Whiteside County, Illinois - Chapter 25, 1877

Chapter 25

The part of the present township of Ustick within one mile of the east line of range 4 east, originally foi-med a portion of Union Precinct, and the part lying west of that line belonged first to Albany Precinct, and afterwards the whole of the township was included in Fulton Precinct. In this condition it remained until it was organized as a township by itself, by the Commissioners appointed for the purpose of creating townships, in 1852. It includes township 22 north of base line, range 4 east of the 4th principal meridian. The topography of the township is considerably diversified, the extreme western part, lying under the blufi"s, being level, then coming the bluffs, which rise in many places almost abruptly to a considerable heig'hth, a^d the balance eastward consisting of rolling prairie. Aside from the bluffs themselves the township is particulai-ly rich as an agricultural district, all the crops grown in this section of the west producing abundantly. The small portion of the town not adapted to grain raising is advantageously used as pasturage and meadow land. Since the prairie fires have ceased, timber has grown up thriftily in various parts of the town, adding greatly to the beauty of the scenery. The town is watered by Otter creek and its tributaries in the northern part, and by Spring creek in a portion of the southern part. Both of these streams, with most of the tributaries of the former, take their rise in the town. Besides these, abundance of the finest water is supplied by the wells.

The earliest settlers for the most part located under the bluffs, a few making claims in the southern part. It was quite a number of years before the other parts of the township became settled, many thinking that the great expanse of prairie, now forming some of the best farming lands in the county, were not adapted for the homes of white men. The first actual settler was Wooster Y. Ives, who came from Connecticut in 1837. About the same time Edward Corbin came up from Albany, and the two made a claim under the bluff, Mr. Corbin, however, soon disposing of his interest to Mr. Ives. This claim covered the farm for a long time owned and occupied by Mr. Ives, and now owned by Alonzo E. Smith. Amos Short, from Indiana, and Edward Kolph, also came and settled in 1837. A Mr. French, and a Mr. Townsend, came the same year, but did not remain long. Lewis Graves, Allen Graves, Jesse Johnson, and Henry Bond, from New York, and Henry Cone, now living in Thompson, came in 1838. In 1839, William H. Knight, from Maine, David Ingham, Hiram Ingham, and Mr. Church, from New York, Oliver Hall, from New England, and lleuben Patrick, and Asa Patrick, from Canada, came; and in 1840, Elias Sage, Wilson S. Wright, John Maheny, Thomas Maheny, and John Hollinshead and his sons. Among those who came from 1840 to 1843, were William Watt, James Logan, Jacob Baker, Oliver Baker, John McKenzie, Levi Houghton, William Savage, Warren Bond, and Boys Oatinan. The latter lived in the town until 1850, when he started with his family to seek a home in southern California. Upon arriving in the present Territory of Arizona, the family were attacked by Indians, the fearful result of which will be found further on in the history of this township.

William Watt met an untimely death by falling into a cauldron of hot water used for scalding hogs. Amos Short went to the Pacific coast in 1846, and lost his life by being shipwrecked at the mouth of the Columbia river.

The first house put up in the town was of logs, and built by Wooster Y. Ives, in 1837. Its site was near the pi-esent stone dwelling house, also erected by Mr. Ives, on the farm now owned by Alonzo K. Smith. The first frame house was erected by Oliver Hall, about 1840, on the farm now owned by S. W. Goff. The timber for this house was taken from the grove in Union Grove township, and was the first taken from timber growing there.

The first white child born in what is now TJstick township, was Rosetta Patrick, a daughter of Thomas and Louise Patrick, her birth occurring in 1840.

The first parties to enter into the holy bonds of wedlock, were Thomas Patrick and Miss Louise Ingham, the notable event taking place in 1839. The second marriage was that of William H. Knight and Miss Sarah R. Johnson, which took place November 24, 1840.

The first death was a child of Amos Short, who was drowned in a spring on Mr. Short's claim, in 1840. The first adult death was Mrs. Julia Ann Rush, and occurred in 1842. The husband of Mrs. Rush was a brother of Richard Rush, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Mrs. Rush was herself a stout patriot in her early days, and frequently donned the male attire and performed picket duty whenever she got an opportunity, at her home in Philadelphia. She was buried on the blufi's above the present residence of Joshua Hollinshead. the ground being yet used as a burial place. The death of Mr. John Hollinshead, the father of the Messrs. Hollinshead now residing in Ustick, occurred soon after, and his remains were interred in the same ground.

