois, and following his admission to the bar in 1858 he at once became a successful lawyer. Advancement at the bar is proverbially slow, yet no dreary halt awaited him. Almost immediately he was accorded a large clientage and the character of his legal business constantly became more important as he demonstrated his ability to successfully cope with the intricate problems of the law. He was almost without exception correct in his application of legal principles and his knowledge of the law was comprehensive and exhaustive so that he was always able to cite a precedent or legal principle that was applicable to his cause. He participated in the organization of the republican party and ever afterward honorably supported its men and measures. He was known throughout the state as a safe, able and courageous political leader and took part in every campaign. He was regarded as the right man for an emergency, seeming to know exactly when and how to express himself to produce the best possible results that could be secured under any given condition. His splendid physical manhood was such as would attract attention in any gathering and he possessed, moreover, an appeal in voice, word and action that made him a strong and forceful speaker before any audience. He never really sought office, but was the choice of the people for important judicial, legislative, and other positions, the duties of which he discharged with great satisfaction to the general public. He was a member of the convention which formed the present constitution of Illinois and was chairman of the committee on retrenchments and reforms. His report to the convention contained, among other things, a recommendation for an article prohibiting special legislation. He proposed the only method to put an end to this abuse and his recommendation was adopted and incorporated into the constitution of the state and is still one of its wisest and best provisions. As one of the framers of the organic law of Illinois he looked beyond the exigencies of the moment to the possibilities of the future and with notable sagacity prepared for conditions that might arise. He was a careful student of history, an intelligent observer of all passing events and was well settled in his opinions upon great public questions. He gave support to the cause of the Union during the dark days of the Civil war and in all matters of citizenship stood for state and national honor and for continuous progress where the best interests of the country might be conserved.

On the 8th of May, 1859, in Geneseo, Illinois, Judge Waite was married to Miss Harriet Newell, a daughter of Benjamin and Mary B. (Ford) Wells. Her father, who was born in Connecticut, in March, 1804, died in 1864. He was the youngest son of Thomas Wells, a son of the family to which also belonged Governor Wells of Connecticut, while the Hon. William H. Wells, au- thor of Wells' Grammar, was a cousin of Mrs. Waite. Benjamin Wells arrived in Geneseo in 1856 and was, therefore, one of its early settlers. His wife was a daughter of Dyer and Esther (Burnett) Ford. She was born in September, 1803, and died in Geneseo, Illinois, in 1886. After the death of her first husband she became the wife of Jonah Hale, a native of Vermont, and following his demise Mrs. Hale went to live with her daughter Mrs. Waite, with whom she continued to live until her demise, her burial being made in the new cemetery of Geneseo. The Ford family, of which Mrs. Waite is a representative, are descendants of Mrs. Martha Ford, who went to Plymouth, Massachusetts, on the ship Fortune in 1621 with her children. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Wells were seven children: Thomas Seymour, who died in Connecticut at the age of three years; Mary Lovisa, who died in Connecticut at the age of fourteen; Jeremiah S., who died in Georgia, where he was drafted in the Civil war but went instead as a nurse to the front; Harriet Newell, now Mrs. Waite; John Newton ; George Clinton, who died at the age of eight years ; and William Averill, also deceased.

Mrs. Waite was born in old Woodstock, Connecticut, and accompanied her parents to Geneseo, in 1856. She was educated in Connecticut and Illinois, preparing herself to enter the senior class at Galesburg but illness in the family prevented her attending Knox College. She taught school in the summers and attended school in the winter months and became one of the best teachers in the graded school of Geneseo. Previous to this time she had been a teacher in select schools. She continued teaching in Geneseo with great success for a number of years prior to her marriage and is a most intelligent lady, whose influence has been a potent factor for the upholding of high, intellectual and social standards. She is a member of the Congregational church and has always been associated with church and Sunday-school work, having been superintendent of the primary Sunday school a decade or more. She has also been associated with various missionary and ladies' aid societies, is now president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union of Henry county and for a number of years was district president of the Young Women's Christian Temperance Union. She has been a great worker and crusader in the cause of temperance and is now press superintendent for the Columbia Club, a literary organization. Her efforts and activities have been crowned with success, but perhaps most of all her efforts have been rewarded in her temperance work, for which she deserves great credit. Her life has constituted a beneficient influence for good and her labors have been a potent force for the betterment of the community at large. She continues her work along progressive lines, attends many conventions, has delivered speeches on various occasions and many young men owe their reform to her. Gentle, kind and gracious in manner, as well as broad and liberal in thought and purpose, she is loved by all who know her.

Unto Judge and Mrs. Waite were born three daughters : Laura N., born in Geneseo, May 15, 1861, attended the schools of this city and is a well read and widely informed woman. She is a Chautauqua graduate and also a one hundredth degree Ralstonite. She travels a great deal, gaining thereby the broad culture and experience which only travel can bring. She belongs to the Congregational church and makes her home with her mother, being in sympathy with the latter's work in church and temperance lines. Hattie Mary, born August 8, 1863, in Geneseo, was graduated from the high school of this city and for some years taught in the same public school in which her mother was previously a teacher. She was married in 1886 to Thomas Everett and unto them were born two children, George Waite and Thomas Waite, who died at the age of three years. Mr. Everett died in 1890 and was buried in Louisburg, Kansas. In 1891 Mrs. Everett became the wife of William K. Barnes and lives in Alexandria, Minnesota. Ruth M., born in Geneseo, was graduated from the high school and the Collegiate Institute here and was a successful teacher for several years. In 1895 she became the wife of Henry Dedrick, of this city, and their only child, Henry Waite Dedrick, died in December, 1899. Mr. and Mrs. Dedrick now reside in Janesville, Wisconsin.

Judge Waite died June 5, 1901, in Geneseo and on the 9th of that month was laid to rest in the Geneseo cemetery. He was a man of Christian principles and purpose, although not a member of any church. He possessed an original, distinctive personality, characterized by physical courage, will power and character peculiar to himself. In him there was no self-conceit, no pretensions in manner but he impressed one of being possessed of determination and honesty, combined with the lion spirit when aroused. His abilities were best shown in great emergencies. On such occasions he was irresistless and powerful. He arose to the action, becoming an eloquent, forceful speaker, who swayed his hearers and influenced them to the support of the cause which he was advocating. No man could say aught against him. He was strictly honest and his position was never an equivocal one. He was a man of fine personal appearance, six feet in height, of excellent proportions and weighed one hundred and eighty pounds. He carried himself erectly, his head resting firmly on his shoulders, his brown hair tinged with gray; his voice was rich, mellow and charming. His was one of the largest but also one of the saddest funerals held in Geneseo. Judges, lawyers and statesmen from all parts of Illinois came to pay their last tribute of respect and honor to him. His death was the occasion of the deepest and most widespread regret; his memory remains as a cherished possession to those who knew him and his example is a stimulus toward all that is best and noblest in manhood. His last public address was in favor of no-license in his home town of Geneseo. It was an eloquent and stirring appeal, which was conceded to have carried the day, for the town went dry that year. His widow and daughter, Laura, still reside at the old home on First street and the north part of the city. They are socially prominent, while their worth as factors for good in the community is widely acknowledged.

The life work of Adam Lieberknecht has had such direct bearing upon the growth and progress of Geneseo and Henry county as to render it imperative that mention be made of him in this volume. Not to know him in this part of the state is to argue oneself unknown, for through half a century he has here resided and during much of the period has been editor and proprietor of the Geneseo Republic. He was born in the province of Hesse-Darmstadt, near Weinheim. May 9, 1835. His parents were John and Christina Lieberknecht, both of whom were natives of Germany. The father died in that country in 1843, ^t the age of thirty-seven years, and his widow, long surviving him, came to America in 1852 with her two daughters, her two sons having preceded her in 185 1, They settled in New York city, where they remained for three years, and the sons began working at the printer's trade, Adam Lieberknecht making that business his life work. George Lieberknecht, the eldest son, made his way westward to Chicago in 1854 and the same year walked from that city to Rock Island before the railroad was built. He took up his abode there and for many years made that place his home but is now deceased. The daughters of the family were Catharine, who became the wife of F. Sengenwald and is now deceased; and Mary, who resides in Geneseo, Illinois.

Adam Lieberknecht spent the first sixteen years of his life in the fatherland and during that period acquired his education in the public schools. He then accompanied his brother on the emigration to the new world and in 1856 took up his abode in Rock Island, Illinois. In the spring of 1857, however, he made permanent location in Geneseo, and his expert knowledge of the printing trade enabled him to secure a position in the office of the Geneseo Republic, then owned by I. S. Hyatt. Subsequently Mr. Lieberknecht formed a partnership with George A. Hobbs and purchased the Republic. This relation was maintained for sixteen years, at the end of which time Mr. Lieberknecht became sole proprietor and has continued as the owner of the paper to the present time. It is published in the interests of the republican party and is well known as the champion of progressive movements resulting in substantial benefit to the city. The paper presents a neat and attractive appearance and in connection with its publication Mr. Lieberknecht owns and conducts a fine job printing plant and does a general job printing business. He has made this a profitable enterprise and in his life work has kept in touch with the spirit of continuous advancement that has been characteristic of modern journalism.

