Piatt County, Illinois - Biographical sketches (7 of 7 so headed), 1883 (part 1 of 2)

Biographical sketches

MR. HIRAM AMES, farmer, Farmer City, is a native of Vermont. He moved from that state to Ohio, and from there to Illinois about 1865. In 1870 he settled on his present home-place. He owns 400 acres of land, 360 acres of which lie in Piatt county. The dwelling house is just over the line in De Witt county. He has improved all of the farm which is in Piatt county. Some hedging has been done, 100 trees have been planted, and some open ditches have been made. Mr. Ames was married in Ohio, to Diana Hillbrant, who died, leaving two children: the daughter lives in Farmer City, while the son is in Nebraska. In 1876 Mr. Ames made Elizabeth Tull his second wife.

MR. D. L. ATHEY, farmer, Farmer City, is of German descent, and was born in Virginia. He moved from there to Piatt county in 1857, and built the second house on Blue Ridge, the Lindsey place, now owned by W. D. Fairbanks & Co. From there he moved to near Farmer City in 1868. His great-grandfather was in the revolutionary war, and his grandfather was in the war of 1812. His father was the first township collector of Blue Ridge township. Mr. Athey has eleven children living : Alice is the wife of I. C. Roberts, lives in Louisburg, Kansas, has one child ; H. B. married Ella Green, of Muncie, Indiana, lives in Mansfield, and has one daughter, Georgia G. He is a lumber merchant, was member of town board for two years, and elected township collector for one term. He is a member of I.O.O.F. and Knights of Pythias, both of Farmer City. He has a library of at least 100 volumes ; the names of the other children are Frances V., John B., W. C., Sarah, Addy, Louisa, Amy, Geo. B. and Louis.

MR. WM. T. BOWMAN, farmer, Mansfield, is a native of Ohio, from which state he moved to Illinois, stopping in Indiana over winter, and reached Piatt county in 1850. He owns 272 acres of land, part of which lies in Blue Ridge township. Upon this place he has put most of the improvements, including the planting of trees and the making of both tile and open ditches. He was married about 1848, in Ohio, to Sarah Ruckman, who died in 1880. They had eight children, five of whom are living. Of these, Mary E. is the wife of Charles W. Skeels, of Blue Ridge township, and mother of six children, Laura, Roscoe, Janie, Harry, Alonzo and Thomas. Ancel F. married Jane McMilliari and has two children, Bertha and Earnest. The names of the other children are Alonzo, Ella Y. and Thomas. Three of Mr. Bowman's children were born at one birth and died at the ages of ten, fifteen and twenty-five days.

MR. GRIFFEN N. BRUFFETT, carpenter and builder, Mansfield, was born in .Madison county, Ohio, and moved from there in 1851 to Piatt county, Monticello township, and has since lived in that county except a few months. He now lives in Mansfield, where he expects soon to build a residence. His sons are with a company of carpenters who work in town and in the country. Mr. Bruffett was married in October, 1842, to Susan Freeman, who died in Monticello in 1853, leaving four children. Elam W. married L. M. Anders and lives in Monticello, where his wife has a millinery store. Mr. Elam Bruffet was born September 30, 1846. He was in the late war, enlisting in 1861, when he lacked six days of being fifteen years old. He enlisted in Co. D, 3d reg. Cav. Mo. Yols., John H. Reed, captain, and served until December 16, 1864. He re-enlisted March 10, 1865, in Co. B, 7th reg. Cav. 111. Vols., Stephen A. Forbes, captain, and was mustered out November 17th, 1865, the war being ended. He was never wounded or taken prisoner. Ellen married Charles Ramey, lives in Bloomington, and has two children. Daniel married Betty Wright in Jasper county, Missouri, and has four children. Jacob married Susan Wright in the same county and has one child. Mr. Bruffett married for his second wife Julia Bowman and has three children, Milton, Reuben and Grace, all living at home. Mr. Bruffett went to the army August 11, 1862, as first lieutenant of Co. E, 107th 111. Yols. They first captured Morgan, then marched over the Cumberland mountains under Gen. Burnside, landed and captured Loudon, Tennessee, September 2, 1863. They had an engagement with Longstreet's forces in November at HufFs Ferry, another engagement at Campbell Station.. At the siege of Knoxville, which lasted two months, they had scarcely clothes or rations. He was also in the battles of Resaca, Grapevine Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, Lost Mountain, where so many men were lost, and Atlanta and others. They then turned back to Nashville, which was the last fight his regiment had. He was neither wounded or taken prisoner, but had his hat shot and clothes cut.

ME. A. J. BUCHANAN, wagon-maker, Mansfield, is a native of New York and of Scotch descent. He moved from New York to Illinois in 1866 and to Piatt county in 1872, at which time he settled in Mansfield and has been here ever since. He was married in 1857, to Angelina Cappis, who died, leaving three children, Sarah, Wilbur and Leota. He was married again in 1872, to Mrs. Alice Jones, who had one daughter, Clara, the wife of Mr. Williams, of Mansfield. Mr. Buchanan has been supervisor of Sangamon township, having lived at Centerville when he first came to the county, village trustee for three years and village treasurer for one year. His father was in the war of 1812, and his grandfather, when in the revolutionary war, was captured by the English and swam from an English vessel three miles to the shore.

MR. JOHN BARNHART, farmer, Mansfield, was born in Yirginia. He moved to Woodford county, Illinois, in 1856, and after nine years settled in Champaign county. He moved across the line into Piatt county in February, 1876. He owns ]12 acres of land, upon which he has put all the improvement. He has planted out about 350 trees and.

in 1876 built a house. He was married in February, 1851, to Artemecia H. Hurst, a native of Shelby county, Tennessee. They have had ten sons, eight of whom are living. Walton C. married "Lizzie Hannah, has two children and lives in Champaign county. Henry J. married Mary Bartlett and lives in Piatt county. William R. married Betty Thomas and lives in Champaign county. Elias P. married Martha Maxwell and lives in Piatt county. John D., Miles G., George E. and Joseph H. are living at home. Mr. Barnhart is a minister in the German Baptist church and preaches in Piatt, Ford and Champaign counties. He is a member of the board of the Brethren's Orphans' Home, situated near Cerro Gordo.

MR. GEORGE CLOUSER, farmer, Mansfield, was born in Ohio in 1802. He moved from his native state to Illinois about 1851, and settled in the northeastern part of Sangamon township, in Piatt county. He and his family lived there until they moved into their present home in Blue ridge township. He bought about 400 acres in the original farm, and entered about 200 acres. The home-place now contains about 200 acres. He improved the place he now lives on. Mr. Clouser was united in marriage to Hannah Coyner, in 1827. She is a native of Virginia, and was born in 1807. They had eleven children, nine of whom are living. Their son, David, took as his first wife Eliza Parrott, who died, leaving four children, Hannah F., Albert, Jesse and Annie. He next married Elizabeth Toy, and has one child, Beecher. ISTelson Clouser went to California before he was twenty vears old, married Jemima Norris, and remained seventeen years, but now has eleven children, and lives in Sangamon county : Jemima became the wife of Allen Parrott, has seven children, and lives in Champaign county ; Jesse Clouser was first married to Ann Boyer, who died, leaving one daughter, Laura, who married Frank Pittman. Mr. Clouser next married Eliza Dehart, and has the following named children : Ella, Emma, the wife of Jackson Cal dwell, Jennie, Alta, May, Emerson, Hoy, and an infant. He is now living on his father's old place. John Clouser married Jane Beckett, has two children, and is a phvsician in Farmer City ; George, who was in the late war, married Maggie Crockett, and is now a real estate agent in Kansas City ; Lysander Clouser married Sally Haines, has one son, Willie, and is a stock shipper in Mansfield ; Sarah E. was united in marriage August 28, 1862, to Louis Lanum, a native of Ohio. They have lived in the county ever since 1862. and now have four children, Ida Alma, Mary Leota, Wilbur F. and Louis V., and live on the home-place with Mr.

and Mrs. Clouser. Jennie and Samuel Reid attended Mr. Lanum and Sarah at their wedding. Those present were very much surprised to see the attendants step forward and be united in marriage (see Mr. Reid's name).

MR. SAMUEL CLOUSEK, stock shipper, Mansfield, is a native of Ohio, and came with his father to this county. He moved into Mansfield about 1873, and began stock trading then, and is the only stock shipper located in Mansfield. He ships principally to eastern markets, the poultry alone amounting to $3,000. Mr. Clouser was married in 1866, to Sarah Haynes, a native of Ohio, and has one son, William Martin. Mr. Clouser is a trustee of the village, and owns his residence, which was built in 1878, and two lots.

MR. LAFAYETTE Cox, farmer, Farmer City, was born in Indiana in 1824. His mother, nee Lucinda Sherrill, born in 1800, is living with Mr. Cox. Her people were among the early settlers of Kentucky, and she has been in this county twenty-four years. Mr. Cox moved from Indiana to Piatt county in 1855, settled on his present home-place, and entered one-half a section of land. He now owns a farm of 480 acres, which is well improved and which has a public road all around it. It is one of the nicest appearing farms in the county. Several groves of trees, about twenty acres, have been planted, and add very much to the appearance of the place. A good-sized and neat looking frame house has been erected, which, with other improvements, impresses one with the idea that this is a genuine home. In 1854 this land, in connection with other land, was entered by James M. and Louis Blasdel, Mr. H. Jackson and Mr. Cox, at fifty cents an acre. Fifty dollars an acre would come nearer the worth of the land at the present time. Mr. Cox was married in 1845, to Melissa Blasdel, a native of Indiana. Nine of their thirteen children are living : Nannie M. married "Willjam Shanklin, has four children, and lives in Santa Barbara county, California. Mr. Shanklin was in the late war, and moved to California about eighteen years ago ; Thomas William married Sebra Smith, of Indiana, has four children, and lives in Champaign county ; Mary L., was the first wife of J. Richard Robinson. Mr. Robinson next married Mary A. Mote, and lives in Blue Ridge township ; Eleanor J., the wife of Major Blasdel, a soldier in the army, has four children, Ora, Ira, Leo and an infant, and lives in Blue Ridge township ; John J. is living at home ; Bettie E. married Asa Smith (see his name) ; Frank H. and wife, nee Luella Carr, live in Blue Ridge township ; Linnie May is the wife of Ralph Smith, of the same township ; Lou A., Adelia

F. and Emma O. are still at home. Mr. Cox has an interesting and a happy home. The inmates cheerfully perform home duties, and at the same time have a characteristic way of showing hospitality to strangers.

