Derinda Township (part 3 of 5)

Mr. Townsend was married, Oct. 15, 1829, to Miss Mary, daughter of Asher and Lydia (Kingsley) Miner, at Allen, Allegany Co., N. Y. The young couple set up house-keeping in a modest dwelling near the sawmill, and Mr. Townsend was busily employed thereafter for some time. In 1831 he was employed by Capt. Rollo to operate a sawmill one year. In 1832 he resumed lumbering on the Alleghany River. He was thus occupied until 1835, his wife in the meantime running the farm. In the spring of 1836 he started again for the lead mines of Northern Illinois. He made the trip via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, and a second time arrived in the vicinity of the present site of Galena, before the land had come into the market.

Getting ready a team and wagon, Mr. Townsend's party started for Illinois, Sept. 4, 1836. The part}' was composed of Mr. and Mrs. Townsend, the father of the latter, Asher Miner, and three children - Samantha L., Amanda S., and Samuel Asher - besides Mr. T. After a journey of Ave weeks and two days, they arrived at their destination.

The gold excitement reached its height about March, 1850, and Mr. Townsend, taking the fever likewise, set out in company with about fifty men, for the Pacific Slope, starting on the 20th of that month. They were equipped with ten wagons, four yoke of oxen to each, although Mr. T. had five yoke. Their wagons were loaded with provisions and other necessaries, and they crossed the Mississippi at Lyons, Iowa. They were obliged to stop three weeks at Council Bluffs on account of a scarcity of feed. After crossing the Missouri, they framed a set of by-laws and constitution, by which they agreed to be governed. They elected officers, Captain, one Lieutenant, and an Orderly Sergeant. The Captain was to determine who should be admitted to the company, and select the camping grounds - not a very easy task. Mr. Townsend was elected Captain; James Champion, Lieutenant; and Fred Eendisbatcher, Orderly Sergeant. According to the constitution, a Captain was to be elected every Monday morning, and our subject was chosen thus thirteen times in succession. He served in this capacity the remainder of the journey, and the company was then disbanded. The first tribe of Indians they encountered were the Pawnees. Upon crossing the Missouri they encountered the Sioux, and one day their Chief, Red Cloud came to their camp and requested Capt. Townsend and his men to stop at their villao-e. They did so, made them a few presents of cornmeal, etc., and when moving on Red Cloud sent with them a young Indian to the edge of their territory to protect them from hostile tribes. When seeing any other Indians coming he would ride ahead meet them and explain the situation. From Council Bluffs they journeyed over 500 miles to Ft. Laramie with not a house on the road.

Upon arriving at Salt Lake City they found a large and beautiful town, laid off in squares with a mountain stream divided so that clear water ran on each side of these squares. Here Capt. Townsend hired a blacksmith shop and tools with which they made flat-headed nails and they shod all their oxen with sole leather, as their hoofs were worn out with travel. After leaving Salt Lake our travelers encountered numerous hot springs, and at Thousand Spring Valley, Absalom Townsend overtook the party with his pack-train. In this region they found fine feed for their cattle. Absalom had captured a cow some one had lost and drove her into camp. There was a pack on her back and two men claimed her. They quarreled and one shot the other dead. The killing was witnessed by quite a number. They formed a court, appointed a judge, a clerk, and a jury, and Absalam Townsend acted as State's Attorney. The oldest Captain was appointed to make the arrest, and, this was done by our subject. Two of the jury did not believe in capital punishment, although at the outset they had professed not having any conscientious scruples. They could not take their prisoner with them, so he was set at liberty. They dug a grave for the dead man, wrapped his blankets around him, and buried him with a board at his head bearing his name.

Their route now lay along the Humboldt River, and here they encountered the Digger Indians, who lived in holes in the ground. In their travels they had encountered the Pawnees, Siouxs, Crows, Snakes, and Flat-Heads, having little trouble with any of them. The Crows, were considered the worst and many caravans met with great trouble from them. About half way across the desert they found a spring of hot water, in which they boiled their meat readily, this being all the water within ,a distance of sixty miles. They started across the desert at night, traveling until 2 o'clock next day through dry, white sand, sinking down about four inches at every step. The weather was very warm, and many of their horses and cattle ga ve out so they were obliged to leave them. Upon