In 1859 Mr. Lieberknecht was united in marriage to Miss Caroline Kiefer of Geneseo and unto them was born a son, J. F., usually known as Frank. He married Anna Fehlman. Mrs. Caroline Lieberknecht died in the fall of 1864 and in the autumn of the succeeding year Mr. Lieberknecht wedded Miss Rosina Rieger, by whom he had three children : William, Charles and Emma. The three sons are all in the Republic office. Charles married Miss Helen Antes and they have two children : Catharine and Priscilla. Emma is the wife of Ansel Purple and they reside in Columbia, Pennsylvania, where they are rearing their family of four children: Ansel, Leonora, Margaret and William. The death of Mrs. Rosina Lieberknecht occurred in January, 1874, and for his third wife Mr. Lieberknecht chose Miss Priscilla H. Fehlman, whom he wedded in November, 1875. The two children of that marriage are Amalia and Leonora. The former is the wife of Lou de Vausney, assistant cashier of the Seaport National Bank of New York city, and they reside at Newark, New Jersey. Leonora is the wife of Dr. Gustav T. Metz, also of Newark.

Mr. and Mrs. Lieberknecht are members of the Congregational church and are interested in all those measures and movements which tend to promote the moral, intellectual and esthetic progress as well as the material advancement of the community. In politics Mr. Lieberknecht has always been a stalwart republican and has occupied a number of positions of trust and responsibiHty. Through appointment of Governor Oglesby he served for four years as canal commissioner, was appointed United States consul to Tampico, Mexico, under President Harrison and was retired by President Cleveland. President McKinley appointed him United States consul to Zurich, Switzerland, where he represented the home government for eleven years and then resigned. In October, 1908, he returned to Geneseo and is now occupying the attractive old residence which he built many years ago in which he reared his family. In years gone by he was a trustee of his township and also a member of the Geneseo board of education. In all matters relative to the public welfare he has taken an advanced stand and his labors have been far-reaching and effective forces in promoting the progress of the many interests bearing upon the county's growth. A life of intense and well directed activity has brought him to a position among the substantial citizens of Geneseo, where he not only owns his well equipped printing office but also a beautiful home and other valuable real estate, which contribute materially to his comfort in the evening of life. While he has now passed the seventy-fourth milestone he is a splendidly preserved man who in spirit and interests seems yet in his prime.

George Woodbridge Buck

The years of George Woodbridge Buck's residence in Henry county are seventy-one for he arrived in 1838, being then a little lad of four summers. It was a pioneer district into which the family came, for around the little home for miles stretched the unbroken prairie. Only here and there was a frontier home to be seen, showing that the work of civilization had been begun. Six years before, in a sanguinary conflict, the white race had disputed with the red men their dominion over this part of the country, and there were still many evidences of Indian occupancy to be seen. Deer were frequently found in the forests or upon the open prairie, and wild turkeys, prairie chickens and other feathered game were to be had in abundance. It was amid such surroundings that George W. Buck spent his youth.

A native of the state of New York, he was born in Chautauqua county, April 9, 1834, his parents being Roswell and Harriet (Meach) Buck, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of the Empire state. Roswell Buck was a lumberman of Vermont and continued in the same line of business after his removal to New York. He died in Cattaraugus county, that state, in February, 1862, at the age of sixty-five years, while his wife passed away in 1834, when her son George was but three weeks old. In the family were seven children, two sons and five daughters : Catharine, who married Isaac Schermerhorn ; Ma-

Left motherless at the age of three weeks, George W. Buck, when three months old, was taken into the family of Isaac and Nancy Stanbro, who in 1837 left New York. Making their way westward to Illinois they arrived in Henry county in May, 1838, and here the subject of this review was reared to manhood and has since made his home. He and John W. Withrow attended the same little log school, where slabs were used for seats, while the writing desk was made of a board laid upon pins driven into the wall. In one end of the room was a large fireplace and the rod was ever a feature in discipline. That teacher, however, had a still more novel method of maintaining order, punishing the children by putting them through a hole and lowering them underneath the puncheon floor. The building was erected without the use of a single nail, being put together with pegs. On the inside of the door was a wooden latch pulled by a string which hung on the outside. The methods of instruction were quite primitive as compared with those of the present day, and the school was conducted on the subscription plan, the teacher having no fixed salary, his income depending upon the number of pupils which he had. Mr. Buck continued with the Stanbro family until sixteen years of age, when he started out for himself, working by the month for a number of years. In this way he gained the capital that at length enabled him to rent land and begin farming for himself. He also bought some oxen and broke prairie, for even up to that time there was still much land in this part of the state that had not yet been placed under the plow. In 1859 he drove an ox team from Geneseo, Illinois, across the plains and through the mountain passes to Maryville, California. Thence he wandered northward into Oregon, where he followed gold mining and also engaged in various pursuits. In November, 1861, he returned to Henry county and the following year donned the blue uniform in defense of the nation, enlisting as a member of Company C, One Hundred and Twelfth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until the close of the war, holding the rank of sergeant. He acted as wagonmaster in the quartermaster's department and participated in the Atlanta and Tennessee campaigns. After the troops reached Atlanta he was with that great division of the army which, under General Thomas turned to Tennessee and there he participated in the battles of Franklin and Nashville. His corps proceeded in a more roundabout way under General Schofield and landed at Fort Fisher, and the regiment took part in the capture of Fort Anderson and the battle of Wilmington, afterward marching northward to Goldsboro, where they met the forces under General Sherman. Mr. Buck was always a brave and loyal soldier, never faltering in the performance of any military duty, whether called to the firing line or stationed along the lonely picket line.

After the close of the war Mr, Buck received an honorable discharge and returned home. He then purchased sixty-three acres of land in Western township, Henry county, and for many years was actively engaged in farming, adding to his holdings from time to time until now he is the owner of four hundred and seventy-five acres of rich and valuable land. This constitutes one of the finest farms in Western township, upon which he has resided since the war.

On the 8th of July, 1863, Mr. Buck was united in marriage to Miss Mary N. Glenn, a daughter of James and Nancy (Kincaid) Glenn. Mrs. Buck was born in Henry county. Her father built the first house in this county and also made the first plow manufactured within its borders, this agricultural implement having a wooden mold board hewed out with a broad ax. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Buck were born four children: James Dana, the eldest, married Effie Withrow, and died in January, 1895, leaving a daughter, Hattie. George B. wedded Cora Bryan and they have six children : Zola, Lila, Glenn, Donald, Harold and Nona. Mary Eliza is the wife of George L. Miller and they have three children : Mary, Qara and Blanch. Charles G. wedded Ida Johnson and they have three children : George, Dorothy and Walter. Mrs. Mary A. Buck died in 1897 at the age of fifty-four years, and her death was the occasion of deep regret to many friends as well as to her immediate family, for she possessed excellent traits of character and a kindly spirit that endeared her to all with whom she came in contact. Mr. Buck belongs to Trego Post, No. 394, G. A. R., at Orion. He gives his political allegiance to the republican party and was supervisor of his town for many years. He was also chairman of the committee that had charge of the letting of the contract for, and the erection of, the soldiers' monument. On many other occasions he has cooperated in movements of a public nature and at all times has given his support on the side of progress, reform and improvement. His memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present. He relates many interesting incidents of the early days, when most of the homes were log cabins or little frame houses of small dimensions. In June the prairies were covered with a million wild flowers and in December with one dazzling, unbroken sheet of snow. A traveler could ride for miles across the prairie without coming to a house or a fence to impede his progress, but one by one the settlers came, an intelligent and enterprising class of people who took advantage of the natural resources offered by the county and have since done an important part in the upbuilding of this commonwealth. Mr. Buck has now passed the seventy-fifth milestone on life's journey, and seventy-one years of that period have been spent in Henry county. Few men have more intimate knowledge of its history, for the events which others have learned from reading or hearsay have been matters to him of personal knowledge or experience.

John H. Pierce

John H. Pierce occupied a central place on the stage of public activities. He is regarded as having been one of the most prominent industrial characters of the middle west during his day and generation, and Kewanee acknowledges her indebtedness to him as one of her foremost builders. He lived his life to noble purposes and it was crowned with successful activities and characterized by the development of high ideals.