MR. JOHN CAMPBELL, farmer, Farmer City, is a native of Ohio. He moved to Logan county in 1866, and in 1874 he bought a farm of over two hundred acres, which has been his home for the last two years. The place was partially improved when bought, but he has made some improvements and anticipates making more. The place is hedged all around, and about four hundred and forty trees have been planted. Near fifteen thousand tile, about the first in that part of the township, were shipped from Indiana and put into the farm. Mr. Campbell has not yet succumbed to the wiles of Cupid. At the present time Mr. Samuel Dimm, wife and sons, Frank P. and Simon, are living on the place. In December, 1880, Frank Dimm returned from Nebraska in a wagon. He was twenty days on the road, suffering some hardships because of the extreme cold weather. He met his parents in this county, and immediately began to make a home for them. Simon has been teaching since coming to the county.

REV. M. CREWS, Mansfield, is a native of Lauderdale county, Mississippi ; moved from there to Alabama about 1858, thence to Illinois in 1872, locating in McLean county, and in 1878 came to Piatt county and settled on the place where he now lives, near Van Meter Switch. He received his theological education at Green sborough, Alabama; was licensed to preach in 1860, and ordained deacon in 1868. He preached in southern Illinois before going to Heyworth, Me Lean county. At present he has two appointments, one in Mansfield, the other at Wesley Chapel, which was completed in the fall of 1878, and was built by subscription. Mr. Crews belongs to the Southern Methodist church. On March 7, 1882, his friends made a purse of $100 in gold, invited him down to supper, when it was presented to him by the banker. Mr. Crews has a congregation of twenty members belonging to the Southern Methodist Episcopal church. By request he preaches sometimes in the Presbyterian church. While in McLean county he was tax collector for two years. Mr. Crews was married December 24, 1878, to A. R. Van Meter. The Van Meter ancestors came over in some of the vessels which brought the Stuyvesants of New York.

MR. AMOS DICKSON (deceased) was born in 1804. His father, Moses Dickson, was one of the pioneers of Illinois, and settled in Yermilion county about 1824. The subject of our sketch, when a young man, worked in the salt works northwest of Danville. The early settlers of this county used to get their salt at this place. He also worked in the Galena lead mines. In 1842 he settled in Champaign county, and in 1850 he moved nearly onto the western line of the county. Part of his farm, 160 acres, extended into Piatt county. His son, John Dickson, is now living on this place. At the time of his death Mr. Amos Dickson was living with his daughter, Mrs. Josh Smith. He had made his home here for the last fifteen years. On June 29, 1881, he started, as the family supposed, to go to a neighbor's house. At night when he did not return a search was made for him, and at last he was found dead, lying face downward on top of the water at his old bathing place in the Sangamon river.

MR. JOHN M. DICKSON, farmer, Mansfield, is a native of Vermilion county, Illinois. His father moved to Champaign county when John was six years of age. Mr. Dickson moved into Piatt county December 10. 1861, and settled in section 24, and in 1868 he moved onto the place where he now lives, in section 13. He owns 240 acres of land, upon which he has put most of the improvements. Over two hundred fruit trees, several hundred forest trees and a good deal of hedge have been planted. Both open and tile ditches have been made. In 1881 he built a fine frame house of nine rooms. This house is planned differently from most of the houses in the county, and it certainly presents a very nice appearance. The place bids fair to be one of the best in the county. Mr. Dickson and Miss L. J. Lanum were united in marriage in 1861, in Fayette county, Ohio. Three of their five children are living, Elva Lucella, Clara D. and Charles Clark. Mr. Dickson has not succeeded in keeping out of all the offices. He has been school director for a number of years. Since preparing the above some items were forwarded by Mr. Dickson, from which we condense the following: Early in September, 1881, Mr. Dickson completed his new $2,500 residence, and had it partially furnished. On September 5, the twentieth anniversary of their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Dickson were invited to take dinner and spend the day with their cousin, Wm. Myers, some five miles distant. Upon their return home in the evening they were astonished to be received in their own residence by one hundred and fifty guests, who had assembled to celebrate their anniversary. The daughters, who remained at home through the day, helped to make the surprise more complete. The bride and groom of twenty years' standing were soon attired in the identical wedding garments of twenty years ago. Even the ' ' sky-scraper " bonnet was not forgotten. Numerous presents were brought forward and presented by Rev. J. Montgomery, and were kindly received by Mr. and Mrs. Dickson. A bountiful supper was served, and after enjoying themselves thoroughly, and examining the new residence from cellar to the observatory on top, the guests left the happy couple with many protestations of good will and sincere wishes for a long and happy life.

MR. WILLIAM DAWSON, blacksmith, Mansfield, is a native of Fairfield county, Ohio, from which state he moved to Piatt county, October 16, 1856, and has remained in the county ever since. He moved to Mansfield in November, 1875, and at present owns a house and two lots in the place. For nearly two years he kept the hotel near the depot. He was married February 18, 1866, to Mary Smith, a native of Piatt county. They have had five children, Elenora S., George C., Ella, William J. and Blanch. Mr. Dawson went to the army, April 19, 1861, in Co. C of the 21st 111. Vols. He was mustered in April 26, 1861, and came out of the war July 5, 1864. He was in the following battles : Frederickstown, Shiloh, Perrysville, Stone River and Chickamauga. According to a record kept by an adjutant, the regiment traveled some fifteen thousand miles during the war. Mr. Dawson was slightly wounded at Stone River. He was taken prisoner September 20, 1863, and was paroled March 20, 1864. He was in prison at Atlanta, Richmond, Belle Island, and was in Libby prison. He, in common with other war prisoners, complains that his treatment was rough.

MR. HENRY DAWSON, ' furniture dealer, Mansfield, is a native of Ohio, from which state he moved to Illinois in 1856, at which time his people settled on Mr. Phillips' place. He moved to Mansfield, where he now owns a house and three lots, in 1871, when there were only about three houses in the village. He was married in 1856, to Mary E. Adel, a native of Ohio. They have no children of their own, but have reared one boy, Charlie. Mr. Dawson went to the army from Fairfield county, Ohio, in Co. K of the 1 14th Ohio reg. He was in no severe battles, but was in quite a number of skirmishes. He was taken prisoner on the Blue Wing boat, at Milliken's Bend, but was released in about four days.

MR. JACOB W. DENNING, farmer, Blue Ridge, was born in February, 1821, in Virginia, and is of English and Irish descent. His parents moved from Virginia to Ohio. Mr. Denning moved to Coles county, Illinois, and from there to Piatt county, about 1858. He was in Piatt county as a drover in 1854. For twenty-six years previous to moving to this county he had been a cattle-drover. He shipped seventy-two droves of cattle to New York city alone, and no telling how many to other places. He bought his present farm of 160 acres in 1858, and has put all improvements on it. It is now divided by fences into nine fields. The Chicago division of the W abash railroad runs through the farm, and Blue Ridge station is half a mile from the dwelling house. A good orchard of at least seventy-five or eighty trees is on the farm. Mr. Denning was married in 1858, to Phoebe Martin, a native of Somerset county, ISTew Jersey. They have had no family. Mr. Denning was school trustee for five years, school director eight years, and has been pathmaster three or four times.

MR. JOSEPH S. EAKINS, formerly a farmer of Piatt county, was born in Kentucky, and is of Irish descent. He moved to Ohio when quite young, and in 1856 he settled in Piatt county, on what is generally known as the South Prairie. He was married in 1847, to Amanda Hutchings, who died, leaving three children : of these, Clarence F. married Sarah J. Holmes and lives in Blue Ridge township. Henry C., who married Lizzie Gillespie, is living on the old home-place in Blue Ridge township ; S. Lizzie, the wife of Mr. Curtis Borton, has three children and is living in Iowa. Mr. Eakins was married again in 1861, to Mrs Lucy A. Shaw, who had two children, one of whom, Emma, is still living, and is the wife of Wm. G. Webb. Mr. Eakins moved to Farmer City in 1881.

MR. ABE EVANS, farmer, Farmer City, is a native of Ohio, from which state he moved to Tazewell county, Illinois, in 1866. He came to Piatt county in 1867, and settled on the section he now lives on. He now owns 280 acres of land, upon which he has made most of the improvements. Four or five hundred rods of ditching has been done and about 400 trees have been planted. The place has yielded fair crops. In 1881 the average in corn was forty bushels to the acre. He was married in 1870, to Sarah X. Thompson, who died in 1875, leaving two children, Fred and John Delbert. He was married again in 1878, to Mary B. Orr. Mr. Evans was school treasurer for about five years, and has been roadmaster and pathmaster. He went to the army from Ohio in Co. A of the 70th Ohio, and was out a year and a half. He

ME. FOUNTAIN Fox, farmer, Galesville, is a native of Edgar county, Illinois. He was reared in Indiana, but returned to Edgar county before moving to Piatt county. He owns 240 acres of land, upon which he has put all improvements, consisting in part of a house and barn, the planting of over a hundred trees and the making of an open ditch. His corn crops for the last ten years have averaged about forty bushels to the acre. In 1872 his corn averaged from seventy to eighty bushels to the acre. He was married in June 1869, to Mary A. Maddock, and has had no family. He was in the late war, and was under Sherman in Co. A of the 1st Mo. Engineers and Mechanics. He was veteranized in 1864.