Further on their journey the Captain and his train started to cross the mountains, and in time the ascent was so perpendicular that the oxen could not make it. They accordingly had to veer around about a mile, doubling the teams, making eight yoke to a wagon and putting two men to each hind wheel in case the chains should break. Two men were also placed on the upper side to keep the wagon from tipping over. Although the snow was very hard, the oxen scarcely making a track, they slipped very little and made the ascent in safety. In the meantime a storm raged below them; they could see the clouds and hear the thunder. All this time the sun was shining brightly where they were. Frequently they were obliged to use long ropes to let their wagons down steep places. Arriving sixty miles northeast of Sacramento they found a rich mining country, the diggings yielding from $3 to $60 per day. The country was full of gold-hunters, however, and all claims were taken which were of any account.

Capt. Townsend sojourned in this region until the 1st of March, 1851, then he determined to return home, embarking on the "Old California," the 6th of the month, reaching Panama on the 17th, and on the 19th took the steamer "North America" for New Orleans. Thence they proceeded by steamer to St. Louis and from there to Galena, arriving home on the 10th of April with about $1,700.

After bringing his family to this county Mr. Townsend settled on a tract of wild land on section 33, in what is now Rush Township. Their nearest neighbor was three miles away, and the next one ten miles. Their location was three miles west and nine miles south of the present site of Warren City, at the head of Big Rush Creek, and at the divide between the waters of the Rock and the Mississippi Rivers. The face of the country was dotted here and therewith clumps of trees, and Mr. Townsend took up a Government claim before the survey had been made. This was effected on the 1st of January, 1849.

in Rush Township, and built for himself a hewed log house, with split timbers for flooring and roof. He pointed this artistically with mortar, and for that day it was considered quite an imposing structure. It occupied an area of 12x16 feet, and was one and one-half stories in height. In this primitive dwelling the little family lived for two years, and then Mr. Townsend put up another one of larger dimensions, also built of logs. They occupied this until 1856, when it was replaced by a large and substantial stone house, at a cost of $4,500, and acknowledged by all who passed through that section to be the finest farm-house in Jo Daviess County. It was furnished as much as possible with all modern conveniences, and still stands as a monument to the perseverance and industry of its projector. This rears its roof two and onehalf stories, and occupies an area of 45x32 feet, with ten feet between joists, and containing eighteen rooms, a structure hard to beat even at this day.

Mr. Townsend improved and added to his original possessions until he became the owner of a splendid farm of 800 acres. He was, at an early day, appointed the Postmaster of Rush, being the first incumbent of this office, and holding it a period of thirty years, then resigning on account of moving away. He represented his township in the County Board of Supervisors a number of terms, a.id also officiated as Highway Commissioner, Assessor and Collector ; in fact, he was usually the incumbent of some office during the entire time of his residence there.

In company with R. Bennett and Mr. Barr our subject was appointed to lay out and give the names to the various townships in the county, and to him Rush is largely indebted for its progress and prosperity. He lived upon his farm there until 1875, then retired from the active labors connected therewith, and, turning it over to his son, purchased a good home in Warren, where he now resides, enjoying the respect and confidence of all who know him. Since the organization of the Republican party, he has been its stanch supporter. He identified himself with the Masonic fraternity years ago, and is still connected with the brotherhood. - - . - ^ - <3}e

To our subject and his estimable wife there were born, besides the three mentioned, the children who are named respectively: George N., Jr., Annette, Joseph W., Jane C, Susan K., Olive A., S. Gazelle, Mary 0., and Emeline P., these all being natives of Illinois. They have been carefully trained, given a good, practical education, and will perpetuate the name of their honored sire in a manner befitting his children.

Mrs. Mary (Miner) Townsend, the wife of our subject, was born in Broome, Schoharie Co.,N. Y., March 31, 1811, -and some years later removed with her parents to Allegany County, where they sojourned until coming to the West, about 1836. Asher Miner, the father, also a native of the Empire State, was born in Columbia County, Nov. 9, 1784. He was married, May 24, 1808, at Deacon Thomas Kingley's, in New York, to his daughter, Miss Lydia, and they became the parents of seven children, all of whom lived to mature years. Upon coming to Illinois, they settled three miles south of the present site of Warreu, where the death of the father occurred about 1867. Among his sons was S. K. Miner, who was Sheriff of this county for four years, and all of his family have become upright and praiseworthy citizens.