Mr, Pierce was a native son of Illinois, his birth having occurred a few miles west of Aurora on the nth of January, 1843. He was a son of Thomas and Ruth (Powell) Pierce. The father was a native of Wales and in his youthful days came to America, settling first in the state of New York, where he made his home from 1817 to 1835 and where he learned the carpenter's and joiner's trade, following contracting and building until 1835. He then came to Illinois and established his home near Aurora in Kane county, turning his attention to general farming until 1854, when he removed to Aurora and lived retired until his death in 1872, His wife passed away twenty years later, dying in 1892, At his death John H. Pierce was survived by two members of his father's family - Thomas P. Pierce, a resident of Kewanee, and Mrs. Howard, of Aurora.

In the county of his nativity John H. Pierce spent the days of his boyhood and youth and his education was acquired in the schools of Ottawa county. His first position was in the postoffice at Aurora, and in early manhood he crossed the plains in a prairie schooner to California, attracted by the gold discoveries on the Pacific coast. While he did not accumulate a princely fortune in his westward venture, he returned with several thousand dollars, thus gaining the capital to enable him to make a substantial start in business life. While in the west he worked as a freighter for a considerable time, driving a six-horse team over the steep passes of the Sierras. Arriving in Kewanee in the '60s, he continued his residence here during the greater part of the time until his demise, and was one of the most important factors in the upbuilding and progress of the city, not only through the development of a splendid business enterprise but also through active participation in measures which were direct factors in the material improvement of Kewanee. At his arrival here he found a village which his efiforts were largely instrumental in developing into a city of considerable industrial importance. With his brother, T. P. Pierce, he engaged in the hardware business, and before this time and even while he was engaged therein, he traveled throughout this section of the state, calling, upon farmers and others, buying produce and scrap iron. Many of his most cherished friendships dated back to those days when he came into intimate association with the people of the farming sections. At length he concentrated his energies solely upon the hardware business and at length withdrew from that line to give his attention to manufacturing when he entered the services of the old Anderson Steam Heating Company, from which ultimately developed the Haxtun Steam Heating Company and then the Western Tube Company. He was connected with the Western Tube Company and its operations from 1870, at which time there were only ten or twelve men employed, while one building sheltered the whole plant. The growth of the dustry is indicated in the fact that today the factory and mill buildings cover ost thirty acres, and the entire equipment of the plant is of a most modern ...aracter. Under the guidance of Mr. Pierce the business developed along substantial lines until employment was furnished to more than four thousand workmen. He continued in charge of the Kewanee business until 1890, when, following the amalgamation of interests of this character in America he went to Pittsburg to become manager of the Tube Rolling Mills of the National Tube Company, but after a few years returned to this city to continue the development of the business of the Western Tube Company. The great plant at this place is a monument to his enterprise, business ability and commercial integrity. The character of his relations to his employes is indicated in the fact that there was never a strike in the plant during all the years in which he continued in its control. He appreciated good service on the part of his employes and manifested that appreciation in promotions as opportunity ofifered, thus giving substantial token of his trust in and regard for those who represented him in a business way. He was always keenly interested in his employes and before the factory became so large that he could not personally oversee the work of all departments, he knew almost every man by name and with many he was on familiar terms. They regarded him as a friend and he was ever deeply interested in their welfare. He was not only fair and just in his treatment but often manifested the higher attribute of mercy, and gave substantial token of his friendly regard when assistance was needed. In recent years he gave most of his attention to the affairs of the Big Creek Coal Company, of which he was one of the organizers and a member of its board of directors. He was also a representative of the directorate of the Union National Bank of Kewanee, and his sound business judgment proved a potent force in the successful management of the various interests with which he was closely associated. His opinions upon any vital business proposition were seldom if ever at fault and his keen and discriminating sagacity was manifested in the successful outcome which followed the adoption of his ideas. His position in business circles was indicated in his election to the presidency of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association.

His was a beautiful home life, for unfaltering devotion to his family was one of his marked characteristics. In early manhood he married Miss Sarah Ingalls, and unto them were born three children : Charles I. Pierce, now president of the Big Creek Coal Company; Frank E. Pierce, a practicing physician of Chicago; and Mrs. Lillian Rice, the wife of Robert Rice, one of the superintendents of the Burlington railroad in Missouri.

In Masonry Mr. Pierce was deeply interested, taking various degrees in the order, and in Kewanee was a member of the Masonic building association which constructed the Masonic Temple here. His religious faith was indicated in his attendance on the services of the Congregational church and he belonged to the Union League Club and other Chicago organizations.

Aside from business Mr. Pierce was probably best known to the public in his political relations. He was one of Illinois' most prominent republicans in his advocacy and support of party principles and yet he was by no means what is popularly termed a politician. He advocated an issue or political position because of a firm belief in the justice and the value of the cause, and it was because of this that he was called by popular suffrage to the office of state senator, representing his district, composed of Rock Island and Henry counties, in the upper house of the state legislature for two sessions, or in the thirty-fifth and thirtysixth general assemblies. His position upon any vital question was never an equivocal one. He stood firmly for what he believed to be right, and exhibited those qualities of strength which have been so conspicuous throughout his business career - ability, unswerving sagacity and continuity of purpose. His associates in the senate, spoke of him in terms of praise and kindliness and he won many strong friendships during his legislative career. His services in the senate familiarized him with legislative methods and procedure and when Governor Tanner was elected in 1896 he urged Mr. Pierce to accept the position of state penitentiary commissioner. At length he agreed to become chairman of the board of trustees of Joliet Penitentiary if he could be assured that business principles and not political methods should hold sway under the new regime. To secure this he announced that Major McClaughry should be appointed warden and this was done with the result that the affairs of the great penal institution were placed upon a business basis. Mr. Pierce did not seek public office and frequently declined positions of prominence and honor. Each succeeding year, however, found him occupying a higher position in the estimation of the people of his home place and of this part of the state, and there was a strong desire that the state should recognize the great ability of Mr. Pierce by making him its governor. He received the strongest endorsement of various counties in his part of Illinois. He was made a member of the Illinois Commission to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and at different times other honors were conferred upon him. In his home city he was loved and honored as few men are loved. He always maintained the deepest interest in this city and its welfare and did everything in his power to promote the interests of the community. He passed away after an operation in ]\Iercy Hospital in Chicago, July 22, 1908, and was laid to rest in the Kewanee cemetery by his brethren of the Masonic fraternity.

In the funeral sermon Dr. Nelson said: "I speak as one who has enjoyed knowing the rare qualities of him who was a true friend. The greatest gifts are not always material riches. God's greatest gift is noble, true manhood ; honest men of integrity who have not the base element of duplicity; who have a sterling ring; who believe in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. In the gift of Mr. Pierce God conferred on Kewanee and the state of Illinois such a man. In building the great plant of the Western Tube Company, which grew from an insignificant institution employing but a few men, to the present great factory, largely through Mr. Pierce's successful management and hard work, he has left a monument which will endure. I have talked with the toilers and men of other stations in life of Mr. Pierce and have yet to hear from a single one any disparaging remarks concerning him. He was an approachable, kindhearted man, and his friendship was true. Whatever tributes are paid this day and succeeding days to John H. Pierce will be inadequate to those who knew him best and who were familiar with the work in behalf of Kewanee which is to his credit. The spoken word and the written word will fail to convey the strength of that intangible hold which Mr. Pierce's life had upon the affection and upon the respect of his associates. The deepest and the most sincere emotions will remain unexpressed. Mr. Pierce was a creator; a constructor; one who, undismayed and undaunted by obstacles and by handicaps, forged successfully the links of success. There are many John Smiths in this world - men who go their routine way not animated by ideals or by ambitions, who leave their community no greater at the end than at the beginning of their career. There are, unfortunately, few John Pierces, men with initiative and with strength of purpose, who find in difficulties and in embarrassments only inspirations to greater effort. Kewanee has been fortunate in having as one of her citizens a man of this type.

The city today owes more of its material prosperity of the last quarter century to this man, whose passing is recorded today, than to any other. Mr. Pierce was too well known in Kewanee to call for comment on those qualities that marked his life. He was a man who mingled with the people and his personality was not kept in a secret closet. He passed to and fro among us and all knew him well. There will be as much sorrow in the humble cottage of many a man who labored in the shops under Mr. Pierce's direction as there will be in the home of the wealthy neighbors, who were his social companions. Mr. Pierce had engaging qualities that attracted men; he knew how to appeal to them and how to win them; he was a man of infinite tact, of surpassing judgment of men and of clearest vision. These things not less than his acknowledged executive and business ability drew men to him."