MR. WILLIAM D. FAIRBANKS, farmer, Blue Ridge, has been in business in Piatt county for several years. He married Miss Flora Kroell and lives on a farm near Blue Ridge Station. C. W. Fairbanks married Nellie Cole, has three children and lives in Indianapolis. He is attorney of the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western railroad, and owns 2,000 acres of land, the most of which lies in the northeastern part of Piatt county. L. M. Fairbanks, who has been a grain merchant of Mansfield for several years, and Wm. D. Fairbanks own about 500 acres of land in this county.

MR. HARMON K. G-ILLESPIE, farmer, Farmer City, is a native of Pennsylvania. His parents were from the same state and died in Illinois. He moved from Pennsylvania to McLean county, Illinois, and in 1854 entered 120 acres adjoining his present home-farm in Piatt county. For two years he lived in the 12x15 feet house he first built. The next house he built contained seven rooms, and a part of it still stands in a large grove of maple, cottonwood and ash trees near Mr. Gillespie's last residence, which contains eleven rooms, and was built in 1870. He has gradually added to his farm, until now he owns 575 acres in good condition. When he first began improvements on his place he endured a good many hardships. The firewood and all fencing material had to be hauled from near Mahomet, across imbridged streams and over bad roads. Mr. Gillespie was married in 1845, to Nancy Moore, a native of Pennsylvania. They have had nine children, all of whom are living : Christian married Ella Davidson, has two children and lives in McLean county ; George Moore married Ollie Crawford, has two children, Belle Irene, and an infant, and lives in Blue Ridge township; Ann D., the wife of Philip Weedman, has two children and lives in DeWitt county ; Samuel J. married Eva Wisegarver and lives in DeWitt county ; John W. has been attending school at Normal, Illinois ; Henry M. is at home ; Lizzie is the wife of Henry C. Eakins (see his name) ; Carl O. and Frank L. are at home. Mr. Gillespie has been justice of the peace since the fall of 1855. He has held other township offices. For four years lie was supervisor. He remembers the first couple he married. He was living in their first little house, above referred to, and he was sitting on the floor, with chips all around him, making a wagon-wheel, when at about ten o'clock at night a knock was heard at the front door. His wife went to the door and found a couple who wished to be married. There was no step to the door, and Mrs. Gillespie turned to place a chair out for the young lady to climb up on, but she was not quick enough, for, as the Squire expressed it, the "lady was so anxious to enter the 'new state ' that she rolled in at the door." The couple would not be seated long enough for the wheel-chips to be cleared away, but stood anxiously up in the midst of the dirt and were made one and happy. MR. ISAIAH HOLLOWAY, farmer, Galesville, is a native of Ohio, from which state he moved to Indiana, where he was partly reared. In 1862 he moved to Piatt county, and during the first winter lived in a shanty. After renting land for two years he moved onto the place he now lives on, which he had bought before coming to the county. He owns about 190 acres of land, upon which has put all the improvements, including the planting of one hundred and fifty apples and near two thousand other trees. He is one of the first settlers in his part of the township, and considers that a very great improvement has been made since he came to the county. He was married in 1842, to Elizabeth Shepherd, who died in 1851. Two of their four children are living now : Maria, the wife of David Wolf, has four children, and lives in Champaign county ; Alpheus married Louisa Littleton, has two childr'ed, Isaiah and Bertha, and lives on what has long been known as the Littleton place. In 1852 Mr. Hollo way married Hannah Doyle, who has been in poor health for the last three years. They have had four children : Elizabeth is the wife of John Roberts, a Methodist minister, and has two children ; John and Edmund both died of consumption, the one at twenty-four and the other at twenty-two years of age ; George is a telegraph operator on the Wabash railroad. Mrs. Holloway has two sisters living in the county, Mrs. Alfred Doster and Lucinda Doyle. Mr. Holloway has been successful as a farmer. He built his present residence in 1864, and his barn in 1880.

MR. EMORY HARWOOD, farmer, is a native of Massachusetts. He came to Champaign county, Illinois, in the fall of 1852. In 1857 he settled in the northeastern part of Piatt county, and entered 160 acres of land, S.E. J of Sec. 13. He purchased the land warrant of some heirs. His wife was one of the heirs, and the land was entered in her name. When he first settled in the county he used to travel seventeen miles to market, and got ten cents a bushel for corn. He remembers of once taking a load of corn to Urban a : it took him two days to go and come, and he got just four dollars for his labor. One of his neighbors went to the same market, and received just enough money to buy a pair of breeches, which were stolen before he got home. Mr. Harwood's first wife, nee Marion Wallace Chilton, died in Mahomet, leaving one daughter ; Lucretia married Mr. William C. Crabtree in

1871, has one child, Ada Wallace, and lives in Blue Ridge township. Mr. Harwood next married Anna Abbott. One daughter is living, Clara C., who married Mr. R. B. Young, has one child and lives in Farmer City. Mr. and Mrs. Harwood live in Farmer City.

MR. J. W. HILLIGOSS, merchant, Mansfield, is a native of Fleming county, Kentucky, and came from there to Coles county, Illinois, in 1868, where he taught school four years. He came to Piatt county in

1872, and taught eight years in succession, three of which were in Mansfield. His first school in this county was the White school. He moved to Mansfield in May, 1873, built residence and owns two lots, which he improved himself. His system became overtaxed in the school-room and he went into the grocery business, in August, 1880. He held the position of village clerk for four years. Mr. Hilligoss was married in Champaign county, to Hester A. House, in 1872, and has one daughter, Clyde. Mr. Hilligoss went to the army in 1861, from Kentucky, in the southern army, under Gen. Bragg, and was out two years, and lost a limb at Mount Sterling, Kentucky.

MR. THOMAS C. HAGGARD, farmer, Farmer City, is a native of Ohio, from which state he moved to Piatt county in 1874, and settled in the southwestern part of Blue Ridge township. He owns 240 acres, upon a part of which he put all the improvements. He built a six-room frame house before moving onto the place, and has been quite successful as a farmer. Two years ago he gathered over 3.000 bushels out of a forty-acre field of corn. He was married in 1870, to Margaret Bettis, and has had three children, Willie, Eddie and Kate. He went to the army from DeWitt county, in Co. F of the 41st reg. The principal battles in which he engaged were those of Fort Dorielson, Shiloh,

Corinth, Vicksburg and Jackson, at which place he was wounded. His regiment was under engagement in nearly fight on the Mississippi river and he never missed one of them. When he was wounded he was sent home on a furlough, but returned to his regiment in time for the next engagement.

MR. JOEL HELLER, farmer, is a native of Fulton county, Illinois, and is of Scotch and Irish descent. He moved to the county in 1871, and settled on the farm he now lives on. He owns 160 acres of land, which was partially improved by Mr. John Keenan. Some four thousand trees have been planted on the place, and a good deal of both open and tile ditching has been made. His crops have averaged about as well as any in the county. His poultry is quite good, and he has a fine grade of stock. He was married in 1855, to Elizabeth Huffman, a native of Ohio. Four of their six children are living, Addie V., who was married in 1880, to R. K. Fawcett, of McLean county, and Bertha, Sally and Grace. Mr. Heller has held a few of the township offices.

MR. H. C. HIDY, grocer, Mansfield, is a native of Virginia. He came to Piatt county in 1875, and located as a photographer, but changed to grocery business. He owns his business house, residence and lot in Mansfield. Mr. Hidy was married in 1876, to Amanda E. Littleton, and has one daughter, Llora M.

MR. SAMUEL HOWE, farmer, Mansfield, is a native of Ireland, who came to America in 1856. He first settled in Logan county, but in 1871 moved to Piatt county, and settled on the place of 300 acres, upon which he now resides. He has put all the improvements on this farm. It has been hedged, and some six hundred rods of tile ditching has been made. In 1881 he built a six-room frame house in a grove of several thousand maples. He was married in 1865, to Catharine Hagerty, and has ten children, Joseph, Elizabeth, George, Annie, Samuel, William, Robert, Martha, Bertie and an infant. He has held the office of school director for two terms. He went to the late war in Co. G of the 106th 111. reg., and the siege of Vicksburg was the principal engagement he was in. He was never wounded or taken prisoner.

MR. HIRAM JACKSON, an early settler of Blue Ridge township, was born in Indiana in 1814. His father was a native of Maryland, and his mother of Kentucky. They moved to Indiana in 1798, were married, and settled on a tract of land, where they lived the rest of their days. In 1854 Hiram Jackson entered the land Mr. Clark is now living on in the northwestern part of Blue Ridge township, and settled upon it. Of late years he has been living in Farmer City. Mr. Jack- son was one of a family of ten, and was the only one of the ten who made Piatt county his home. He was married in December, 1837, to Ruth Blasde'll. They have had fourteen children, seven of whom are living : Miss Rhoda Jackson is a successful milliner and dress-maker in Monticello; Isaac Alonzo, who went to the army in the 2d Cav., married Hester Adaline Smith, has four children and lives in Champaign county; E. H. Jackson married Alice Smith, has three children, Mark, David H. and Nancy E., and lives in Piatt county; Ruth Melissa married William M. Miles, has four children and lives in Champaign county; Nancy J. is the wife of D. P. Langley, has four children and lives in Minnesota ; Hannah, the wife of John R. Heller and mother of two children, lives in DeWitt county ;. Hiram W. is a farmer in Champaign county. In speaking of their early life in Blue Ridge township, Mr. Jackson remarked that upon first coming to the county they went to Urbana for their goods, and bought the only cooking stove for sale in the place, and no milk-pans could be found in town. . Only about four families lived on the state road when Mr. Jackson settled in the township. Mr. Jackson has held quite a number of offices in his time. He was supervisor of the township for six years, has been assessor and collector, was school treasurer twelve years, was probate judge in Piatt county, and is justice of the peace now in Farmer City.