Samuel Townsend, the father of our subject, was born in Sussex County, N. J., in 1785, where he was reared to manhood, and married, in 1803, Miss Sarah Longwell. There came to their fireside five sons and three daughters, who grew to manhood and womanhood. They finally removed to New York State, where the wife and mother died while a young woman, in 1816. The father spent his last days at the home of Halsted Townsend, in Eush Township, this county, and died the day before his seventy-ninth birthday.

Samantha, the eldest daughter of our subject, became the wife of E. Backus, of Stockton, Kan., who is Marshal of the city and engaged in farming. They have five children. Amanda, Mrs. A. B. Chambers, resides at Grand Junction, Iowa, and is the mother of seven children ; Asher married Miss Rebecca Borthwick, and occupies the old homestead, being the father of eight children; George M. married Minnie Brickler; they live at Sun Dance, Wyo. Ter., and have three children. Annette, Mrs. N. B. Claypool, of Hampton, Iowa, is the mother of seven children; Joseph W., a resident of Rush, this county, married Miss Hattie A. Lewis, and is the father of six sons; Jane C, Mrs. II. Z. Tucker, of Iowa, is the mother of one child ; Susan K., Mrs. W. B. Bryan, of Geneva, Iowa, has seven children; Olive A., matron of the Stockton (Kan.) Academy, married C. T. Justice, and has one son; S. Gazelle, Mrs. Charles Pulfrey, is the mother of five boys; Mary O., Mrs. John Renwick, of Geneva, Iowa, has four children ; Emeline P. is unmarried, and lives with her parents. The descendants of Mr. Townsend thus number sixty-five in all - twelve children and fifty-three grandchildren, besides several great-grandchildren. They are uniformly honest and upright citizens, an honor to their progenitor, and useful members of their communities.

G. N. Townsend, Jr., and Joseph W. Townsend, two sons, and E. M. Backus, N. B. Claypool, H. Z. Tucker, W. B. Bryan, C. T. Justice and C. T. Pulfrey, six sons-in-law, all went to the front in defense of their country during the late Civil War, and all were spared to return home to their families.

'REEMAN LAWFER, Supervisor of Wavd's Grove. He has occupied this office for the last eight years, and has been the incumbent of most of the other township offices - a fact which is sufficient indication of the esteem in which he is held by his fellow-citizens. He is wellto-do, has been very prosperous in his agricultural operations, and has one of the best-regulated farms in this part of the county. His homestead of 120 acres is located on section 32, while he has 240 acres in Berreman Township, on section 8. His whole career has been a fine illustration of the result of energy and perseverance.

Our subject comes from an excellent family, being the son of Joseph Lawfer, a native of Monroe County, Pa,, who married Miss Elizabeth Frantz, a native of the same county. The paternal grandfather, also a native of the Keystone State, was a farmer in good circumstances, and spent his en lire life in Monroe County, where his death

The father of our subject worked on the farm in his youthful days, but upon approaching manhood learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed, in connection with agriculture, many years. After his marriage he purchased 100 acres of land, upon which he operated until 1857. He then made his way to Stephenson County, 111., and located in Kent Township, in the vicinity of Free port, where he farmed on rented land one year. In 1857 he purchased forty acres in Ward's Grove Township, to which he added until he had 207 acres. This he improved and occupied until his later years, when he sold all but eighty acres, and retiring from active labor, removed to Lena, where he purchased a residence, and lived until his decease, at the age of seventy-six years. The mother is still living, and is now seventy-three years old. The elder Lawfer was a Democrat, politically, and a member of the Lutheran Church. The ten children of the parental family are recorded as follows: Charles died in Pennsylvania; William is a resident of Mitchell County, Iowa, where, also, lives Mary A. (Mrs. Tyrrell); Freeman, our subject, was the fourth child; Julia died in Dakota; Lucinda, Amanda, Lizzie, Josiah, and Henry are deceased.