The first school was taught by Miss Armenia Ingham, in the chamber of Amos Short's log cabin, in the summer of 1841. The entrance to the school room was by a stairs leading from the outside of the building. The cabin was situated under the bluffs, by the spring near Levi Houghton's present house. The scholars were Charles C. Knight and Miss Nancy Ingham, besides Mr. Short's children. The first school house was built on a corner of Jessie Johnson's farm, on section 8, in 1844. It was a small stone building, but amply sufficient to accommodate all the scholars in the town at that day, and is still standing. Miss Sarah Jenks was the first teacher. The district has been known as District No. 1 from that time. The second school house was built in 1846, on section 32, and is known as the Franklin, or by many as the Cottonwood school house. There are now eight school districts in the town, each having a good school house, several of them new, and all well provided with the necessary appendages of a modern school. The township has a school fund of nearly ten thousand dollars.

The younger portion of the early settlers of Ustick were not indifi"erent to a proper cultivation of their musical talents, and hence obtained the services of the singing teacher. This pedagogue in the art of teaching the young music ideas how to shoot, was Seymour Tomlinson, and the singing school kept in Ed. Rolph's house under the bluffs, the time being the winter of 1843-'44. A large number of scholars attended, coming from miles around, and the meeting nights were looked forward to with a great deal of interest. The singing part was of itself very attractive, but the occasion the meeting furnished for social intercourse was undoubtedly equally as drawing. How many matches were made there which were afterwards consummated by life partnerships, there are now no means of ascertaining. We have it from a good source, however, that many date their happiness as husbands and wives to the singing school in the little cabin of Ed. Rolph, in that long ago winter.

The circumstances of the massacre of most of the Oatman family by the Indians, while on their way to seek a home in Southern California, a brief reference to which has been already made in the history of the township, will be remembered by many of the residents of Ustick, and adjoining towns. Roys Oatman came from Ohio to Illinois in 1834, and located in Laliarp, Hancock county, and in 1842 moved to Ustick, and settled on section 32, where he remained until 1849 when he sold his farm to Henry Bond, and during the next year started with his family, consisting of his wife and seven children, for Southern California, taking the overland route by the way of Independence, Missouri, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The journey had been pleasantly made until the family had reached the junction of the Gila and Colorado rivers, in the present Territory of Arizona, about one hundred and sixty miles from Fort Yuma, where they were suddenly attacked by a band of Indians, and Mr. and Mrs. Oatman, and four of the children, barbarously murdered. Lorenzo, one of the boys, was left as dead by the Indians, but recovered, and finally reached the settlements in safety. Two girls, Olive, and Mary Ann, aged respectively nine and seven years, were carried into captivity. Mary Ann died two years afterwards of starvation, and Olive was finally rescued after five years search, and restored to her friends, during which time she suffered untold hardships, having been several times bought and sold as a slave, and branded ou the face with the slave mark. Mrs. Oatman was a sister of Mrs. A. M. Abbott, of Ustick, and was a woman of fine social and intellectual accomplishments, having enjoyed excellent advantages in her early days.

For a considerable time after the settlement of the township, section 16, set apart for raising a school fund, was considered to be worthless for agricultural purposes, and the inhabitants petitioned the General Land Office at Washington to have the school section changed to a location which could be readily brought into market, but the petition was not granted. Mr. Woostcr Y. Ives, the Nimrod of Whiteside county then and since, soon after this refusal offered $800 for the section, his intention being if he could secure it, to erect a high fence around it, and make it a deer park. Against this proposition many of the settlers set their faces with a determination irrevocable in its nature. They had no objection to Mr. Ives, whom they considered one of the most worthy residents of the town, hunting deer, wherever he could find them running wild, but to make a deer pen of a whole section of land was entirely foreign to their ideas of what was just and right in the premises. Others favored the plan of Mr. Ives, and endeavored to induce the then School Trustees, Messrs. A. M. Abbott, Oliver Baker, and Aaron W. Ives, to sell him the section, arguing that it would be better to turn it into a deer park, than to allow it to remain a worthlese waste to the town. The Trustees, however, decided with the opponents of the proposition, and finally, after having it properly surveyed, succeeded in selling it for $2,600 to parties desiring it for farming purposes. This sale destroyed the last hope of establishing a magnificent park in the township in which animals /e?-m natura could be cabined, cribbed and confined.