Charles Francis Ingals

When central Illinois was largely one great unsettled prairie, covered with its native grasses, crossed and recrossed by sloughs which made traveling difficult, when its streams were unbridged and along their banks grew the timber Charles Francis Ingals became a resident of Lee county. In later life he lived for a number of years at Kewanee and was well known in this part of the state. He was born January i8, 1817, in the town of Abington, Windham county, Connecticut. The ancestry is traced back to Edmond Ingals, who settled at Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1628. He was killed by falling through a bridge while going from Boston to Lynn, his death occurring at Andover, Massachusetts, February 8, 17 18. His son James, born September 24, 1669, married Hannah Abbott, April 16, 1695, and died June 27, 1735. Their son James, born August 9, 1695, was married November 5, 1719, to Mary Stevens and they had seven children : James, born August 30, 1720; Deborah, born April 29, 1722; Ephraim, born November 26, 1725; Mary, who was born September 27, 1727, and was married December 7, 1777, to Eben Abbott; Jebediah, born November 3, 1729; a daughter born October 18, 1731; and Simeon, born January 12, 1737. The father of C. F, Ingals was Ephraim Ingals, who was born September 6, 1764, and died February 12, 183 1. He married Lucy Goodell, April 26, 1801. She was the daughter of Amasa Goodell and died April 2, 1829. Their children were: Mary S., who was born May 7, 1802; Henry Laurens, born June 9, 1804; Lucy, who was born August II, 1807, and died at Dedham, Massachusetts, January 22, 1887; Lydia, born June 20, 1809; and Deborah, born December 3, 1811 ; Edmond, who was born April 14, 1814, and died March 19, 1835; Charles Francis; George Addison, who was born February i, 1820, and died at Oak Park, Illinois, February 14, 1884; and Ephraim, who was born May 26, 1823, and died December 18, 1900, in Chicago.

The fall after his mother's death C. F. Ingals, then a lad of twelve years, was sent to Cavendish, Vermont, where he lived with his brother-in-law Addison Fletcher for five years, or until he came to Illinois with his brothers and sisters, Henry, Edmond, Lydia and Deborah. On the death of their father in 1831 it was decided to sell the old farm and all of the children with the exception of Mary and Lucy removed to what was then the far west. The farm comprised two hundred acres and had been in the family through four generations. It was in 1832 that Henry and George A. Ingals, just after the Black Hawk war, journeyed westward and settled on the Sangamon river bottoms in Illinois. Later with two sisters and a brother Charles F. Ingals made the journey, traveling westward after the primitive manner of the time, sometimes riding and sometimes walking in order to make their journey in the most comfortable and economical manner. They passed through Chicago when it contained less than fifteen hundred inhabitants. On reaching the home of steamboat navigation they proceeded down the Illinois river to Beardstown and on to their destination. That year C. F. Ingals was employed to bind wheat at a dollar per day. Later he rode to Springfield and entered forty acres of land. The claim was made by squatting upon it in June, 1836. It was then only surveyed into townships. He and his brothers cut considerable fencing timber from that place. During the fall months of 1834 he went north with Captain Storrs and located an excellent claim ten miles south of Kewanee in Henry county. Edmond Ingals died and C. F. Ingals felt inadequate to the ask of developing and improving his new claim so he took up teaching at Beardstown and for eleven terms had charge of the school there held in a little brick building. In the meantime he made a trip with his uncle to a point near Buffalo Rock, on the Illinois river, and soon afterward located a claim ten miles south of there, on which he lived for a half century. He located eighty acres of timber land and bought a half section of prairie and then chopped timber for a few days to show that the land was occupied. He then returned to the Sangamon bottoms, where he made arrangements and secured equipments to cultivate his land. His brother Addison joined him in this task and after two weeks they had a rough log cabin ready for occupancy. Thirteen men and boys assisted in raising it and his family occupied that primitive home for twelve years. It was fourteen by sixteen feet, one of the typical cabin homes of the time. His sister Deborah came to act as his housekeeper and with characteristic energy he devoted his attention to breaking the prairie and cultivating the fields. Among their first crops were fifty bushels of potatoes. These with a beef which they dressed and an occasional venison steak constituted their food supplies through the first winter. It seemed impossible to Mr. Ingals at that time that the country ever would be settled, so boundless seemed the prairies. In the summer of 1837 this pioneer home was visited by an old Vermont acquaintance. Dr. R. F. Adams, who claimed the hand of Deborah Ingals in marriage some time afterward.

During the season of 1838 C. F. Ingals left the farm and returned to the east, where he won a companion and helpmate for life's journey in his marriage to Miss Sarah Hawkins. She was bom March 15, 1819, in Reading, Vermont, a daughter of John Sullivan Hawkins, the fourth son of Captain William A, Hawkins, a Revolutionary soldier. John S. Hawkins was born in Milton, New Hampshire, January 30, 1785. The family afterwards removed to a farm in the town of Reading, Windsor county, Verrrtfeoit. He was married in Cavendish, Vermont, June 11, 1818, to Mary, daughter of Ezekiel and Hannah (Ames) Morrison. Mrs. Hawkins was born in Peterboro, New Hampshire, and was one of eight children. For some time John S. Hawkins engaged in merchan- dising as a member of the firm of Farwell & Hawkins, of Reading. His daughter Mrs. Ingals was instructed in all of the duties of the household in her girlhood days and acquired a good education, largely attendng select schools in different parts of New England. At length she went to Brooklyn, New York, to live with an uncle there, and remained in that city until her marriage. She returned to her father's home to prepare for the wedding, which was celebrated by the Rev. Joseph Freemen on the 6th of September, 1838. On that afternoon the young couple started on their long journey to their western home, traveling in a onehorse wagon, their baggage consisting of three trunks and a hand basket. By easy stages they proceeded to Buffalo and thence by lake to Detroit. From that point they traveled to Laport, Indiana, and after a week pleasantly passed with relatives they arrived at their home on the 12th of October. Their house was a little cabin, twelve by fifteen feet inside, the roof covered with shakes. There was also a shed kitchen used in summer. The furniture consisted of two chairs, two benches, a cook stove and a bed in the lower room, while in the loft above there were three beds, one of these being curtained off for the use of guests. The family met with all of the experiences of pioneer life, with its hardships, privations and difficulties, its pleasures and its hospitality. In 1839 Mr. and Mrs. Ingals with his sister Deborah and her prospective husband, Dr. Adams, started with Mr. Woodworth to his home in Ottawa, where the Doctor and Deborah were to be married. Mr. Woodworth was the possessor of a buggy and the others rode in a wagon. On the way Mrs. Ingals rode for a while with Mr. Woodworth and, thinking to make time, they drove on ahead of the party but became lost in a dense fog and not until daylight came could they proceed on their way to their destination. For fifty years the family lived upon the old homestead farm. Sorrow at times entered the household by the death of relatives but joy also took up her abode there and altogether the life on the old home farm for parents and children was a most happy one. The original pioneer home was replaced by a frame dwelling, nineteen by thirty feet. As the years passed the country became more thickly settled and neighbors were not so widely scattered. Churches and schools were organized and the advantages of the older east were here introduced.

Mr. Ingals gave his attention in undivided manner to the work of the farm until after the discovery of gold in California. In the spring of 1850 he joined a party that proceeded by wagon train across the country, starting about the 26th of March. Supplies were purchased at St. Louis and the wagon train was four months in reaching its destination. Mr. Ingals at the time of his departure expected to be gone not more than two years. He left to his wife the care of three children : Charles, four years of age ; Fletcher, two years of age ; and a little daughter, Sarah, three weeks old. When he had been absent three years he wrote for his wife to meet him in New York, but, changing his mind, remained another year so that four years elapsed ere he returned to his home. Mrs. Ingals had made preparations for the trip to New York ere she heard of her husband's changed plans and concluded to make a visit in the east among relatives, which she did. When Mr. Ingals planned his return for the following year he met his wife at Laporte, Indiana, and then both went to the east and visited among relatives and friends there whom they had not seen from the time of their marriage. After their return they resumed possession of the home farm and father and mother bent their energies to the cultivation of the fields and the management of the household. In the fall of 1856 they erected an addition to their house, all this indicating that they were prospering as the years passed. About that time the Illinois Central Railroad was completed and a station located three and a half miles from their farm called Sublette.