ME. WILLIAM JESS, farmer, Mansfield, is a native of Ireland. He came to America in 1840. In 1861 he first came to Illinois, and in 1865 he settled in Piatt county. He owns eighty acres of land, upon which he has put all the improvement. Two hundred rods of tile ditching has been done. He was married in 1837, to Margaret Malone, and has had twelve children, six of whom are living. Thomas, a soldier in the late war, has been tax collector in the township a good while. Michael married Mary Kilgore in 1863, has one daughter and lives in LeRoy. He obtained his education in New York city, and is a school teacher. Charles married Elizabeth McKee and lives in Blue Ridge township. He was in the army, where he lost his health. John, Maurice and Maggie are living at home. Mr. Jess' son, William, was wounded in the army and died at Nashville, Tennessee.

MR. THOMAS JESS came from Indiana to Piatt county in 1860. He is a native of Ireland. He went to the late war in 1861, and again in 1863 from Champaign county. He engaged in the battles of Perrysville, Chickamauga, Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, Sand Town Roads, Jonesboro and Atlanta. He was wounded at the Seven Houses, between Jonesboro and Atlanta. He thinks the battle of Chickamauga was the most terrific fight he was in. They found some of their men three months afterward and buried them. As a result of his labors in the cause of his country, Mr. Jess is minus one limb. Since returning from the war he was made collector for two years and assessor of Blue Ridge township nine years.

MR. DANIEL R. KLINGER, farmer, Mansfield, is a native of Ohio, from which state he moved to Champaign county in 1857. In 1858 he moved into Blue Ridge township, and has lived there ever since. He bought a portion of his home-place in 1862, and added to it at a later date, so now he owns 240 acres of land. In 1862 this land was rated at $2 an acre, but now at the least it is worth $40. The year before he moved onto the place he could have bought a half section of land for $800, and would have been allowed to give his team, worth $400, in partial payment, but was advised by persons living near not to invest. In less than three years one of his advisors paid $2,000 for a onequarter section of the same land. The spring Mr. Klinger began breaking up his farm he could count fifteen or twenty teams about him, all engaged in breaking prairie. He has put all the improvements on his place. Two hundred fruit trees have been planted, a good deal of open ditching has been made and a two-story frame house has been built. The following record will show that Mr. Klinger has met with a good degree of success as a farmer. In 1881 he had twenty acres of oats, which averaged sixty bushels to the acre. Two years ago his crop of wheat averaged thirty-seven bushels to the acre. A crop of 120 acres of corn averaged forty bushels to the acre, and seven years ago an eighty-acre crop of corn averaged near eighty bushels to the acre. In 1840 Mr. Klinger and Sallie Marshall were united in marriage. She died in Ohio, leaving four children, two of whom are living. Henry married Emma Dale, has four children, Harry, Daniel, Charlie and Nellie, and lives on his father's place. In 1857 Elizabeth Gift became Mr. Klinger's second wife. She died, leaving five children, four of whom are living. Mary died in 1880, at the age of twenty-two ; John ]Sr., Alice Belle, Peter and Emma are living at home. In 1873 Mr. Klinger married Mrs. Barbara Smith, who has had one child, Jesse W., since her last marriage (see Mr. W. H. Smith's name). Mr. Klinger has not been spared from filling some offices in the township. He has been school trustee, and in 1881 he was tax collector.

He settled on land near his present home farm of 120 acres. He has made most of the improvements on his place. He has either rebuilt or moved onto it all the buildings. Some 200 rods of tiling has been put in, besides some open ditches which have been made. About 100 fruit trees and 1,200 forest trees have been planted. The entire farm is in good condition for tilling now, and for making a nice home for the owner. Mr. Knapp was married in 1867, to Mary J. Swales, a native of Indiana, and has had three children, two of whom are living, Frank E. and John S. He went to the army in 1862, in Co. H of the 83d Ind. Inf., and remained until the close of the war. The following are the principal battles he engaged in : Chickasaw Bayou, siege of Yicksburgh, Resaca, Arkansas Post, Jackson, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta, and he went with Sherman to the sea. He was first lieutenant for seven months. In 1880-1 Mr. Knapp killed a Canada lynx, which is probably the only one which has ever been seen in the county.

MR. WILLIAM A. KELLER, carpenter, Mansfield, is a native of Moultrie county, Illinois. He moved to Sangamon county, to Woodford county, and then came to Piatt county in 1865. In 1874 he located in Mansfield and began the mercantile business, but of late has been giving his attention to carpentering. He owns his residence and one lot in Mansfield. He was married April 29, 1869, to Alice E. Miller, and has three children, Lettie, Josephine and Mary D. Mr. Keller has been alderman and town clerk.

MR. WILLIAM S. LITTETON, grocer, one of the early settlers of Blue Ridge township, was born in Ohio. His father, a native of Maryland, died in Ohio. His mother, a native of Virginia, died in Monticello. He moved in 1856 direct from Ohio to Piatt county, and settled within two miles of Mansfield. In 1875 he sold the farm and moved into Mansfield and went into the grocery business. He was justice of the peace a number of years. He was school treasurer about fifteen years, and is town treasurer at the present time. He was married in 1838, to Miss Eliza Falkenburg. Of his children, William died in the army ; Elizabeth is the wife of Joseph Wooding (see his name); Theodore M. married Susan M. Miller, has two children, and lives in Kansas ; Louisa married Alpheus Hollo way ; Amanda married H. C. Hyder, a native of Virginia, and Mr. Littleton's partner in the grocery business, has one child and lives in Mansfield ; Charles M. was married in the fall of 1880, and is railroad agent at Hammond.

from Pennsylvania and moved to Macoupin county in 1856. Mr. Langley moved to his present farm of 320 acres in 1864. It formerly belonged to Mr. John Keenan, and was one of the first settled places in Blue Ridge township. Mr. Langley has been farming, and until the last two years has had a nursery on the place ever since moving to the county. He now has an orchard of two hundred trees and has twenty acres of fine walnut and maple groves. In 1881 he built a commodious -house of twelve rooms. It is in the midst of a grove of trees and presents a fine appearance. Mr. Langley and Celia A. Curtiss were united in marriage in 1859. Four of their six children are still living, Elmer E., Freddie L., James C. and Roy. Mrs. Langley's mother makes her home at Mr. Langley's. His father is still living, but his mother died over a year ago. Two of Mr. Langley's brothers, Russell S. and D. Porter, settled in this county, but the one is now in Nebraska while the other is in Minnesota. Mr. Langley is present supervisor of Blue Ridge township.

MR. WILLIAM M. LINDSEY, farmer, Blue Ridge, is a native of Ohio, from which state he moved directly to Piatt county about fourteen years ago. He bought his present farm of 320 acres soon after coming, has improved it and has lived on it ever since. He 'was married in Ohio to Rebecca J. McKelvej' and has had seven children, Joseph L., William G., Charles W., Flora B., Alfred A., Samuel S. and Robert M.

MR. V. S. LINDSEY, formerly a resident of Piatt county, is a native of Ohio. His father was from the Keystone State and his mother from Virginia. They moved to Ohio at an early day, and it was from that state that the subject of our sketch moved to Piatt county in 1866. In the same year he settled on the north half of section fifteen in Blue Ridge township and was the owner of section ten in McLean county. H.e once put the whole of section ten in corn. Seventeen teams ploughing at once did the work. While living on the farm Mr. Lindsey kept as high as 300 head of hogs, 300 head of cattle and 1,000 head of sheep. At one time he hauled three loads of wool to Champaign which sold for $1,816.40. When he first came to the county after the war he was surprised to find the people wanted to sell out. He bought his tract of land for $8.33^ an acre. But soon a change came over the country. Real estate advanced rapidly. He remembers of eight land buyers taking dinner with him at one time. When Mr. Lindsey first located in the county he once offered a man fourteen cents a bushel for oats. His offer was not accepted for some reason and the oats were hauled to Champaign where they sold for eleven cents a bushel. Mr. Lindsey sold his 960 acres of land to Mr. C. W. Fairbanks for $33,600. At the time of the sale the whole place was in pasture and there were ten miles of hedge fence on the farm. Mr. Lindsey had lived on this place about eight years. After coming to this part of the county, however, he spent three years of his time educating his children in Champaign. After leaving the farm he located in Farmer City, where he had bought a large brick house of ten rooms and forty acres of land for $3,575. Pie now owns a section of land in Champaign county and 230 acres in DeWitt county. Mr. Lindsey was married in July, 1849, to Eliza C. Simmons and has had three children, two of whom are living. Mary Virginia is the wife of Emory F. French (an agricultural implement dealer in Farmer City), and the mother of three children. William M. married Fannie Cornell, has two children and lives in Farmer City.