The subject of this sketch, like his father and grandfather, was born in Monroe County, Pa., near Brodsheadsville, now Chestnut Hill Township, Aug. 8, 1845. He lived there until eleven years old, then came to Illinois with his parents, and attended the district school, while at the same time assisting in the labors of the farm. Upon reaching his majority, he' went to Mitchell County, Iowa, and taught school one winter. Then he returned to this county and rented part of his father's land. In 1879 he purchased 160 acres of land from the Illinois Central Railroad Company, broke and cleared a part of it, and erected a dwelling, with other necessary buildings. That year he purchased the place, which he now occupies, from his father, and has since been steadily engaged in its improvement. He has planted forest and fruit trees, and added from time to time the embellishments and conveniences which go to make the property attractive and valuable. A stream of running water adds to the fertility of the land, being a branch of Plum River. Later, Mr. Lawfer added eighty acres to his first purchase, and is engaged quite extensively in stock-raising. He also buys and feeds a carload of cattle each year. His favorites are the graded Short-horns, of which he keeps about fifty head. He has about twenty-five head of graded Norman horses, eight of which are utilized in the operations of the farm.

Mrs. Lawfer is the daughter of Leonard and Catherine (Frank) Staley; the father, a native of Prussia, born in 1810, and the mother, born in the Kingdom of Wurtemburg, Germany, in the year 1806. Mr. Staley emigrated to America, and located in Lancaster County, Pa., where he was married, and followed farming until 1849. He then came to Northern Illinois, locating first in Ward's Grove, this county, where he .purchased 120 acres of improved land and occupied it for a time, then removed to Berreman Township, where he spent the remainder of his days, passing away in 1863. The mother is still living, making her home with her daughter, Mrs. Clay, in Jo Daviess County, 111.; Mr. S. was a member of the Dunkard Church, and politically, a Democrat. The mother was twice married. Of her first union there were born two children - Leonard Beeler and David. The elder, during the late war, served as a Union soldier in the 39th Illinois Infantry. David, in 1862, enlisted in Company D, 46th Illinois Infantry, which was assigned to the Army of the Tennessee, and was killed at the battle! of Shiloh in April of the following year. Of the second marriage there were born six children, viz : Martha, a resident of Berreman Township; Henry, in Clay County, Dak.; Catharine, Mrs. Church, living near Spring View, Neb. ; William, who is farming in Iowa; Fred, a resident of Berreman Township, and Vina, the wife of our subject. ' Henry and William, during the Civil War, enlisted in Company D, 153d Illinois Infantry, serving from February, 1865, until the close.

Mr. Lawfer was born July 25, 1845, in Illinois, and was married in Freeport, 111., on June 25, 1868, to Miss Vina Staley, who was born in Kent Township, Stephenson County, 111., July 25, 1848.

This marriage resulted in the birth of six children, five of whom are living, namely : Myron, Cassie, Wallie, Mabel and Edna. The eldest son is teaching school in the vicinity of Warren. The others are at home with the parents. Mr. Lawf er has held the office of Supervisor for the last eight years; has served as Justice of the Peace and Commissioner of Highways the same length of time. He was Town Treasurer, likewise, eight years, also Town Clerk, Collector and Assessor. Politically, he votes the straight Democratic ticket, and has served on the Grand and Petit Juries.

I-IOMAS J. SHEEAN, junior member of the firm of David & T. J. Sheean, Attorneysat-Law, is, with his brother-partner, located in a pleasant suite of offices in the well-known Hempstead Building, Galena, which they have occupied since 1869. The firm was established in June, 1869, but in 1876, David, on account of ill health, was obliged to withdraw from the confinement of the office, and spent nearly eighteen months outside. At the expiration of this time, the brothers resumed their legal business in company. Their practice has extended all over Illinois and into other States, and has resulted in the accumulation of a competence for each.

Mr. Sheean was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of Illinois November 23, 1868, during the times of Sidney Breese, C. B. Lawrence and P. H. Walker, eminent jurists of the State. He has been an extensive reader and avails himself of every opportunity to become informed upon the points which are constantly arising in the course of his practice. His legal education was obtained largely through his own exertions. He was reared at his father's farm in Guilford Township, this county, where he was born Dec. 15, 1838. He was next to the youngest of five children, now living, the offspring of James and Mary (Lorden) She. an, a sketch of whom will be found in the biography of David Sheean on another page in this volume. He became familiar with farm work at an early age, and learned those habits of industry and economy which have served him well in later life. He taught school winters during his early manhood, taking the proceeds to assist him in his education. He first attended Sinsinawa Mound College, Wisconsin; subsequently he attended Rock River Seminary, at Mount Morris, 111., completing his studies there in 1863. Mr. Sheean was Supervisor of his native township of Guilford for the terms of 1867-6-8; from 1873 to 1875 he was the Mayor of Galena, and was a second time elected in the year 1883, being the incumbent of the office under the new law, which made the Mayor's term two years. Politically he is a sound Democrat and takes considerable interest in local politics. He has stumped the county for twenty years for President and other Democratic officials. He was a delegate from the Sixth Congressional District to the National Convention which nominated Grover Cleveland in St. Louis, and was Presidential Elector of this district in 1888, canvassed the district and made speeches in all of the counties - Stephenson, Winnebago, Ogle, and Carroll.