As the years passed on five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Ingals: Charles Hawkins, whose birth occurred at Lee Center, Illinois, March 11, 1846; Ephraim Fletcher, born at Lee Center, September 29, 1848 ; Sarah Deborah, born March 6, 1850; Arianna Morrison, bom March 3, 1857; and Mary Stevens, born December 28, 1862. Always ambitious to give their children the best opportunities possible they were sent to the district schools until they had mastered the branches of learning therein taught and after which they were sent away to school. The daughter Sarah attended school in Kewanee, Illinois, and afterward the seminary at Mount Carroll for two years. The sons were sent to the normal at Bloomington and were there at the time of the outbreak of the Civil war. Charles was accepted as a soldier on the second attempt to enlist and did active duty at the front, returning to his home at the close of the war. For a time he engaged in the hardware business at Rock Falls and later took charge of the home farm, which he operated on shares. Subsequently he began the cultivation of a farm which his father gave him in Sublette. He was married March i, 1871, to Mary I. Morse. Ephraim Fletcher Ingals, after leaving the normal, spent two years as a student in Mount Morris, Illinois, and after teaching one term entered Bryant & Stratton Commercial College. His proficiency was such that he was soon recommended for the position of bookkeeper in a wholesale wooden ware store. He filled the position until ill health forced him to return home and later he rented the home farm for a year. He then took up the study of medicine in Rush Medical College and, completing the course in two years, he then accepted a hospital position, which he filled for eighteen months. He then went abroad for the benefit of his eyesight and on his return to Chicago began the practice of medicine in that city and also acted for many years as one of the lecturers in Rush Medical College. He was married September 5, 1876, to Lucy S. Ingals. Sarah Ingals was married September 6, 1869, to John H. Pierce. Arianna M. became the wife of William H. Morgan on the 6th of September, 1878, and on the 8th of December, 1886, Mary S. Ingals became the wife of Charles C. Jacobs, of Amboy. These two daughters were students in Mount Carroll Seminary.

In 1873 Mr. Ingals erected a fine residence upon his farm and in the ensuing years it was the delight of the parents to entertain their children and grandchildren there. At length they decided to sell the old home place and this was done in March, 1885. The two succeeding years Mr. and Mrs. Ingals largely passed in Kewanee and Chicago and spent the winter of 1887 in California. The following winter they were in Glenwood, Florida, and in the winter of 1889 went again to California. In the years 1890 and 1891 they lived in Kewanee and Chicago and in the succeeding four winters were again in Florida, They then established their home at No. 507 West Adams street, where they continued to

All through the period of his residence in central Illinois Mr. Ingals took an active and helpful part in the work of progress and improvement, lending his aid and influence at all times to the support of such measures as he deemed would prove beneficial to that part of the state. Lee county was organized about 1840 and when but twenty years of age he was elected one of the three county commissioners by whom county affairs were at that time managed. He served a three years' term in office and during that period the courthouse was erected at a cost of about ten thousand dollars and a log jail at a cost of eighteen hundred. Mr. and Mrs. Ingals lived to celebrate their sixty-third wedding anniversary on the 6th of September, 1901. They passed the winters of 1901 and 1902 happily in their Chicago home, but in April of the latter year Mr. Ingals became ill and on the 2d of July passed away. A long useful and honorable life was ended and she with whom he had so long traveled life's journey happily was left alone. The labors, the nature and characteristics of each had supplemented and rounded out the life of the other and their activity in former years brought them to a quiet and serene old age, in which the comforts of life were their's to enjoy as they spent the hours in each other's companionship. Mrs. Ingals died February 12, 1908, at the age of eighty-nine years.

George Randall Parrish

Every community points with pride to one or more of its citizens whose records they regard with honor. The city of Kewanee is known as the home of George Randall Parrish, and every resident in the place is proud of the fact. It is there that he started upon life's journey and in the old home he is continuing the literary labors which have made him known as one of the foremost novelists of the present age. He is the only son of Rufus Parker and Frances AdeHne (Hollis) Parrish and was born in "Rose Cottage" on the present site of the Methodist Episcopal church, Kewanee, June 10, 1858. He is of Revolutionary stock on both sides, his maternal grandfather being an officer of the Concord Minutemen and his paternal great-grandfather a New Hampshire soldier at Bunker Hill and Bennington. His paternal grandfather was a major in the war of 1812. The old family home was at Gilmanton, New Hampshire, but the parents removed to Kewanee from Boston, where Rufus Parker Parrish had been engaged in business and was prominently associated with William Lloyd Garrison and others in the anti-slavery cause. Both parents had a wide acquaintance with the famous Boston citizens of that era, including Longfellow, Holmes, Whittier, Wendell Phillips and Emerson. They came to Kewanee, then the merest excuse of a village, in April, 1855, the husband becoming connected with the pioneer store of Morse & Willard, then situated at the corner of Main and Fourth streets. A little later the firm became Parrish & Faulkner, the business finally being sold to Elias Lyman, being thus the nucleus for the present large depart- ment store of Lyman-Lay Company. From the time of arrival until his death in 1903 Mr. Parrish was ranked among the most prominent citizens of this community, where he conducted a book store and held many offices of trust. St. John's Episcopal church was established and maintained largely through his efforts and for twenty-five years he was president of the public library board.

George Randall Parrish was educated in the Kewanee public schools, graduating from the old academy building in the second class, that of 1875, being on that occasion the class prophet. In addition he attended Allen's Academy at Lake Forest, Illinois, and Griswold College, Davenport, Iowa. Deciding upon law as a profession, he took one year at the Union College of Law, Chicago, completing his course at the Iowa State University, where he won the state bar prize for the best essay on a legal topic. He was admitted before the supreme court of Iowa in May, 1879, but his certificate was withheld until he became of age. Mr. Parrish went immediately to Wichita, Kansas, and became an assistant in the law office of William C. Little, a year later forming a partnership with E. S. Martin, at one time principal of the Kewanee high school. Devoting much time to politics and having achieved a reputation as a public speaker, he was elected city attorney, besides being a delegate to county and state conventions. His health breaking down from close confinement, he crossed the plains in 1882 with a cattle party, walking most of the way to Las Vegas, New Mexico. Arriving there he discovered conditions had arisen in Wichita which left him practically moneyless and compelled him to labor at anything possible. During the next few months he worked at track-laying, engine wiping and firing between Las Vegas and Albuquerque, on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, finally going as a sheep driver to Fort Sumner. He was camped on the outskirts of that place when Billy the Kid was killed by the sheriff of Lincoln county, and saw the desperado both before and after death. Joining a party of prospectors, the next few months were passed in the wildest regions of Arizona. Gold was found, but within the limits of an Apache reservation, and the party was driven out by United States soldiers. After suffering many hardships en route, Mr. Parrish reached Greeley, Colorado, and secured work on the Greeley-Loveland canal, a little later making his way to Denver. Here he became connected as a reporter with the Rocky Mountain News and began a newspaper career, extending over a number of years, serving for various periods with metropolitan and country publications and in every branch of the work. He has done work on the Grafton (Nebraska) Leader, Kewanee (Illinois) Courier and Independent, Sioux City (Iowa) Times, Omaha (Nebraska) World-Herald and the Chicago Times.

In 1886, while managing editor of the Grafton (Nebraska) Leader, Mr. Parrish was persuaded to enter the Congregational ministry, being licensed by the Elkhorn Association and given charge of churches at Leigh and Howells, Nebraska. He was later ordained by the Blue Valley Association and held pastorates at Harvard, Nebraska, Mattoon, Illinois, Constantine, Michigan, and Marshalltown, Iowa. He was chairman of the Home Missionary Committee for Southern Illinois and one of the founders of Southern Collegiate Institute at Albion. In 1888 he stumped the entire state of Nebraska under the republican state committee, accompanied by a double quartette of ladies, and later lectured extensively throughout many northern states.

In 1887 Mr. Parrish was married to Miss Mary A. Hammon, of Clarkson, Nebraska, and four children were born unto this union, two of whom survive, namely : Robert Arthur, a cadet at St. John's Military Academy, Delafield, Wisconsin; and Philip Hammon, of Lynch, Nebraska. He was divorced in 1899.

During the winter of 1902 Mr. Parrish resumed newspaper work in Chicago, being first connected with the Associated Press, and later engaged in commercial journalism. August 6th of that year he was married to Miss Rose I. Tyrrell, of Kewanee, and the following spring published his first work of fiction - When Wilderness Was King - through A. C. A^cClurg & Company, Chicago, who have ever since been his publishers. This manuscript was submitted and accepted when but half completed and for a first book met with remarkable sale. All of his previous experience, the atmosphere of culture and refinement of his boyhood home, his literary and legal education, the hardships and privations which he endured upon the plains of the west, his campaign experiences and his labors in the ministry, all constituted a preparation and equipment for the work which he is now doing in the literary world, and which has made him one of the most successful of the modern writers. Since the publication of his first book he has devoted his entire time to literary work, having published the following books of fiction and history : My Lady of the North, ( 1904) ; A Sword of the Old Frontier, (1905); Bob Hampton of Placer, (1906); Historic Illinois, (1906); Beth Norvell, (1907) ; The Great Plains, (1907) ; Prisoners of Chance, (1908) ; The Last Voyage of the Donna Isabel, (1908); My Lady of -the South, (1909). Many of these have been credited among the "six best sellers," and have received high praise both at home and abroad. Mr. Parrish's publishers in Great Britain are G. P. Putnam & Sons.