GEN. JOHN LUT/ MANSFIELD (deceased) was born in Brunswick, Germany, in 1803. He was educated at Gottingen, where the celebrated and national university of Brunswick and Nassau is situated, and also at Heidelberg. At the age of twelve he had never seen a book on mathematics. After buying his iirst algebra he shut himself up and did not stop until he had mastered the book. He was educated for an astronomer, and was once offered the charge of the observatory at Jena. He was examined in mathematics by the celebrated Gauss, one of the iirst mathematicians, of the age, and was awarded the highest honors. His education was broad. He was a fine student in language and literature, and was well versed in the different styles of architecture. Mrs. Mansfield, when but nine years old, heard him deliver an address in Latin at the Transylvania University at Lexington. Gen. Mansfield was a great student all his life. The summer before his death he often spent fifteen hours a day in studying. He left the manuscript for a geometry and trigonometry which he expected to publish soon. The manuscripts, however, were destroyed when the residence burned, in 1878. Mr. Mansfield left Germany in 1823, and after remaining one year in England came to America, where he soon obtained a position in the Washington Institute. From this place he went to Lexington, where Judge F. L. Turner, one of the trustees, offered him the chair of mathematics in the Transylvania University. For one year he had entire charge of the school and taught all the classes. He was a professor at this school for a good many years. He was married in 1841, to Josephine Turner, daughter of Judge Fielding

L. Turner, of the criminal court of Louisiana. They moved from Kentucky to Indiana that they might educate their children in a free state. Their eldest son, Fielding, was made a colonel in the late war before he was twenty-one years of age. He married Miss Nellie Adae, of Cincinnati, has four children, and is a manufacturer of St. Louis ; Margaret, the wife of M. C. Straight, of Indianapolis, has one daughter ; Oscar married Miss Elizabeth Hoot, has two children, Josephine and an infant, and resides in Mansfield ; Maria received her education at the State University, while Charley attended school in Wisconsin and at the University of the South, on the Cumberland mountains, Tennessee. Gen. Mansfield moved from Indiana to his land at and about the town of Mansfield in 1870, and was living at this place at the time of his death, September 20, 1876. He made several donations to the public, such as the park, two lots for a school-house, and a lot each for the Methodist, the Episcopal and the United Brethren churches. At the time of his death he owned about twelve hundred acres of land near Mansfield. When a child Mr. Mansfield was quite weak, but as he grew older endeavored to strengthen himself by carrying stones up the Hartz mountains and rolling them down. In his prime, however, he was considered one of the strongest men in the United States and his reputation as a gymnast was very great. Not only was he noted for his strength, but in Kentucky he was regarded as one of the most perfect gentlemen and scholars of the day. Mr. M. T. Scott, of Bloomington, at our request, kindly furnished some items in regard to Gen. Mansfield, which we are glad to insert. In the main we will use Mr. Scott's own words. He says: "I first knew Gen. Mansfield when, in 1843, he filled the chair of professor of mathematics in Transylvania University at Lexington, an old institution of learning honored in the distinction attained by its alumni, and honored earlier by the patronage of Gen. George Washington and Thomas .Jefferson, who each gave $100 to aid in its establishment, more than ninety years ago. It was a great honor to Gen. Mansfield to have been selected to fill a place in that college, located in the 'Athens of the West,' as Lexington was then justly called, and was entitled to be so considered, by reason of the residence there of such lawyers as -Henry Clay, the Breckinriclges, the Wickliffes, the Marshalls and the Prestons, to which names might be added a long list of other lawyers at Lexington and in its neighboring villages, and the list of professors distinguished over the country, such as Drs. Dudlev, McDowell, Cross and the Richardsons.

The name Gen. Mansfield bore when at Lexington was John Lutz, Esq., and which name he always honored, but it was changed by act of legislature at his own request for the purpose of Americanizing his name as well as his citizenship, an act evincing his loyalty to the country of his adoption hardly less than the periling of his life in the late war to save the Union, whereby he earned the title of general. The citizenship in your county of Gen. Mansfield and the influence and honor resulting therefrom to the city of Mansfield, is due to some extent to the investment of Gen. Mansfield's money by Mr. Milton and myself in the government lands now comprising, in part of his land locations, the estate he left at and about Mansfield, Illinois.''' Mr. Mansfield enlisted as a private in the late w,ar, but in a few months was promoted to general and also held the position of brigadier-general and brevet-major-general.

ME. SAMUEL MclvEE, farmer, Mansfield, was born in 1823, in Athens county, Ohio. He moved to Indiana about 1830, and in 1842 he came to Piatt county, Illinois. His father was in the Black Hawk war. He came to Illinois after his son did and lived here for several years, but moved to Iowa, where lie died, leaving his last wife and several children, who still live there. Samuel came out to this county by himself, and when he got here he had just $5, one-half of which he loaned. That $2.50 was all that kept him in Illinois, he says. He began working as soon as he could and continued laboring hard for several years, and finally bought the farm he now lives on. The money he bought the place with was obtained by hard days' labor. He says he never had fifty cents given him in his life. He owns two farms of 160 acres each. He has put all the improvements on his home farm. Helms planted at least five hundred trees, and in 1874 built a large frame house. A wire fence, probably the best around a private yard in the county, divides the yard from the road. He is gradually adding improvements to his place, all of which shows Mr. McKee to be a successful and energetic farmer. When he first came to the county he was quite a successful deer hunter. He remembers of being one of a company who killed a very large deer, the largest he ever saw, on Camp creek. Dr. Hull was one of the party. Mr. McKee remembers of counting one hundred and thirty deer in one gang. The subject of our sketch was first married to Miss Penitta A. Wright, who died, leaving two children. Of these, Mary E. married Charles Jess, has two children, Laura and Mary, and lives in Blue Ridge township. John McKee is not married. In 1852 Laura Jelly became Mr. McKee's second wife. She died in 1869, leaving1 five cliildren, one of whom has died. Amanda became the wife of Elsie Asliby, who died, leaving two children, Lillie and Walter; William H. married Lizzie Brown, has one son, Loren, and lives near Mansfield ; George W. and Frances S. are at home. Mr. McKee was next married in 1872, to Mrs. Rogers nee Margaret Adel. She was a native of Ohio, from which state she moved to Piatt county. Her husband died, leaving three children, two of whom, George and James, are living. Since her last marriage she has had two children, Arthur and Charles.

MK. ROBERT McKEK, farmer, Mansfield, is a native of Ohio, and is of Irish and German descent. He moved to Indiana when small, and lived there about twenty years. He then moved to Champaign county, where he lived several years, and then entered land one mile east of Mansfield in the spring of 1854. He was married in Indiana in 1841, to Martha Nana. They have seven children living : Ira married Anna Chambers, has three children, and lives on Mr. McKee's place ; Hiram married Elizabeth Johnson, has two cliildren, and is also living on his father's place ; Marilla married Wm. Raney, has three children, and lives in Champaign county ; Cornelius married Mary Brown, and lives on Mr. McKee's place ; Mary J., Franklin and Robert are at home.

MR. ADAM MKLIZA, farmer, Mansfield, was born in Virginia in 1830. He is. of German descent. His parents, also from Virginia, emigrated to Indiana in 1832. In 1854 they moved to Illinois, and both died here. Mr. Meliza's grandfather was in the war of 1812. Mr. Meliza settled in De Witt county in 1856, and in 1865 he moved to his present home of seventy acres in Blue Ridge township. He bought the land of Mr. Jos. Moore, a resident of Pennsylvania. He has put all the improvement on the place, from the plowing of the first furrow to its present condition. Several hundred forest trees have been planted, and there is a three-acre orchard. The present neat house was built two years ago. A portion of it, however, was built soon after he bought the place. Mr. Meliza was married in 1852, to Anna Minnick. They have had four children. Eliza C. married Wm. Collins, and lives in Blue Ridge Township (they have three children, Edgar F., R. Guy and John); Sarah Christina is living at home; Wm. L. married Priscilla McGath, has one child, and lives in Blue Ridge township ; Frank H. is living at home.

He moved from there to McLean county about 1851. lie moved to Livingston county next, and about 1874 settled in Piatt county. He owns 240 acres, upon wnich lie has put a good deal of improvement. At least one hundred and fifty trees have been planted and some ditching has been done. He was married in 1854, to Harriet L. Hopping, and has had nine children, seven of whom are living, Ohas. H., Jas. Franklin, Albert, Harry, Ira, Hattie and Thomas. Mr. Moberly has been roadmaster and school director.

MR. GEORGE T. MARK, farmer, Farmer City, is a native of Pennsylvania, from which state he moved to Indiana, from there to Missouri and from thence to Piatt county in 1867. He settled where he now lives, on the southern line of Blue Ridge township. He owns 200 acres of land upon which he has planted over 250 trees, has made one and a half miles of open ditch and has made all other improvements. He was married in 1853, to Mattie Head, and has had five children, three of whom are living: Edward, who was married in 1876, to Lucy Coon, and has two children, Clara F. and Louis E. ; Emma, who lives at home, and Stella.

MR. GEORGE MILLER (deceased) was a native of New Jersey and went to Fulton county when fourteen years old. He was married in 1859, to Christiana Kline, a native of Pennsylvania. In 1876 they came to Piatt county and bought land. There are 213 acres in the farm. Over 130 trees have been planted on the place, some tile ditching has been made and some fencing lias been done. Quite a nice seven-room frame house was erected in 1881. Mr. Miller died in 1879, leaving five children : Susan Emily married Fleming F. Osburn and has one child, Efh'e May ; Lizzie Blanche, Frank L., Clara M. and George Arthur are all at home. Mr. Miller was a member of the Baptist church for thirty years before his death. He was an economical and hardworking man and never failed to attend to his Christian duties. He was a regular attendant at church and Sunday school. He was a kind, indulgent husband and an affectionate father. He died after four months'1 sickness, very resigned and happy.