The marriage of Thomas J. Sheean and Miss Frances Delahunt was celebrated in Galena, Dec. 25, 1865. Mrs. Sheean was born in County Wicklow, Ireland, Jan. 11, 1846, and is the daughter of Mathew and Margaret (Byrne) Delahunt, who were also natives of Ireland. They emigrated to America and came to Northern Illinois in 1849. The father was a farmer by occupation, and died in Galena in 1869 when about seventy-five years old. The wife and mother is yet living, making her home with her daughter, Mrs. Sheean. She is now eighty-one years of age. Both parents became connected with the Catholic Church early in life.

The wife of our subject was a child three years of age when her parents came to America and settled in Guilford Township, this county, where she was reared to womanhood and received a commonschool education. Of her union with Mr. Sheean there have been born five children. The eldest, James M., was graduated from Galena High School when a youth of sixteen years. He then entered Beloit College (Beloit, Wis.,) from which he was graduated in the class of 1887, before reaching his twenty-first year. He became a law student in the office of his father and uncle, and was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court, March 23, 1 889, and at once entered into partnership with his father and uncle. Miss Mary A. Sheean was graduated from the Galena High School; she afterwards attended St. Mary's Academy at Notre Dame, Ind., and with the younger children, Clara, Henry D. and Frank, remains at home with her parents. They form a remarkably bright and interesting group.

since 1868, a period of over twenty years. Upon coming to this place the Church in point of numbers was larger than at the present, the reason for this being that many have moved away and some been removed by death. The parish numbers about 400 families, or 2,000 souls. It was at one time the largest congregation of this denomination in Northern Illinois.

The church building of St. Michael's is an imposing structure of goodly proportions and is complete in its furniture, including some fine paintings by noted artists, and other paraphernalia seldom seen outside of the large cathedrals. The parochial residence is pleasantly located on Bench street, a residence portion of the city, and on a hill 125 feet above the ordinary level. It commands a beautiful view of the surrounding landscape and a large portion of the city.

Father Farrelly is by birth a native of Ireland, born in County Cavan, in 1 805. His father was an Irish farmer of modest means and spent his entire life upon his native soil, passing away at a ripe old age, as did also the mother. The son remained a resident of his native county until a man of twentyfive years, in the meantime completing a classical education at Belfast. Later he went to Italy and in the city of Rome had frequently the pleasure of beholding Pope Pius IX.

From Italy Father Farrelly, about 1830, sailed for Australia, and at Sydney was ordained a Priest of the Catholic Church. His next movement was to embark on a merchant sailing-vessel, by which means he journeyed to the Cape of Good

Hope, where he tarried for a time, and later spent some months on the Island of New South Wales. The year of 1840 found him first UDOn American soil in the city of St. Louis, after having circumnavigated the Globe. In St. Louis he was fortunate in securing the close friendship of Archbishop Kenrick, who has always been esteemed as a very holy man and who honored Father Farrelly a number of times by making to him confession.

From St. Louis Father Farrelly was sent to Joliet, 111., where he became pastor of St. Patrick's Church, with which he was connected a period of eight years, and which resulted in great good to its people and the general building up of the cause in that locality. From Joliet he came to Galena, and is signalizing himself by the same career of usefulness which has marked his priestly life. Not only by his own parish is he held in high regard! but by the people of his community generally.

i-^r?RANK BAUMGARTNER, whose enterprise, persistence and perseverance have overcome' every obstacle in the pathway of success leading from the depths of poverty to his present affluence, has every reason to be proud of the course of his life as a self-made man. He is classed among the representative farmers and stock-raisers of Woodbine Township, whose interests he has aided in developing and sustaining, while at the same time improving every opportunity to make himself prosperous. He owns 160 acres of land, which he has improved into as fine a farm as is to be found in its immediate vicinity, and has supplied it with a good set of building's and all the facilities for conducting agriculture after the most approved methods, and he has it well stocked.