Since 1904 Mr. Parrish has made his home at Kewanee, in the old family house at 235 South Chestnut street, which was built in 1859, and has identified himself with the best interests of the city, serving as one of the directors of the Commercial Club. He is leading knight of the local Elks Lodge and a frequent speaker at public meetings, not only in Kewanee but throughout the state. He holds membership in the State Historical Society, Sons of the American Revolution, National Geographical Society and American Association for the Advancemen of Science.

Among the highly respected citizens of Geneseo were Joseph and John C. Hammond, two public benefactors whose names will be imperishable in the history of the community. In the year 1897, Joseph Hammond donated to Geneseo township a fine public library, expending ten thousand dollars for the building and its equipment. Subsequent to his demise his son, John C. Hammond, established and gave to the city the J. C. Hammond Hospital and when his will was read it was found that he had provided a trust fund of over twenty thousand dollars for the hospital and library. The gifts of father and son amounted to more than forty thousand dollars in all.

John C. Hammond was born in West Wardsboro, Vermont, on the 15th of October, 1837, and departed this Hfe in Genesee, IlHnois, on the 3d of October, 1908. He was the only child of Joseph and Polly (Converse) Hammond. On the paternal side he traced his ancestry back to Thomas Hammond, of Lavenham, England, whose son Thomas emigrated to Boston, Massachusetts, in 1634. The latter's descendants were renowned in colonial history, Samuel Hammond, the great-grandfather of John C. Hammond, being one of the famous "tea party" whose acts precipitated the American Revolution. He likewise aided the colonists in their struggle for independence as a soldier in the Continental army. Peter Hammond, the grandfather of John C. Hammond, lived to attain the remarkable age of exactly one hundred and two years and at the time of his death was the oldest Mason in the United States. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Charlotte Holbrook, was also of Revolutionary stock. Joseph Hammond, the father of John C. Hammond, was a public-spirited, upright and honored citizen, served as the second mayor of Geneseo and held various other positions of trust. The Hammond public library building, which he gave to the city shortly prior to his demise, stands as a memorial of his revered name. His life was one of great usefulness and activity and in all of its relations he exemplified the beneficent teachings of the IMasonic fraternity, of which he was a valued member. In early manhood he wedded IMiss Polly Converse, who also came of old New England stock. They traveled life's journey happily together for almost sixtysix years and passed away within five months of each other.

John C. Hammond, who spent his early life in the town of his nativity, was a young man of nineteen years when he came with his parents to Geneseo, this county, in 1856. For a number of years, in the '60s, he conducted a grocery store southwest of the park but subsequently took up his abode in Mount Ayr, Iowa, where he went into business and made his home until after the death of his wife. Soon afterward he returned to Geneseo and later became connected with the Eagle Stove Works. For several years illness necessitated his retirement from active life and he devoted his attention largely to the care of his aged parents.

On the I2th of September, 1865, at Tiskilwa, Illinois, Mr. Hammond was united in marriage to Miss Eva Perkins, who passed away at Mount Ayr, Iowa, May 16, 1876, when a little more than thirty-three years of age. One of the local papers said: "She was a lovely woman, of a sweet disposition and winning manners, warm-hearted, social and intelligent - one whom every one loved. Although Mr. Hammond never said much, the great sorrow of his life was in the loss of his beloved wife, and his heart ever remained true to her memory."

Mr. Hammond was called to his final rest on the 3d of October, 1908, and the funeral services were conducted at the home of Mrs. Ella N. Taylor on Monday, October 5, by the Rev. M. J. Miller, the first pastor of the Geneseo Unitarian church, who also officiated at the funeral of the father and mother of the deceased. His remains were interred beside those of his wife in Oakwood. The following is an extract from one of the obituaries appearing in the local papers at the time of his death : "We all know of his generous benefactions, his gift to the city of the J. C. Hammond Hospital and its partial support for some time, and his other charities - made so quietly and conscientiously. He was exemplary in many ways, a man of no bad habits, and while not of a strongly religious nature, he was a believer in the Bible and carried out its teachings in so far as lay in his power. Of a peace-loving disposition, he was loath to trouble those about him and during his long illness was always striving to efface self and to say and do just the right thing. He was a quiet, unassuming character but full of good cheer and kindliness to all, and he leaves many friends here that he made in his journeyings who will sadly regret his passing. We who have witnessed his patience under sufferings endured for years, knowing full well what the inevitable result would be, must feel that a wonderfully courageous example has been given us, and while we regret that his life has been brought to its close, yet we ought to feel that his release from suffering is a blessing."

Colonel Sylvester Blish

No history of Henry county would be complete without extended reference to the Blish family, which was founded in this part of the state by Colonel Sylvester Elish in the year 1836. He was a son of Deacon Thomas and Prudence (Hubbard) Blish and was born at Glastonbury, Connecticut, December 31, 1790. The Blish genealogy published in 1904 says :

"Sylvester Blish was a very active and energetic man. He had the fiery and impetuous temperament of his mother, combined with the determination of his father. He was pubHc spirited and active in politics, holding many public offices in Connecticut. He was lister in Glastonbury in 181 5, 1817 and 1818; was tithingman 1817, 1819 and 1826; was surveyor of highways in 1820, 1821, 1823, 1824, 1825 and 1827; was on board the rehef in 1822 and 1823; was collector of taxes in 1825; was grand juryman in 1828 and 1829; was town agent and fence-viewer in 1830; selectman in 1832 and 1833; and a member of the Connecticut general assembly in 1835.

"He was also prominent in military matters and rose through gradual promotions until he was colonel in the Connecticut militia for several years before he left Connecticut in 1836. He was one of the administrators of the estate of his brother Aaron Hubbard Blish, and also administered upon the estate of his father.

"In 1835 a rumor was spread through Connecticut and Massachusetts that the Catholics were colonizing the fertile Mississippi valley with the intention of founding a Catholic hierachy there, and a movement was inaugurated with the object of sending out Protestant colonies and settlements to counteract the Catholic movement. A stock company was organized in Wethersfield, Connecticut, for this purpose, the Rev. Caleb Tenney, of Wethersfield, and the Rev. Gardner Spring of New York, being among the leaders of the enterprise. Colonel Blish joined the Wethersfield company, which was called 'The Connecticut Association'. A fund raised and in 1836 Colonel Sylvester Blish, Elizur Goodrich and Rev. Ithamar Pillsbury were chosen to proceed west and purchase lands. Mr. Pillsbury was not a member of the association, but had been in the west the preceding year in the interest of another similar association, so that his experience was valuable. Elizur Goodrich was a surveyor. They came to Illinois a trip that was not without considerable hardship at that time. Mr. Goodrich became discouraged by the vastness and seeming endlessness of the prairies, but Colonel Blish, encouraged by the zeal and hopefulness of Mr. Pillsbury, pushed the work to a completion.

"They selected and entered over fifteen thousand acres of land in Henry county, Illinois, and returned to Connecticut. Colonel Blish was so impressed with the fertility of the soil in Illinois and the future possibilities of the country that he determined to make his home there. He sold his lands in Connecticut and in the spring of 1837 started with his family for Illinois, making the entire trip in a carriage. His wagons, farming utensils and household effects were shipped by water to New Orleans and from thence came up the Mississippi river to the settlement at Rock Island, about forty miles from the location of the colony lands. These lands were happily chosen. The greater portion lay to the south of a large grove of oak, walnut and hickory timber, about fifteen miles long and six miles wide. A portion of the colony lands were located in the south edge of the timber. To a person reared among the stony hills of Connecticut or Massachusetts, these vast rolling prairies with their rich, black soil, were alike a wonder and an inspiration. A town site was laid out a little to the south of the grove and called Wethersfield. By the forms of the association each share of stock gave the owner the right to select a quarter section (one hundred and sixty acres) of prairie land, a twenty-acre timber lot and a village lot, which contained two and one-half acres. A number of other colonists arrived the same year and the season was taken up mainly with the construction of log houses and the raising of small crops to provide for the coming winter. Space forbids any extended account of the privations of these early comers or the growth and final success of the venture. The Catholic scare was purely imaginary, but the results were good for the parties concerned and for the communities planted in the new country. Three other settlements were made in the near vicinity of Wethersfield, one at Andover, by Massachusetts people, one at Geneseo, by New York people and one at Providence, by Rhode Island people.

"Colonel Blish took an active interest in the affairs of the new country and aided and encouraged its development and settlement. He became a large land owner and prospered beyond his most sanguine expectations. In 1853 a railroad was projected which would give connections with Chicago, and into this enterprise he launched with all his accustomed vigor, and in 1855 the railroad was a reality. From this time the real development of the country began. A railroad station was located a little over a half a mile north of the town site of Wethersfield, which was named Kewanee, that meaning in Indian dialect 'prairie hen.' Colonel Blish owned a quarter section of land adjoining the new railroad station, which is now a part of the city of Kewanee, and completely covered with factories and residences. That was east of the original village of Kewanee, while the city has now extended a mile to the west and taken in his old homestead and orchard, which was just at the south edge of the grove. Even the old village of Wethersfield is now putting on city airs, with water works, street lights and trolley cars.