MR. A. F. PITTMAN, farmer, Mansfield, was born in Ohio in 1813. He moved from there to Illinois in 1853 and in 1854 moved to Piatt county. He owns 160 acres of land, upon which he has put all the improvements. Over 120 fruit trees have been planted and some ditching and hedging has been done. The barn was built in 1872 and a neat frame house was completed in 1881. He has had some extra good crops of grain. In 1879 his corn averaged sixty bushels to the acre. He was married April 24, 1831, to Catherine Bake, who was born in 1815. They celebrated their golden wedding in 1881. About sixty-two persons were present. They have hail eight children, six of whom are living : Joseph Pittman married Elizabeth Mansfield, has a large family, and lives in Champaign county ; George is living at home ; Johnson, a soldier in the late war, died at the age of thirty in 1870 ; he was a practicing lawyer in Monticello at the time of his death ; William A. is living at home ; Leonard, also a soldier in the late war, married Sarah Mounts, has five children and lives in Champaign county ; Frank married Laura Clouser ; Eliza is living at home. Mr. Pittman has held some offices in the township. He has been pathmaster, school director and assessor. Pie was one of the early settlers in his part of the township. When he first moved here there was but one house between his and Salt Creek timber.

MBS. JANETTE PATTERSON is a native of Darmstadt, Germany. She had a good common school education, and then after studying in college two years stopped school on account of ill health. She was married in Germany, to Mr. II. C. Kroell, and after the birth of one daughter, Mrs. Clemens, moved in 1847 to United States. They were on the ocean forty-six days, and Mrs. Kroell was sick every day. Mr. and Mrs. Kroell first settled in Ross county, Ohio, and after living there twenty-three years moved in 1869 to Macon county, Illinois. They next moved to Monticello, Piatt county. Mr. Kroell died in this county. When living on a farm four miles southwest of Mansfield, Mrs. Kroell married Mr. Samuel Patterson, who only lived about three and a half years after his marriage. Mrs. Patterson moved to Mansfield when there were only four or five houses in the place. She bought lots of Gen. Mansfield and built the house she now occupies. She opened the first boarding house in the town, and kept it until the spring of 1881. A few times stopping at Mrs. Patterson's boarding house was sufficient to convince any one that she did herself great credit in her work. She has five children living: Elizabeth Kroell, formerly a milliner and dressmaker, of Monticello, married Mr. Clemens, now a bookkeeper in Indianapolis, and has one child ; Louis Kroell was at home during the summer of 1881, and had the management of the first brick-kiln started in rne vicinity of Mansfield ; Chas. Kroell married Mina Stickle, and at present is buying grain in Mansfield ; Miss Alpha is still at home with her mother ; Florence was married in December, 1880, to Mr. Wm. Fairbanks, and lives on a farm four miles from Mansfield.

MR. WILLIAM L. ROBINSON, farmer, Farmer City, is a native of England, from which country he moved to America in 1822. He h'rst settled in Dearborn county, Indiana, but in 1856 he moved onto the farm in the extreme northwestern part of Piatt county. He was married in Indiana, to Mary Blasdel, and seven of their nine children are now living : Ann married Wm. Weger, and died in Missouri, in 1881, leaving six children : Clementine married James Lemon ; he was lieutenant in the army, and was killed there. She next married David Welch, a lawyer in McPherson, Kansas, and has three children : Carrie, the wife of G. W. Freelove, of McPherson, Kansas, has three children : J. R. married Mary Cox, she died, and he was married to Mary Mote ; Jennie married Chas. Miller, but died, leaving two children ; he married again and lives in Kansas ; Thomas married Hannah Sappington, and lives in Kansas City ; Lide is the wife of J. C. Smith (see his name) ; Addie, a student of Danville, Illinois, has taught several terms in the county ; Mollie is now the wife of Mr. Betzer, principal of the East-side Champaign schools. Mr. Robinson has held some of the offices of Blue Ridge township. He made a visit to his native country in 1881.

MR. LEONARD ROBERTSON, farmer, Farmer City, is a native of Mc- Lean county, from which place he moved to Piatt county in 1867. He first settled on the place of eighty acres upon which he now lives. He has put all the improvements on the place. About five hundred trees have been planted. One hundred rods of open ditching has been done, a barn was built in 1865, and in 1881 the neat frame residence was erected. The farm is all under cultivation, and the average crop for fourteen years has been thirty-five bushels to the acre. He was married November 2, 1865, to Margaret Kennedy. They have no children of their own, but have adopted one, Lilian. Mr. Robertson was school director three years and is trustee of town twenty. He went to the late war from McLean county in Co. K of the 26th 111. reg. He went out in 1861 and remained until 1865. He was with the regiment all the time and was in every one of the fifty-seven battles except one. According to the report from the adjutant-general's office, the regiment marched 6.931 miles. The principal battles were those of Atlanta, Corinth, Island No. 10, Kenesaw Mountain, Missionary Ridge and Yicksburg.

MR. FRANCIS A. Ross, merchant, Mansfield, is a native of New Jersey, and is of English and German descent. His people came to Illinois about 1843, and some of them are living at. White Hall now.

He was married December 31, 1863, to Francis Cotter, a native of Green county, Illinois. Her people came to Illinois at quite an early day. His father is the oldest citizen of White Hall. Mr. and Mrs. Ross have one son, Albert. They moved to a farm four miles north of Mansfield in 1865, after which they moved to Farmer City, and then about eight years ago settled in Mansfield. He first opened a grocery store and then made his store one of general merchandise. Mr. Ross has been a merchant of Mansfield longer than any other merchant there. At present he is a member of the town board and one of the strongest temperance men of the place. He was in the late war for one and a half years. After the battle of Belrnont he was taken sick and was sent to the hospital.

ME. J. H. RITCHIE, present street commissioner and constable, was married in McLean county, has one child and moved to Piatt county in 1872. In 1873 he moved into Mansfield. He is a member of the I.O.O.F. lodge.

MB. WILLIAM RUCKMAN (deceased) came to Sangamon township, Piatt county, about 1850. His wife died in about a year after their coming to the county, and left four children. Of tthese, Harriet married John Miller, who was killed in the army. She next married John Shepherd, but died about 1874. She was the mother of three children. Nancy married George Davis, who was a soldier in the late war, has six children, Louisa, Irene, Harvey, Bessie, Mahala, and an infant, and lives in Blue Ridge township; James W. Ruckman is not married, but lives in Blue Ridge township ; T. J. Ruckman was married in November, 1871, to Martha McMillian, a native of Virginia, and has two children, Clement and Edward. He owns eighty acres of land in Blue Ridge township, upon which he has put all the improvements. Over one hundred and fifty rods of tiling has been done, fruit trees have been planted, and the lumber is hauled for a new barn. The present residence was built in 1875. Mr. James M. Ruckman also owned land in Piatt county. He and his sister kept house until his marriage when fifty-three years old to Mrs. Brown. He died about six years ago, leaving a wife and two children. His sister made her home, with T. J. Ruckman until her death, three years ago. She and her mother were members of the Presbyterian church of Monticello, and used to ride horseback fifteen miles in order to attend said church.

Ohio, in 1838, in 1847 to Monroe county, Ohio; thence to Champaign county, Illinois, in 1862. He lived in Champaign City seven years, then moved to the west half of section three in Blue Ridge in 1869. In 1873 he moved to Mansfield and built, in 1872, the only mill in the place, in which he has been most of the time since. He has plenty of mill work. His father, John Claudius Richner, was born in 1783, and was a soldier under Napoleon I in Germany. He was in the battles near Leipsic and Austerlitz. He came to America in 1806, and died when eighty-four years of age. His mother was of Irish descent. The subject of our sketch studied his trade in Ohio. He built a mill in Urbana, two in Champaign, several in Piatt county, besides others in the state. Mr. Richner considers this as good a county as there is in the state, and did what he could to locate the railroad in the county. He donated $50 to the Chicago & Paducah railroad. He owns a house and two lots in Mansfield, and built his present house in 1875. Mr. Richner was married in 1851, and has five children living: .John married Cynthia Marsh and is a butcher in Mansfield; George W., unmarried, is a miller in Mansfield, and has owned the mill since September 1, 1880 ; he attended the Illinois State University and studied mechanical engineering ; William (see his sketch) ; Anderson and Ida are at home. Her recent eighteenth birthday was celebrated by a party.

MR. WILLIAM RICHNER, butcher, Mansfield, is a native of Ohio, from which place he moved to Champaign county, Illinois, in 1862, and to Piatt county in 1869. After moving into Mansfield, in 1874, he worked in a mill for a time, but in 1879 opened a butcher shop. He was married in 1879, to Alice Plummer, and has one child, Essie. Mr. Richner seems to have a preference for a certain date. He moved to Champaign county, to Piatt county, and was married on April 8.

MR. WKSTLKY W. SMITH (deceased) was a native of Virginia, from which state he went to Ohio, where he was reared. He moved to Indiana in 1838, and in 1843 settled in Sangamon township, Piatt county, and entered the land where Alexander Argo now lives. He was married in 1836, to Eliza M. Cissna, who died of cholera July 8, ls.")4. Mr. Smith died in 1846. They had three children. Of these, Joshua was married in 1860, to Martha E. Dickson, and has two children living; he moved into Blue Ridge township in 1860, at which time he thinks there were but seventy voters in that township and less than one-fifth of the prairie was broken up. He went to the late war from Champaign county in Co. D, 25th 111. Vols. ; he was disabled near

Booneville, Mississippi, just after the evacuation of Corinth ; he was in no regular battle, but in a good many skirmishes ; in 1869. Joshua Smith moved just over the line into Champaign county ; Mary J. Smith became the wife of Mr. Me Lain and lives in Kansas City ; Westley W. Smith is in the west.