Ustick has had her contests as to the name she should be known and designated by, as well as some other townships in the county. For about two years prior to the time the Commissioners appointed by the County Commissioners' Court defined the boundaries, and gave names to the several townships, the present township of Ustick was called by and known as Salem township, and had the inhabitants been privileged at that time to have had a voice in the selection of a name, the old one of Salem would have been rfetained by a majority. But unhappily for the Salem advocates, the Commissioners were induced to believe that the name of Ustick would be much more appropriate for such a ^beautiful township of land, than Salem, the latter smacking too strongly of witches, and the summary manner of putting a quietus upon their incantations. Had the first township organization proved legal, all this would have been avoided. Under that organization a town meeting for Salem township was held in April, 1850, and Alpheus Matthews elected Supervisor; A. M. Abbott, Town Clerk; Oliver Baker, Justice of the Peace, with the other usual town officers, none of whom, however, served. So wedded had the inhabitants "become to the name of Salem that when it was changed to TJstick they sent a petition to the State Legislature at Springfield to have the former name restored, but information was returned that there was already a township by that name in the State which was a county seat, and that therefore the petition could not be granted. Not content with this another petition was gotten up and sent on to Springfield, to have the name changed to Wooster, but to this no response was made, and the matter of changing the name of the township as fixed by the Commissioners, ended then and there.

The township has also had its full measure of trouble in laying out new roads, and the changing of the location of old ones, keeping the Commissioners of Highways, especially of late years, busily engaged in this regard. Messrs. Joel W. Farley, and Harrison Houghton, of the Board of Commissioners, have kindly exhibited to us the proceedings of the Board for a number of years as to road contests, but interesting as they are, we find them too voluminous for publication in a work of this kind. Suffice it to say, that it will take some time before road matters in the township are amicably settled. -

The first Postoffice in the town was established in 1850, and was called Hemlo. Mr. A. M. Abbott was commissioned as Postmaster, and the office located at his residence on the Fulton and Morrison road. The office was continued for nearly eight years, the mail being brought by a stage coach running from Fulton to Sterling, until the present Chicago & Northwestern Railroad was finished, when the stage was hauled ofi', and the mail brought by a special carrier from Fulton. The name of the office was selected in rather a peculiar way. Twenty-six small blocks were prepared, upon each of which a letter of the alphabet from A to Y inclusive was cut, and put into a hat and shaken up, those present agreeing that the first letter drawn should stand as the initial one of the name which the Postoffice should bear. It happened that the letter H was the first one drawn; then the letter E, and so on until six were taken out, spelling the word Hemlo. Then a halt was demanded in the proceedings, for fear that if a continuance should be had the next two letters drawn would be C and K, thus making the name Hemlock, one that would be sure to defeat the end sought to be attained. Hence Hemlo became the name of the Postoffice. Mr. Abbott continued to hold the office until Clifton station, at the edge of the bluffs, was established by the Railroad Company, when it was taken to that place, and the name changed to Clifton. William Pearson was first appointed Postmaster for that point" and afterwards Henry Hoover, who held this position until the station was abandoned, and the Postoffice ceased to exist. The second Postoffice in the township Avas established about 1853, and named TJstick, Oliver Baker receiving the appointment as Postmaster. When the project of establishing a mail route from Fulton to Galena was being urged, it was considered politic to request as many Postoffices on the route as possible, so as to make it appear to the Government that a large amount of postal business demanded the facilities which it would afford. The route was established, and nearly all the requests for Postoffices granted. Mr. Baker kept the Ustick Postoffice at his residence, under the bluffs. The mail coach was run by Frink & Walker, and was made by them a passenger as well as a mail line. Besides receiving mail from Fulton and Gralena, a branch line connected with the route from the north, by the way of Argo, Carroll county. The Ustick Postoffice was kept in existence until Mr. Baker after repeated efforts to have it discontinued, forwarded the key to the Department at Washington, which put an end to it. The third Postoffice was established in 1857, and named Summit Hill from the high ground upon which it was located. Mr. jNIeril Mead, then a resident of Ustick, but for several years living in Morrison, was appointed Postmaster, and kept the office at his house situated on the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of section 24, not far from the township line between Ustick and Clyde. The mail was brought from Morrison to Summit Hill, once a week. The office was continued four years, when it was abolished at the earnest solicitations of IMr. Mead, as the receipts were of a somewhat indefinite quantity. Ustick was left without a Postoffice when these three went out of existence.