"Colonel Blish was for many years the postmaster in Wethersfield and held the same office in Kewanee until his death, being the first postmaster in both places. For many years after his arrival in Wethersfield, Colonel Blish kept the only hotel in Wethersfield. The old oval sign stood upon a post, with the words : *S. Blish. Inn' painted thereon. His house was the stopping place for the stage lines which traversed the country before the advent of railroads.

"The greatest obstacle with which the pioneers had to contend, was the lack of transportation facilities and their great distance from available markets. A limited quantity of wheat was marketed by teams at Peoria, Lacon and other river points, and occasionally at Chicago. The surest source of income was by fattening hogs, butchering and dressing them and hauling the whole carcasses to the river towns and selling them to the packing houses, or by raising cattle and selling them on the hoof to buyers, who took them away in droves to eastern points.

"Soon after the settlers arrived in Wethersfield, they organized a Congregational society. Meetings were held at the houses of the members and Colonel Blish's being the largest was usually used. Colonel Blish was the first chorister, and the music was strictly vocal. Later a bass viol was added. In the fall of 1838 a log schoolhouse was built and this was used for church services for some ten years.

"Colonel Blish was also an extensive stock raiser and took especial pride in his horses. He brought the first Morgan horses to Wethersfield and the effect of his labors is still apparent in the neighborhood. He was an expert horseman and no animal was too wild for him to handle."

Colonel Blish was married January i, 1812, at South Manchester, Connecticut, to Rhoda Cheney, who was there born December 5, 1794, and was a daughter of Timothy and Rhoda (Skinner) Cheney. They became parents of five children: William Henry, born May 25, 1812; Thomas, September 18, 1815; Charles Cheney, May 26, 1820; Prudence Hubbard, March 26, 1822; and George Cheney, January 12, 1831. Colonel Blish died October 8, 1855, in the old homestead on the place on which he located on his arrival in Illinois, a new house which he was building, having been almost ready for occupancy. His remains were interred in the old Kewanee cemetery, which he donated to the village when it was first laid out.

His wife was a great reader and always kept well informed on current topics. Financially independent after her husband's death, she took great pleasure in helping others. Patient, loving and cheerful, the close of her life was like a beautiful sunset. She died January 9, 1878, in her eighty-fourth year, and her grave was made by that of her husband.

Nathaniel Bartlett Gould

The name of Nathaniel Bartlett Gould is on the roll of Henry county's honored dead by reason of the work which he did while an active factor in the life of Cambridge and this section of the state. He gave ample evidence of his publicspirited citizenship in his service as mayor of the city and of his humanitarian principles in his broad philanthropy and liberal charity. A native of Vermont, he was born March 31, 1827, his parents being Amos and Nancy H. (Bartlett)

Gould, who were likewise natives of the Green Mountain state. His paternal grandfather, Amos Gould, was a soldier of the Revolutionary war, enlisting for three months, and was stationed on Manhattan Island at the time that Benedict Arnold deserted the American camp, being situated about a mile from where Major Andre, the British spy, was captured with the dispatches that Arnold had given him, making the one a traitor to his country and the other a victim of his loyalty to his native land. The maternal grandfather, Nathaniel Bartlett, was also in the Colonial army during the Revolutionary war and was in service under General Arnold in the disastrous campaign through the almost impassable woods of northern Maine. Their destination was Quebec, Canada, but they advanced no farther than St. John's, arriving there in terrible condition on account of the hardships which they had endured in traveling through the wilderness. The children of Amos H. and Nancy (Bartlett) Gould were ten in number, six sons and four daughters, of whom five are now living; Judge J. M. Gould, of Moline, Illinois ; Lyf e Y., a resident of Cambridge ; Amos, who makes his home in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Nancy J., the widow of John Dean, of Mitchell, South- Dakota; and Susan H., the widow of B. H. Burrows, of Andover township, this county.

Nathaniel B. Gould was reared in New England and having arrived at years of maturity was married November 24, 1859, to Miss Mary J. Jennings, a daughter of Eevi and Susan H. (Shepard) Jennings. The latter was bom on the day her father returned from the war of 1812. The birth of Mrs. Gould occurred in Peoria county, Illinois, November 14, 1838. Her parents were natives of Ohio and were married there. Her paternal grandfather was a resident of Salem, Ohio, and of Quaker-English stock. He followed the occupation of farming as a life work and thus provided for his family. Both he and his wife, Mrs. Anna Jennings, lived to an advanced age. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Gould were John and Elizabeth (Van Meter) Shepard, natives of Virginia. They were slaveowners of that state and although they set their colored people free the negroes all remained with them after obtaining their freedom, a fact which indicates that they were most kindly and considerate in the treatment of the members of the dark race who were once their property. Mr. and Mrs. Shepard removed to Columbus, Ohio, where the death of the latter occurred, after which Mr. Shepard came to Illinois, settling in Danville. There he married again. He had six children by his first marriage and two by the second. Mrs. Gould became the mother of two daughters: Nellie L., who was born October 20, 1863, and died at the age of fifteen years; and Katharine M., who was born November 29, 1865, and became the wife of W. F. Hayes, by whom she had one daughter, Katharine Gould Hayes. Mr. and Mrs. Gould also reared a niece, Daisy M., a daughter of Daniel Gould, who became as a daughter in their household, and afterward married Edward L. Torbert, now a resident of Syracuse, New York.

The death of Nathaniel B. Gould occurred August 27, 1907, when he had reached the age of seventy-nine years and five months. His was a long, useful and active life, crowned with honors and success. He was regarded as one of the political leaders of this part of the state and took an active and helpful interest in many measures relative to the public welfare. He gave unfaltering sup- port to the republican party, believing that its principles were most conducive to good government and keeping at all times well informed on the vital questions and issues of the day. For a number of years he filled the position of chief executive of Cambridge and his service as mayor was of a businesslike character, in which needed reform and improvement played an important part. When his salary as mayor was given him it was immediately turned over to some poor widow or person in need and thus his official life proved a dual blessing to the community, to the city which benefited by his practical efforts in its behalf and to the one who was the recipient of his bounty. He served in the office of supervisor for a quarter of a century and for many years was a member of the school board, discharging every official duty with singleness of purpose, actuated at all times by his devotion to the general good. He had the respect and trust of even his poHtical opponents and throughout the entire community was recognized as a man whom to know was to esteem and honor. His philanthropy was one of his strongest characteristics. He could never listen immoved to any tale of sorrow or distress and his benevolent spirit found expression in generous assistance to the poor. In his business relations he was prominent as the president of the First National Bank of Cambridge from its organization until his death. Mrs. Gould still survives her husband and makes her home in Cambridge. She was reared in the Episcopal church, which she still attends, and is a lady whose many splendid traits of character have endeared her to all with whom she has been brought in contact.

William Henry Lyman

William Henry Lyman, who is now at the head of an extensive and important mercantile enterprise as the senior partner of the Lyman-Lay Company of Kewanee, has long been numbered among the city's most enterprising and prominent residents. His birth occurred at Whiteriver Junction, Vermont, on the 3d of June, 1852, his parents being George and Minerva (Briggs) Lyman. The father was actively and successfuly identified with general merchandising for many years and likewise served as postmaster from 1861 until 1878, at Whiteriver Junction, Vermont.

William Henry Lyman obtained his early education in the public schools of his native state and afterward spent two years in a select private school at Norwich, Vermont, while subsequently he received special instruction under the preceptorship of Hiram Orcutt. Under the direction of his father he early became familiar with the business of merchandising and when he came to Kewanee, Illinois, in September, 1869, he entered the department store of Lyman & Lay, of which his brother Elias was the senior partner. In 1874 he was admitted to a partnership and the style of the firm was changed to Lyman, Lay & Lyman, which was maintained until 1883. when Elias Lyman retired and the concern adopted the name of Lay & Lyman. Since 1905 the enterprise has been conducted under the name of the Lyman-Lay Company and the business has continually grown until it is now one of extensive and profitable proportions. In 1890 Mr. Lyman assisted in the organization of the Boss Manufacturing Company and has since acted as its president. He has likewise served as the vice president of the Union National bank since its organization and since 1904 has been the chief executive officer of the Galesburg Kewanee Electric Railway Company. The latter corporation was incorporated on the 9th of May, 1902, and began operating its lines on the 22d of August, 1903, while on the 6th of December, 1906, its interurban system was extended to Galva. Mr. Lyman became a director of the company in December, 1903, and since 1904 has been its president. His connection with any undertaking insures a prosperous outcome of the same, for it is in his nature to carry forward to successful completion whatever he is associated with. He has earned for himself an enviable reputation as a careful man of business, and in his dealings is known for his prompt and honorable methods, which have won him the deserved and unbounded confidence of his fellowmen.