MR. C. W. SNELL, merchant, Mansfield, is a native of Indiana, and moved to Piatt county, Blue Ridge township, in 1866. He came to Mansfield in 1877, and has been in the merchandise business for two years, but at first was a hotelkeeper. He and his wife own a business building and their residence and lot. He was married in Indiana in 1866, to America J. Rownd, a native of Kentucky. Seven of their eight children are living, Louis, Viola, Nellie, John, Curly, Charles and May. Mr. Snell went into the army from Indiana in 1862, in Co. E. 68th Ind. Inf. The principal battle he took part in was that of Chickamauga, where he was captured by the rebels and retained over fourteen months, in which time he was at Atlanta, Belle Island, Richmond, Danville, Charleston, Florena and Andersonville. While at these places he lost his health in a measure. He escaped twice from prison, once getting five miles away, and again sixty miles, but both times he was chased down by bloodhounds, and was made to retrace the sixty miles on foot from J- P.M. to 10 A.M. of the next day. It is his opinion that the book recently written about Andersonville is not overdrawn; that the half was not told in it. Mr. Snell is a member of the I.O.O.F. lodge.

MR. F. SULLIVAN, harness maker, Mansfield, is a native of Ireland. He came to America in 1850, and settled in Vermont in 1851. He went to Massachusetts in 1861. and in 1862 went to New York, where he remained until 1870, when he came west to Bloornington. The same year he located at Mansfield, and erected the first house, a harness shop, in the corporation of Mansfield. When a schoolboy in Rutland, Vermont, in 1851, he was badly crippled, losing both of his feet. He was married in New -Jersey in 1870, to Margaret McCarthy, who died in 1880, leaving one boy, .lames. He was married again in 1881, to Bridget Sullivan.

MR. C. M. STBEKTER, carpenter, Mansfield, was born in Ohio, and moved to Champaign. Illinois, in 1869. He came to Mansfield when there were but two or three houses built, and he has assisted in building the most that have been erected since. He owns a house and two lots in the place. He was married in Ohio, to Pleasant Langham, and

DR. A. H. SCOTT, physician, Mansfield, is a native of West Virginia, and moved from there direct to Piatt county in 1872. He graduated in 18£1 from Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, and served four years as surgeon in the confederate army. - At present his practice extends into DeWitt, Champaign and McLean counties. He has never been an office seeker, but has held the office of trustee of the town for four years. Mr. Scott was married in West Virginia to Martha Hogelarid, and three of their six children are living. Ida, who is the wife of A. M. Scott, lives in Champaign, and has three children, James and Lillie. Mr. Scott owns house and two lots in Mansfield.

MR. J. C. SMITH, farmer, Farmer City, a native of Indiana, moved from that state to Illinois. He settled in Piatt county in 1868, and after working two years settled on the farm where he now lives. He owns 160 acres upon which he has put all improvements. The farm is in a good condition . A neat house and barn has been built, and about 1,000 rods of tiling has been put in. He married Lide Robinson and has had three children, Omer, Xora and Ray. Mr. Smith has not been left out of all the township offices. He has been school director and path master.

MR. A. S. B. SMITH, farmer, Farmer City, was born in Indiana,, from which state he moved to Piatt county in 1872. He bought his present home-place of eighty acres in 1874, and has made all the improvements on it except a hedge. Tile ditching has been made to the extent of 250 rods, and there are about eighty rods of open ditching. The crop which brought Mr. Smith the most money for the amount of land used was his potato crop of 1881. He had three and a half acres of peachblow potatoes, which averaged eighty bnshels to the acre, and for which he received one dollar a bushel. He was married in 1877, to Bettie Cox, and has had two children, Effie and Arthur.

MR. D. W. SMITH, farmer, Farmer City, was born in Indiana in 1829. His parents were from the same state and of English and German descent. His father's people were early settlers of Pennsylvania, and his grandfather was in the war of 1812. Mr. Smith moved to Piatt county in 1857, and now owns 220 acres of land in his homeplace, and has made a good many improvements since buying it. He was married in 1854, to Mary Smith, and has had seven children, six of whom are living: Fannie, a student of the formal University, is

ME. MICHAEL THOMAS, fanner, Farmer City, is a native of Ohio. His parents were from Kentucky and Pennsylvania, and died in Illinois. His father went to Chillicothe, Ohio, when there was but one house in the place. From there he moved to Indiana in 1827, and in 1841 to Missouri, and in 1847 he settled in Illinois. Michael moved to Fiatt county in 1864, and bought the place he lives on, which is now owned by two of his sons. He used to hunt all over Blue Ridge township, and he says that if congress had offered to deed him land at that time he would have taken it as an insult. Pie assessed the township about the year 1866. He went all over it on foot and received thirty dollars for the work. He was assessor at another time, and has been school director. At an early day he remembers of hauling corn to Champaign for ten cents a bushel. He was married in 1830, to Mary Marsh, and has had thirteen children, nine of whom are living : Abraham died in the army ; George married Susan Meliza, and lives in Iowa ; Almira married William F. Hicks, and lives in Kansas ; James went to the army, lost his health, both of mind and body, and is now at home ; Columbus married Anna Henline, has four children, and lives in Kansas ; A. Thomas married Nancy Smith, has two children, Fred and Dick, and lives in Blue Ridge township ; William married Nancy Perry, has one boy, Abraham, and lives in Blue Ridge township ; Robert lives at home. Mr. Thomas was married again in 1867, to Mrs. John Hart nee Catharine Kinser, who had four children by her first husband, one of whom, Hanna Alma Hart, is living. Since her last marriage she has one daughter, Nellie May, who is at home.

MR. ISAAC W. THOMAS, formerly a resident of Piatt county, came with his parents to Illinois in 1847. He was married in 1856, to Elizabeth Stucky. They have had live children, but none are living now. After marriage Mr. Thomas lived in Blue Ridge township, on the state road, until 1864, when he moved to Farmer City, where he now lives.

MR. P. M. TAYLOR is a native of Virginia, and is of Irish and English lineage. His parents lived and died in Virginia. He lived in Virginia until 1871, when he moved onto a farm about four miles from Mansfield. After living during the summer on the farm, he moved into Mansfield. He and Mr. S. H. Alexander owned the second store building in Mansfield. He afterward built the house he now lives in. At the present time (18.81) Mr. Taylor is police magistrate and notary public. He was married in 183T, to Ann V. Hider. He was married again in 18T7, to Frances E. Johnson. One daughter, Harriet A., married Minor Cunningham, December 23, 1868, and has six children. A niece, Fannie Taylor, has made her home at Mr. Taylor's ever since she was three years old, ever since her mother's death.

MR. GARRKTT VAN METER (deceased) was a resident of Virginia. In 1852, through an agent, he entered six and a quarter sections of land in the vicinity ot what is now Van Meter Station. The land remained idle until in 1864, when Jacob Van Meter began breaking it. The owner of the land never saw it but once, and that was in the fall of 1864. He died about the close of the war, and his widow moved to this county in 1867. A portion of the land has been sold, but she and her nine children are living on the remaining part. Her son, Solomon, married Miss A. Parsons, has two children, William Thomas and Lelia Vernon, and lives in Blue Ridge township. Jacob Van Meter was married in 1857, to Anna M. Harness, a native of Virginia. Seven of his children are living: Margaret is the wife of Robert Sherrard, a grain merchant in McLean county, and has one child. His other children, Kate, John, Oliver, Susan, Nannie T. and Sally H. are at home. He moved onto the farm in 1864, and built his present residence about one year later. He now owns eighty acres of land, upon which he has put all the improvements. He donated the land for Fairview school-house. He has been commissioner of highways, was school director for eighteen years, and held the office of supervisor for four years. Mr. Charles Van Meter improved the farm of 160 acres which he lives on. He has planted about a thousand trees on the place, and has built a neat frame residence on the south side of the Ridge. According to Gen. Mansfield, the ground is sixty feet higher than it is at Mansfield, and the name of the home is "Fairview " or "Sunnyside." Mrs. Van Meter, her sons Garrett and Isaac, and her daughter Tabitha live, with Charles Van Meter in this house. William C. married Maggie Chambers, and has five children, Xora O., Kenny C., Lena H., Tabitha V. and Virginia. Ann Rebecca Van Meter is the wife of Rev. M. Crews, a Methodist minister, and lives near Van Meter switch ; Miss Tabitha's land is under cultivation, and there are three houses on it. Garrett Van Meter owns 160 acres of land, upon which he has planted some 200 trees. He has put in 200 rods of tiling, and every acre of land is under cultivation. Sally Van

Meter was married in 1876, to Mr. Edwin S. Cunningham, who moved into the county in 1881. They own a farm of 320 acres, which is all under cultivation. There are two houses on the place, and preparations are being made for other improvements. Mr. Garrett Van Meter Sr., used to own some land in Moultrie county. His agent there in selling the land made some mistake in the titles, and not long since one of the buyers found the title of his land questionable. He started out to find the signers of the deed, and accidentally found that there were some Van Meters in Piatt county. He came in search of them, and in a very few hours after his arrival had seen every one of the nine signers of the deed.

MK. PI. M. VINING, farmer, Mansfield, is of English descent, and was born in Ohio. He moved from Franklin county to Piatt county, Illinois, in 1850, and in 1871 moved into Mansfield, where he owns three houses and six lots. He also owns 120 acres of land in Blue Ridge township, which is all under cultivation. His father was one of the Worthington Company, from Massachusetts and Connecticut, which located in Ohio in 1804, and he was in the war of 1812. Mr. Vining was married in 1849, to Mary J. Ruckman, who has lost one child. They have raised two children not their own. Nancy Ruckman, now Mrs. George Davis, has six children ; Maud Slater is still at home, and the name of the other is Ida Shepherd. When Mr. Vining came to the county he had but $4.50. Mr. Argo seemed to be his best friend. One winter his last $5 bought a barrel of fish, and the family had to live on that with what they had raised. He did not come to the connty too late to miss all of the trials common to new settlers.