The first ground broken on the railroad, then known as the Kock Eivcr & Mississippi Railroad, was on the sand hill in the bluffs, on section 30, in the town of Ustick. This was in February, 1853. In fact this was the first ground broken for a railroad between Fulton and the Junction, near Chicago. The event created a great sensation, and was really a "windfall" to the farmers of the surrounding country, as it opened up a ready market for all the grain, pork, beef and hay they had to sell. Money at once become plenty.

The Chicago & Northwestern Railroad enters the township near the southeast corner of section 33, and passing through the section in a northwesterly direction, crosses the northwest corner of section 32, and thesouthwest corner of section 29,and then bearing to the southwest passes through section 30,leaving the town near the southwest corner of the section. When the road was first built, a station was located on section 30, called Clifton, and afterwards Bluff Station, at which considerable business was done for a time. It was finally abandoned, and nothing remains of it now excepting some ruins. ,

The Presbyterian church, at Spring Valley, was organized October 6, 1860, by Rev. A. H. Lackey, a member of Rock River Presbytery. Twenty-two persons united together at the organization, as follows: Mr. and Mrs. A. M. Miller, Mr. and Mrs. S. F. Miller, James Miller, Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Ritchie, Mr. and Mrs. A. S. Ritchie, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Durward, Mr. and Mrs. William McKie, Mrs. Mary Watt, Miss Margaret Watt, Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Plank, Mrs. Eleanor Miller, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McKie. The other names are illegible. The first elders were A. W. Ritchie, A. M. Miller, and H. J. Plank, and the trustees John Hutchinson, A. S. Ritchie, E. G. Martindale, Peter Durward, and A. M. Miller. The church edifice was erected in 1865, and fully completed in 1866, the whole cost amounting to something over twenty-two hundred dollars. The building is situated on an elevated piece of ground, and can be seen for a long distance. The pastors have been Rev. J. B. McClure, from 1862 to 1865; Rev. A. Kcigwin for a portion of the time during 1865; Rev. A. 11. Lackey from 1865 to 1868; Rev. A. W. Colver from 1868 to 1870; Rev. A. W. Hanna from 1870 to 1872; Rev. W. D. F. Lummis from 1872 to 1874, and Rev. F. J. Reichert, the present pastor, who commenced his labors in 1876. The present elders are, A. W. Ritchie, A. M. Miller, H. Halbert, and David Parkhill.

The Methodist P]piscopal Society, at Spring Valley, was organized in 1855 by Rev. Mr. Falkenburgh, pastor of the M. E. Church, at LTnionville. We have not been able to ascertain the names of the first members. Religious services were first held at the residences of the members. On the 30th of March, 1869, the Society met to elect Trustees, and appoint a building committoe, prepara- tory to the erection of a church edifice. H. W. Gould, Hiram Skinner, and G. F. Stubbs, were elected Trustees. The construction of the church building was very soon afterwards commenced, and completed during the year at a cost of fifteen hundred dollars. The church is connected with the Thomson circuit of the Rock River Conference, and services are held once in two weeks. The following are the present members: H. Hanson, Mrs. K. Hanson, Charles Cosselman, Mrs. L. Cosselman, H. F. Stubbs, Mrs. M. B. Stubbs, John McLellen, Mrs. McLcllen, E. Northrup, Mrs. 0. Northrup, Mrs. M. Aikman, Miss Gussie Aikman, Miss Rena Aikman, John Imlay, local preacher. The present trustees are, H. F. Stubbs, H. Hanson, and Charles Cosselman.

The church edifice at Cottonwood was erected in 1872, at a cost of about one thousand eight hundred dollars. It was built by contributions from all classes of people, and was designed as a place of worship for all denominations. The M. E. Society, however, have had charge of it for some time past. This Society is connected with the Fulton circuit, and services are held on Sunday afternoons by the pastor of that charge. The first Trustees were, A. M. Abbott, Warren Bond, Cornelius Springer, Timothy Martin, and Henry Canfield. The three first named gentlemen are still trustees. Mr. Martin is dead, and Mr. Canfield has moved away.