On the 19th of June, 1877, Mr. Lyman was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Webb Stevens, a resident of Kewanee and a daughter of William W. Stevens, who is a retired agriculturist. Mr. and Mrs. Lyman have a son, William Henry, Jr., who was educated in the Kewanee high school and is now associated with his father in business.

Mr. Lyman gives his political allegiance to the republican party and is a most loyal, public-spirited citizen whose aid and cooperation can ever be counted upon to further any movement or measure instituted to promote the general welfare. He was on the village board of trustees for four years and for two years of that time served as its president. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Congregational church, of which he is a trustee and in the work of which he is actively and helpfully interested, having served as a Sunday-school teacher for a number of years. He belongs to the Merchants and Commercial Club and also the Kewanee Club. The salient qualities of his life have ever commended him to the confidence, good will and friendship of those with whom he has come in contact and he has always enjoyed the warm regard of a host of friends.

George Jacob Hornecker

George Jacob Hornecker, who since 1901 has lived retired in Geneseo, was formerly actively and successfully identified with agricultural interests in this county for many years. His birth occurred in Germany on the 30th of September, 1838, his parents being G. J. and Christine (Weise) Hornecker, both of whom were also natives of the fatherland, the former born in 1808 and the latter in 181 1. In 1854 they crossed the Atlantic to the United States, taking up their abode in Qunicy, Adams county, Illinois, where the father followed farming for ten years. On the expiration of that period, in 1864, he came to Osco township, Henry county, here remaining until called to his final rest in 1884. His wife passed away in 1882, and both he buried in Morristown. Unto them were born eight children, four of whom still survive, namely:

G. J., of this review; Fred, a resident of Wichita, Kansas; Caroline, the wife of Jacob Ernst, of Cahfornia; and Martin, Hving in Cambridge, Illinois.

G. J. Hornecker, who obtained his education in the schools of his native land, was sixteen years of age when he accompanied his parents on their emigration to the new world. He remained under the parental roof until twentysix years of age and then started out in life as an agriculturist on his own account, being first engaged in the operation of rented land for a few years. In 1872 he bought a tract of land in Western township and four or five years later took up his abode on a farm of two hundred and forty acres which he had purchased in Osco township and which still remains in his possession. He placed many substantial improvement on the property and brought the fields under a high state of cultivation, successfully carrying on his farming interests until 1901, since which time he has lived retired at Geneseo.

On the 22d of February, 1865, Mr. Hornecker was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Ernst, whose birth occurred in Germany in 1849, her parents being Jacob and Catherine Ernst, also natives of that country. They came to the United States about the year 1862, locating in Henry county, Illinois, where their remaining days were spent. They reared a family of seven children, four of whom are yet living, as follows : George, a resident of Geneseo ; and Martin, William and John, all of whom make their home in California.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hornecker were born nine children, seven of whom still survive. Catherine, the eldest, gave her hand in marriage to Lewis Koch in 1889 and remained a resident of Osco township until she passed away on the 7th of September, 1897, when twenty-eight years of age. She was the mother of two children, namely : Alfred H., now sixteen years of age ; and Laura Catherine, born September 4, 1897, who lives with her grandfather, Mr. Hornecker of this review. Emma, residing in Osco township, is the wife of Lewis Blank, by whom she has the following children: Freda, Clyde D., Violet, Viola and Lee. Edward H., who lives on his father's farm in Osco township, wedded Miss Theresa Hamann and has three children : George H., Lydia Ida and Earl E. George, a resident of Geneseo, married Miss Clara Willie, by whom he has five children: Laura, Martin, Robert, Rhinehart and George. Ida, who makes her home in Cambridge, is the wife of Frank Hadley and the mother of two children - Mildred and Gilbert. William, a resident of Geneseo, married Miss Molly Pinks and has one child, Helen. Rose makes her home with her father in Geneseo. Frank, who wedded Miss Bessie Rubeck, is likewise a resident of Geneseo. Mrs. Catherine (Ernst) Hornecker was called to the home beyond on the 2d day of July, 1899, when fifty years of age, passing away in the faith of the Lutheran church. She was a gentle, kindly woman and her demise was deeply mourned by all who knew her.

Politically Mr. Hornecker is a stalwart advocate of the democracy but has no desire for the honors nor emoluments of office. He was at one time elected road supervisor but declined to serve. Religiously he is a valued and faithful member of the German Lutheran church and has held various official positions therein. He deserves much credit for the success he has achieved and his life is an excellent illustration of what may be accomplished through determination and energy. Having been a resident of this county for forty-five years, he has a wide and favorable acquaintance within its borders, and in the successful conduct of his agricultural interests has gained a measure of prosperity that now enables him to spend his remaining days in well earned ease.

Andrew Long

Andrew Long, carrying on general farming and stock raising on section 7, Osco township, is the owner of a well improved and valuable farm of two hundred and twenty-four acres. He was born in Edford township, Henry county, Illinois, on the 19th of April, 1859, his parents being Michael and Anna B. (Reisick) Long. The father was a native of Bavaria, Germany, and in early manhood served his country as a soldier. Following his marriage he set sail for the United States and, after landing on the shores of the new world, came direct to Illinois, making his home for a time about twenty miles from Chicago. Subsequently he secured employment with the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company, working in the vicinity of Moline. Coming to Henry county in January, 1859, he was engaged in the operation of a rented farm in Edford township for two years, on the expiration of which period he took up his abode on a farm near Morristown, while later he located in Munson township. After being identified with general agricultural pursuits as a renter for seven years, he bought eighty acres of the farm which is now in possession of our subject, paying eighteen or nineteen hundred dollars for the property. As time passed by and his financial resources increased, owing to his well directed industry and capable management, he extended the boundaries of his place by additional purchase, buying ninety-five acres at thirty-five dollars per acre in the year 1878, while later he purchased forty acres more at fifty dollars an acre. He placed many substantial improvement on the property and brought the fields under a high state of cultivation, annually gathering rich harvests, which found a ready and profitable sale on the market. He passed away on this farm on the 2d of October, 1884, when about sixty-six years of age, and his demise was deeply mourned by all who knew him, for his life had ever been upright and honorable in all relations. He was reared in the Catholic faith and assisted in the erection of a church of that denomination at Geneseo. His political allegiance was unswervingly given to the men and measures of the democracy, but he did not desire office as a reward for his party fealty. His widow still survives at the age of seventy-six years. Their children were four in number, namely : Theresa, who passed away at the age of four years ; one who died in infancy; Sophia, the wife of James Kerwin, of Osco township; and Andrew, of this review.

The last named attended the common schools in his youthful days and at an early age became familiar with the various duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist, for his father was in poor health and therefore much of the work of the home farm devolved upon him. In 1885 he purchased one hundred and ten acres of land where his sister Sophia, now resides, paying sixtyfive dollars an acre. In 1899 he bought eighty acres more at seventy-two dollars an acre, disposing of half of the tract to his brother-in-law, James Kerwin. At the present time he owns two hundred and twenty-four acres in one farm on section 7, Osco township, and in addition to cultivating the various cereals best adapted to soil and climate, is engaged in the raising, feeding and shipping of stock. He has remodeled the residence and erected two barns, and the farm is likewise equipped with corn cribs, a scale house, wells, windmills, etc. As the years have passed he has prospered in his undertakings and is now widely recognized as one of the substantial, progressive and enterprising residents of his native county.

On the 25th of February, 1892, in Western township, Mr. Long was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary A. Keleher, a native of that township and a daughter of Daniel and Ellen (Currin) Keleher. By this union there are four children, as follows : Daniel M., who was born April 22, 1893 ; John A., whose natal day was March 6, 1895; Irene, born April 25, 1897; and Leo Lawrence, who first opened his eyes to the light of day on the 24th of July, I9(X).

In 1880 and 1884 Mr. Long supported the democratic nominees for the presidency but has since voted independently, casting his ballot in support of the candidates whom he believes best quaUfied, regardless of party affiliation. He was a candidate for school trustee and missed election by only three or four votes. For a long period, however, he has served as a school director and the cause of education has ever found in him a stalwart champion. In 1909, in association with others, he circulated a petition for the erection of a township high school and it was signed by all the districts in the township except two. He has always taken an active and leading part in all matters pertaining to public improvement and when telephone development was suggested he became one of the warmest advocates of the project, as well as of the rural free delivery of mail. Both of these matters were discussed in the Farmers' Social Club, of which he is a prominent member. Mr. and Mrs. Long have an extensive circle of friends throughout the county in which they have spent their entire lives and the hospitality of the best homes is cordially extended to them.