MK. RICHARD WKBB, an early settler of Piatt county, now living in Farmer City, was born May 6, 1799, in Shelby county, Kentuckv. His parents were from Virginia, and settled in Kentucky " when the Indians were scalping." His father, though over age, took his eldest son's place in the aTmy, and was killed in the war of 1812. His mother came to Illinois and died here. Mr. Webb moved to Illinois November 16, 1833. He first settled in Illinois on Salt creek, and a portion of his land was within the present bounds of Piatt county. lie rented his farm near Farmer City, and entered forty acres, which was a portion of what has long been known as the Gardner farm. He made the first improvements on this place. After living here about four years he sold out to .James Watson. On July 28, 1828, Mr. Webb and Hettie E. Watson were united in marriage. Their daughter

Caroline became the wife of James Busey, has three children and lives in Missouri. Dulcina died when seventeen years old. Mary J. married John Williams, who died, leaving two children. She next married Charles Williams, has live children and lives in Farmer City. Armilda became the wife of William W. Watson, and has seven children living. Henry W. married Sophronia Campbell, has three children and lives in Farmer City. Lucy Ann married F. J. Hefling, and died in 1875. Charles Allen, who has been deaf and dumb ever since he was two years old, was educated for eleven years at Jacksonville. He is now at home. William G. married Emma Shaw, has two children, Fred F. and Louis Allen, and lives in Piatt county. The first Mrs. Richard Webb died in 1847, and Mr. Webb married Mrs. Anderson, nee Elizabeth M. Hulsey. She is a native of Indiana, was reared in Kentucky and was married in Bloomington to Dr. John Anderson. He left one daughter, the wife of Mr. John Cheney, of Bloomington. Only one of Mrs. Webb's last four children is living. Miss Laura, one of the most successful teachers in Farmei City, although not a graduate, attended school at Bloomington, and has quite a good practical education. The subject of our sketch carries his age well. He says he has good health, and has had for forty years. His hearing is good. He thinks he owes a share of his good feelings to the fact that he takes a glass of warm water each morning.

MR. JOSEPH WOODING, farmer, Galesville, was born in Northampton county, England. He came to America when fourteen years old, and landed in Pennsylvania, but his folks settled in New Jersey. He moved from there to Fulton county, Illinois, and in 1860 settled in the northern part of Goose Creek township. Mr. Wooding's mother and three of her sons came to Illinois, but Joseph is the only one now left. Mr. Wooding moved onto the place he now lives on in 1870. He owns 156 acres, upon which he has put all the improvements. About five hundred fruit trees and seven hundred walnut trees have been planted. There is open ditching to the extent of 300 rdtts, and 160 rods of ditching has been made with a mold ditcher. In 1874 a good-sized ten room frame house was erected. Mr. Wooding has been successful as a fanner. In 1871 his corn averaged seventy bushels to the acre, and in 1880 the average was fifty bushels. In 1878 and 1879 his wheat averaged forty bushels to the acre. He was married January 1, 1866, to S. Elizabeth Littleton, and has had five children, two of whom are living, Willard Earl and Stella Pearl. He has not escaped his share of office-holding since living in the county. He has been school director, and was trustee for nine years. Mr. Wooding says that when lie first came to the county no consideration could have persuaded him to remain, had he not leased the land where he was. He experienced some of the hardships incident to the early settling of any country. Mr. Wooding kept house once while his folks went to Fulton county, and for two whoie weeks he "never saw a living soul." He related to us his thoughts when he found the first wolf he had seen in the county. Pie started after it with a dog, and he was so certain of the capture of the animal that he even pictured to himself the manner in which he would snatch it by the heels and beat it to death. He soon saw that his plans and the wolf had gone "a-gley."

MR. WILLIAM WARREN, farmer, Mansfield, came from England to America about 1855, and remained in Auburn, New York, several years. He then came to Piatt county, and remained until 1862, when he left his family here and went to California, returning in 1865. He was married in 1859, to Ann E. Gordon. They built their present nice residence in 1874. They have five children, John Franklin, Nancy Jane, Thomas Henry, Emily and Charlie, all at home. Mr. Warren returned to England on a visit in 1875.

MR. JOHN WARREN, farmer, Mansfield, is from Sussex county, England. He came to New York in the fall of 1853, and about 1859 came to Illinois. He was married in England, to Miss Isaacson. Of his children, John married Miss Wolf and lives in this county ; and the names of the others are Mary V., Josephine K., George T., Susan and Anna. Mr. and Mrs. Warren were the first married couple to leave Exning, Suffolk county, England, for America. Their fathers are still living in "England, and the Warren brothers here have paid their father's rent in England for twelve years. When Mr. Warren first came to the county he worked for- Cope & Willis. He began with $40 in money, and now owns 200 acres of land, which he has improved himself. He moved to the present home place in 1866, and now, comparatively, their trials are over. The family belonged to the Episcopal church, and after coming to the county, did not hear their own church service for fifteen years. They were on the prairie without trees so long that Mrs. Warren actually forgot "when apple trees bloomed."

October 7, 1777, Gen. Frazer received his mortal wound fifteen rods distant from, and was carried to, Mr. Walker's home. Mr. Walker has a piece of a plank of the floor of the house in which Gen. Frazer died. Mr. Walker has many relics from the battle-fields referred to, where skeletons of a number of men were plowed up. He has a copy of Burgoyne's orderly book arid a register which contains the autograph of John Q. Adams and several other great men of the United States. We are very glad to have this opportunity of speaking of Mr. Walker's interesting relics. Mr. Walker was married twice in New Jersey. He came to Illinois in 1865, and his second wife died in Champaign county. He moved to Mansfield, April 3, 1870. At this time the station house was unfinished. He acted as agent for the railroad for a time for nothing, when he was employed as agent, and remained such until 1875. He was also a lumber merchant and dealt in farming implements. He thinks the first article shipped to Mansfield for sale was a corn-planter for C. W. Van Meter, and it is yet good. Mr. Walker was made postmaster August 5, 1870. He was married in Bloomington, in 1872, has six children, three of whom are at home, and lives in one of the first and largest houses in Mansfield.

MK. EDWARD WALKER, Mansfield, was the first station agent at Blue Ridge, and began work in December, 1877. He was first postmaster too. Mr. Walker was married April 4, 1877, to Miss Alice M. Roseberry, and has two boys, John R. and Earl D.

MR. .1. W. WALKKR, merchant, Mansfield, was born in Ross county, Ohio. He moved from thereto Macon county about 1865, thence to Champaign county, then to De Witt, and finally located in Piatt county in 1876. He began immediately as a merchant, and owned the building he now occupies, but has sold it, and is building a commodious business house, the largest in town, 22x70 feet ; the upper part will be used for a hall. He expects soon to use it for general merchandise. He owns the dwelling that is on the lot with Business house. Mr. Walker was married in Champaign county about 1872, to Eliza Cunningham, and two of their four children are living, Harlow A. and Roy. Mr. Walker has been township collector for two years. His grandfather was in the war of 1812.

DR. I. M. WELLS, Mansfield, was born in 1814, in Pennsylvania, but was raised in Ohio, to which state he was brought by his father when but two years old. Dr. Wells moved from Ohio to Wisconsin, where, in Calumet county, he remained nineteen years, and then moved to Piatt county in 1872. He studied medicine under a physi- cian, and after coining to this county did a small amount of practicing in connection with his drug business. He was married in 1841, to Elizabeth Pemrose, who died, leaving one daughter, Mary E., who married Hugh McDonald, and lives in Ohio. He was again united in marriage in 1853, to Susan Miller, and has three daughters, Edwina, Eudora arid Berletta. Dr. Wells went to the army from Wisconsin in Co. E of the 21st reg., and served from 1862 to 1864, taking part in many skirmishes and the battles of Perryville. . Since coming to the county he was elected justice of the peace.

MR. GEORGE A. WHEELER, farmer, Farmer City, a native of Connecticut, moved from that state to Peoria county, Illinois, when thirteen years of age, and in 1867 settled on his present home-farm in Piatt county. He owns 159 acres of land, and donated one acre to the Bethel church. He has made all the improvements on the place, including the planting of some 800 fruit trees, and the making of ditches sufficient to put the entire place under cultivation. The best corn crop he has raised was eight years ago, when from sixty acres he got about 4,200 bushels of corn. He was married December 11, 1867, to Martha Milam, and has had five children, Charlie E., Frank L., Ida M., Edgar A. and George L. He is road commissioner at the present, has been school director for three or four years, and is trustee of the Bethel church.

MR. JOHN WARNKK, farmer, Mansfield, is a native of Ohio, from which state lie moved to Champaign county in 1853. He moved to Piatt county in 1854, and has lived here ever since. He married Elizabeth Cherry, and has nine children living : Jacob is in Kansas ; Sarah married Win. Kinser, and has three children ; George, Reuben, Jerry, Mary Ann, Chas. and William are the names of the other children.

MR. A. J. WYSONG, contractor and builder, Mansfield, is of German descent, and is a native of Ohio, from which state he moved to Indiana. He came to Illinois in 1869, and in 1872 located in Mansfield, where he owns a dwelling-house and carpenter shop and one lot. He has been contracting for and building houses in and about Mansfield for about eight years. He built Mr. Pittman's and Mr. John Dickson's residences, and at present is building a store-building for Mr. J. W. Walker. Mr. Wysong was married about 1874, to Lavina Hilligoss, who died, leaving two sons, Ottie and Theodore. At present he is a member of the town board.