There are quite a number of Mennonites residing in the town, and about six years ago they erected a church building on section 25. Services are held every Sunday in this building, and are faithfully attended by the members.

At the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion, the people of Ustick entered heartily into the work of raising volunteers for the preservation of the Union, and many of her sons went promptly forth to the battle field. The 8th Illinois Cavalry, and the 42d, and 75th Infantry, received the greatest number of these gallant boys, probably because they could go together, but other regiments came in for a share. Many of them came back home veterans in the service, while others laid down their lives either in the hot contest of fiercely fought battles, or of disease incurred by exposure and hardship. Among those who died in the battle, or by disease, we have been able to gather the following: James Martin, 42d Infantry, died of disease at Pittsburg Landing; Austin Martin, Company C, 8th Cavalry, died of disease at Frederick City, Maryland; Jay Canfield, Company C, 8th Cavalry, died of disease at Alexandria, Virginia; James Canfield, 75th Infantry, also died of disease contracted in the service; Ephraim Weldon, 75tli Infantry, killed in battle; John Williams, Company C, 8th Cavalry, killed in battle; Delos Goff, died of sun stroke in battle; Hiram Mead and Byron Weldon died after they came home, of disease contracted in the service; Robert Imlay, killed July 7, 18G4, while in service; Robert Hale, Captain of Company I, 75th Infantry, was killed in skirmish on picket line, July 4, 1864.

The first town meeting under the township organization in the town of Ustick, was held at the Franklin school house on the 6th of April, 1852. Henry Ustick was chosen Moderator, and A. M. Abbott, Clerk. A committee of five, consisting of Benj. Abbott, S. W. Goff, Oliver Baker, Reuben Baker, and Joshua Hollinshead, was appointed to draft town laws. The committee reported the following: Article 1st, The town shall be known and designated by the name of Hemlo. Article 2d, A lawful fence shall be four and one-half feet high, and the rails not more than six inches apart. Article Sd, Hogs shall not be permitted or allowed to run at large. The articles were adopted. It is proper, however, to say that the first article was never carried iuto effect, and the town retained the name originally given to it by the Commissioners.

Ustick township contains 22,115 acres of improved land, and 320 acres of unimproved, ranking the third in the county for its proportion of improved to unimproved land. The towns ahead of it are Hume, which has no unimproved land, and Coloma, having only 130 acres. This proportion speaks well for its location, and the fertility of its soil. The number of horses in the township in 1877, as shown by the Assessor's books, is 480; number of cattle, 1,357; of mules and asses, 9; of sheep, 117; of hogs, 2,712; carriages and wagons, 185; watches and clocks, 145; sewing and knitting machines, 80; piano fortes, 2; melodeons and organs, 19. Total assessed value of lands, lots, and personal property, §321,268; value of railroad property, $12,100. Total assessed value of all property in 1877, $333,368.

The population of the township in 1870, as shown by the Federal census reports of that year, was 1,026, of which 776 were of native birth, and 250 of foreign birth. The population in 1860, was 647. The estimated population in 1877, is 1,150. Popular vote in November, 1876, 183.

Biographical. WoosTER Y. Ives is a native of Wallingford, Connecticut, and was born July 8, 1810. He came to Whiteside county May 1, 1837, and together with Edward Corbin, made a claim under the bluffs on section 19, of Congressional township 22, now the town of Ustick. Mr. Corbin soon sold his share to Mr. Ives, and went to other parts. He was one of those peripatetic individuals, of whom there were quite a number throughout this section at quite an early day. Their principal business was to locate claims, make some improvements, and then sell at as high a price as they could get to actual settlers, and pass on to another locality. Mr. Ives built a small house, the first erected in the present township of Ustick, did some breaking, and then went back to Connecticut and brought on his wife. He was married to Miss Elizabeth C. Blake, January 1, 1837. There were no children by this marriage. Mrs. Ives died on the 1st bf August, 1850, and on the 25th of August, 1853, Mr. Ives married Miss Elizabeth Parrish, his present wife. Mr. Ives disposed of his farm in Ustick some years ago, and moved to the city of Fulton, where he has since continued to reside. He was always a great hunter, and in the early days when game abounded, was accustomed to spend days at a time in the chase, and never failed to return during the proper season with a large supply of venison, and wild fowl. Now that game has become scarce in this section, he journeys every fall to the woods of Wisconsin and Minnesota to indulge in his favorite pursuit. He has twice crossed the plains to California, and returned, and at each time met with thrilling adventures. Mr. Ives is of a quiet, retiring disposition, and has never sought public position. x\s a man and a citizen he is universally respected.

William H. Knight was born on the banks of Penobscot Bay, at the village of Northport, Waldo county, Maine, November 3, 181G. He came to Whiteside county and settled in Fulton in June, 1838, remaining there only a year, and then made a claim under the bluffs in the present township of Ustick, where he followed the occupation of farming until 1849. He then returned to Fulton, and has resided either in the city or township since that time. Mr. Knight married Miss Sarah R. Johnson, a daughter of Jesse Johnson, in the town of Ustick, November 24, 1840. The children by this marriage were: George H., born October 28, 1841; Franklin, born October 28, 1842; Lydia A., born April 16, 1844; Bernice B., and Bernard, twins, born July 16, 1846; Sarah F., born October 14, 1849; William F., born September 19, 1855; Charles D., born December 1, 1858; and Charles D., 2d, born November 4, 1862. Of these, Franklin died February 16, 1844; Bernard, June 11, 1847; Sarah F., July 29, 1850; Charles D., 1st, October 20, 1859; and Lydia A., November 15, 1876. George H. married Miss Kate Connolly, and lives at Maquoketa, Iowa; Lydia A. married George Beuzeville, and died as above stated; and Bernice B. married George W. Duncan, and lives at La Crosse, Wisconsin. Mrs. Knight died January 12, 1864, and on the 2d of November, 1865, Mr. Knight married Mrs. Susan M. Thomas, his present wife. There has been one child by this marriage, Edward Everett, who was born April 29, 1871. Mr. Knight has been engaged since coming west, as a farmer, hotel keeper, lumber dealer, ferry owner, and grocer. He is at present the owner of a fine farm a short distance northeast of the city of Fulton. He has held several town offices, and was for four years School Director in Fulton.

John Hollinshead was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, January 6, 1798. He went first to Canada from his native city, and came to Clyde, Whiteside county, in June, 1839. Soon afterwards he purchased land under the bluffs in Ustick township, and settled there, living upon his farm until he died, and on which he lies buried. During his residence in Canada he participated in the Patriot War, and true to the laud of his birth, was an ardent patriot. At one time during that war he had charge of a large number of guns, and quite ^n amount of ammunition, which the Loyalists determined to capture, but owing to his shrewd management both were saved to the Patriot force. His wife was of the Rush family of Pennsylvania, her uncle being the celebrated Richard Rush, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The children of this marriage were, Joshua, born September 7, 1827; Julia Ann, May 19, 1829; Jacob W., August 22, 1831; Daniel, February 7, 1834; Lydia, January 21, 1837; Mary, July 21, 1839; Charles, January 27, 1842, and Emily,

September 19, 1843. Charles died in infancy and Lydia in 1867, leaving a husband and three children. The remaining children are living, and reside in Whiteside county.

^ John Maiieny is a native of Queens county, Ireland, and was born February 15, 1803. At the age of twenty-eight he came to the United States, and soon after went to Canada where he remained three years, and then returned to the States, working in New Hampshire and Vermont until the fall of 1840, when he came to Whiteside county, and settled upon his present farm in Ustick. Mr. Maheuy was married to Martha Lothers in Londonderry, Ireland, on the loth of October 1836. Their children were Margaret, Mary, James, John, Thomas, Sarah, Joseph, Anna, William and Martha, all of whom are living except Joseph, who died in infancy. Two are residing in Iowa, two in Colorado, and the rest in Whiteside county. Mr. Maheny's first wife died in February, 1864, and in January, 1867, he married his present wife, then Mrs. Ann Gardner. He has been a farmer all his life.

Warren Bond is a native of Lewis county, New York, and came to Whiteside county on the 16th of April 1842, first settling in Fulton, and afterwards in L^stick, where he purchased a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres, located on the Morrison and Fulton road, which he has since continued to own and cultivate. Of late years he has turned his attention principally to stock raising, endeavoring always to have the best. His gross receipts from farm and stock average two thousand dollars per annum. In relating his early experience he states that in his native state he threshed wheat for five cents a bushel, and helped clean the grain, working from sunrise until sunset. When he first came to Whiteside county he worked for John Hollinshead, in Ustick, for twelve dollars a month. Mr. Bond married Miss Harriet N. Canfield, July 13, 1844. The children have been: Edna E., born November 5, 1847; Loretta IL, born February 15, 1850; Viola E., born DecemlJer 21, 1851; George E., born June 5, 1854; Vesta M., born July 10, 1856; Olive J., born August 28, 1858; Ada A. and Ida A., twins, born March 2, 1861; Isabel, born August 29, 1863; and Alva W., born September 26, 1865. Of these, Ada A. died September 14, 1861; Ida A. September, 21, 1861; and Viola E. Decembers, 1872. Edna E. married Delos P. Martin, October 18, 1865, and lives in Nebraska; Loretta H. married William J. Eeed, December 31, 1868, and lives in Ustick; Viola E. married Austin Gofi', March 18, 1872, and died as above stated - she lived in Ustick; Vesta married Wilson Springer, January 1, 1874, and lives in Ustick; Olive J. married Alonzo Springer, August 15, 1876, and lives in Union Grove; and George E. married Miss Sarah Bulkley, December 20, 1876, and lives in Ustick. Isabel, and Alva W., reside at home. While yet a resident of Fulton, Mr. Bond held several town ofllices, and since his residence in Ustick he has been elected Supervisor for nine diff'erent terms, and is the present Supervisor of the township. He is a good sample of the energetic, intelligent, and successful Whiteside county farmer.

Henry Bond was born in Denmark, Lewis county. New York, December 7, 1818. He came to Whiteside county in the spring of 1838, with Lewis Graves, and settled at first with him on the farm now owned by Oliver Baker, in the present township of Ustick. He afterwards made a claim about one mile west, on section 7, and after remaining there some time sold it, and purchased his present farm on sections 10 and 11, in Spring valley, Ustick township. Mr. Bond married Miss Lucy A. Ingham, in August, 1841. Their children have been: Jennie E., born December 24, 1842; Martha A., born August 28, 1847; and Emma E., born March 21, 1854. Martha A. died February 2, 1852. Jennie E. married Kichard Keeny, September 28, 1870, and lives in

Biographical

Henry Ustick, Sh., for whom the town of Ustick was named, was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, December 3, 1789. Upon leaving his native State he lived for a time in Ohio, and from that State moved with his family to Whiteside county, and settled in Union Grove township, his claim embracing the farm now owned by Edward Vennum. In 1845 he went to Ustick, and settled on section 34, where he resided until his death, which occurred on the 16th of June, 1855. He was married April 14, 1812, to Miss Nancy Smiley, who died May 27, 1820. Mr. Ustick afterwards married Mrf . Abigail Bryant, whose death occurred November 19, 18G2. Children: John, now residing at P]ariville, Illinois; William, who died December 1, 1834; Jacob Y., who died in the army, August 30, 1863; N. M. Y., residing at Dallas Center, Iowa; Henry, a resident of Morrison, Whiteside county, Illinois; Elizabeth Y., wife of Fosket H. Loomis; Abner, who lives in Gowrie, Webster county, Iowa; Edward P., who died March 3, 1843; and Daniel B. Y., who died October 8, 1862.

Stephen W. Goff was born in Granville, Hampshire county, Massachusetts, in 1805, and first moved from his native State to Jefferson county, New York. In 1844 he came to Whiteside county, and settled upon his present farm on section 33, in Ustick township. Mr. Goff was married to Miss Almira Buell, in Watertown, Jefferson county. New York, in 1827. Their children have been: Franklin, Martin, Johnson B., Lorenzo, Sarah, Delos, Olive, James, and Austin. They are all married. Mr. Goff has now twenty-seven grandchildren, and two great grand children. He has been Road Commissioner, School Director, etc., in Ustick, since his residence in the township.

Oliver Baker is a native of Trumbull county, Ohio, and was born February 23, 1822. He came to Whiteside county with his father, Mr. Jacob Baker, on the 12th of October, 1839, and settled at first in Fulton. During the time he was a resident of Fulton he worked occasionally for John Baker, the original settler, and had the honor of planting the first fruit trees in Northwestern Whiteside on Mr. Baker's place near the Cattail creek. In 1842 he went to Ustick, and lived for a year with his father's family on the farm now owned by Stephen W. Goff, and in 1843 purchased the large farm now owned by him in that township. This farm contains four hundred and eighty acres, and is situated under the bluffs, on section 18. Immediately upon its purchase he commenced active work in bringing it under a proper state of cultivation, and in a few years had one of the finest and most productive farms in the county. He continued to live upon it until 1867, when he moved to Morrison and engaged in buying and shipping stock, leaving his two sons to till its fertile acres. His eldest son, Birney G., in a few years joined him in the stock business at Morrison, and the youngest son, Anson L., took charge of the farm, and still continues its management. Mr. Baker was married to Miss Elizabeth Graves, daughter of Lewis Graves, of Ustick, on the 22d day of June, 1843. The children by this marriage are: Birney G., born June 26, 1844; and Anson L., born May 13, 1850. Birney G. married Miss Deborah Sylvester, and lives in Morrison; Anson L. married Miss Anna Pierce, and lives in Ustick. Mrs. Baker died July 5, 1874, and in August, 1875, Mr. Baker married Miss Deborah Bedell. There have been no children by this marriage. During all the period Mr. Baker resided in Ustick, he took an active and prominent part in the affairs of the township and county. In 1857 he was elected Supervisor of the township, and held the office for three successive terms. During his first term the Board of Supervisors met at Sterling. He also held the office of Justice of the Peace for quite a number of years. When the mail route from Fulton by the way of Thompson, Savanna, and other towns, to Galena, was established, it passed by his residence in Ustiek, and a Postoffice was located there, for which he was appointed Postmaster, and retained the position until the office was abolished. He is at present Alderman from the Second Ward of the city of Morrison.

A. M. Abbott is a native of the Green Mountain State, and came to Ustiek in 1847, where he purchased a farm on section 32, on which he has since continued to reside. 3Ir. Abbott learned the gunsmith trade in his native State, and when he settled in TIstick nailed up his sign by the road side, and being a skillful workman soon had all the work he could do, many of his customers coming a distance of over twenty miles, and some of them over thirty miles. He has always been an active and influential man in the township, and has been frequently elected to town positions. He was the first Town Clerk, holding the office some years; was Supervisor in 1855-'56, and has been several terms" Justice of the Peace, occupying the latter position at present. Mrs. Dorcas Noyes Abbott, widow of the late Deacon Benjamin Abbott, and mother of Mr. Abbott, died at his residence February 27, 1877, at the advanced age of ninety-two years. 3Irs. Abbott was one of the old settlers of Ustiek, having settled there with her husband in 1848. Deacon and Mrs. xVbbott were among the original members of the Congregational church at Unionville, now the First Congregational church of Morrison, Deacon Abbott also being one of the first trustees. At Mrs. Abbott's death the last of those original members had passed away. Mrs. Phrcbe Drake, sister of Mrs. A. M. Abbott, who died in Ustiek in 1843, was the second person interred in the burial ground in Union Grove, west of Unionville.

John C. Martindale is one of the active, progressive farmers and business men of Ustiek, whose farm is on section 9, in Spring Valley. He has frc- (|uently been elected by his fellow citizens to town positions.

Hiram Ingham is an old resident of the town, and has grown up with it. He has a fine farm on section 18, under the bluff's, and is highly respected as a citizen.

Joshua Hollinshead, Daniel Hollinsiiead, and J. W. Hollinshead, are sons of John Hollinshead. one of the pioneers of the township, whose biography appears in this chapter. They are thorough-going farmers, and own lands in sections 6, 7 and 8. J. \V. Hollinshead is now a resident of Fulton, and carries on the grain trade in connection with his farm.

Among the other farmers and business men in Ustiek to whom the township is much indebted for its rapid growth and development, and who take a leading part in its affairs, are: H. L. and S. N. Houohton, on sections 7 and 8; Joel W. Farley, on section 21; Peter Durward, on section 14; A. S. lliTCHiE, on sections 15 and 22; A. W. Ritchie, on sections 15 and 22; J. K. Robertson, on sections 13, 14 and 23; J. N. Canpield, on section 16; Seth Strickland, on section 19; A. C. Crouch, on section 20; Henry Hoover, on section 22; Daniel Sher.man, on section 30; Hervey Smith, on section 30; II. K. Blodgett, on section 30; J. J. Gallentine, on section 25; J. M. WiLlia.aison, on section 9; David, and J. B. Galt, on sections 13 and 24; Ja.aies Melville, on section 2; Moses A.Green, on sections 1 and 12.