Our subject is a native of Bavaria, Germany, born June 16, 1826. His parents were Philip and Rusina (Lutzwcab) Baumgartner, likewise natives of Bavaria. Our subject was reared in his native lund, and there spent the first thirty years of his life. He early learned the stone-mason's trade, which he followed in the old country for several years; but wages were low, and he could scarce support himself, and under the prudent laws of his native Bavaria could not marry while he was so poor. That very law led to his emigration to this country, as he had wooed a young girl of the same nationality as himself, who promised to unite her life with his when he should get money enough to support her. Buoyed up with this promise, and the resolve to claim his bride as soon as possible, he in 1856 sought to improve his fortunes in the New World. He landed in Canada, and made his home in \the Dominion the following two years, finding employment in a nursery in St. Catherines. In the meantime he was very prudent and economical, and a year after his arrival he had laid up money enough to enable him to marry, and sending $50 for his betrothed, Elizabeth Steinmann, daughter of Henry Steinmann, she came to him and they were united in marriage in Canada, Oct. 10, 1857. They remained true to each other until death parted them Jan. 14, 1874, when she departed this life, leaving five children, the fruit of their union - William, Gottlieb, Emma, Frances, and Frank. William, a resident of Humboldt County, Iowa, married Anna Fisher, and they have two children - Frank and Agnes. Gottlieb, a resident of Shelby County, Iowa, married Josephine Thrain, :md they have one child - Joseph. Emma married Andrew Wand, of this township, and they have two children - Anton and Benjamin.

When our subject landed in Canada he had no money left, and, what was worse, was $9 in debt. He worked there for $10 a month, and when dissatisfied with his wages there he determined to come to the "States;" he had $5 ahead to begin life with when he reached Galena in the fall of 1858. After coming to this township in December of the same year, he found employment at his old trade of stonemason, at which he worked for several years after settling in this county, and in that way made a good start without receiving any financial aid from any one, and was enabled to buy his present farm, which has proved an excellent investment, and has netted him a good yearly income.

The marriage of Mr. Baumgartner to his present estimable wife was solemnized Oct. 16, 1874, and their pleasant wedded life has been blessed to them bjr the birth of four children - Caroline, Anna, Lizzie, and Joseph - all of whom are receiving a liberal education. The family are all devoted members of the Catholic Church, and our subject contributes generously toward its support. Mrs. Baumgartner's maiden name was Marj- Malkmuss, and she is a daughter of the late John and Elizabeth (Stephen) Malkmuss, natives of Bavaria, Germany.

As we have seen in the perusal of this brief sketch, our subject has led a busy life, guided by worthy motives that have led him to prosperity. In his residence in this township of over thirty years his conduct in all the relations of life has been such as to merit the respect that is accorded to him' by all.

OIIN A. KEAENEY, a well-known farmer of Derinda Township, in which he has made his home for many years, is a native of Ireland, born in the County Tyrone, March 31, 1837. In 1855 his parents, William and Jane (Alexander) Kearney, both also natives of the same countj-, emigrated to America, where three of their sons and one daughter had already preceded them. They landed in Philadelphia in June, 1855, and remained in that city until the ensuing October, when they came to Carroll County, 111., living there until the spring of 1856. In 1857 they located in Hanover Township, Jo Daviess County. The following year, our subject being then of age, in partnership with his brothers, Hamilton and Robert, he rented a farm in Derinda Township, on which he lived for some years. Accumulating some means on this property, the brothers purchased for themselves a farm of 310 acres, 230, of which was in the township of Derinda and 80 in Hanover. This land was partially cleared, but the buildings upon it were very poor. By industry and economy the brothers have made a fine property of this farm, with good, comfortable buildings and all the appliances necessary for success.

Jo Daviess Count Y.

in September, 1872. This couple were the parents of six children, namely: David, Jane, Ann Hamilton, Eobert, and our subject. David is married to Rebecca Gallagher, of Philadelphia, Pa., of which city he is a resident; he is a workman in the granite works there, and has three children - William, Margaret and Ann. Jane died in Philadelphia. Ann married William McKinley, of Hanover Township, who is engaged in farming. They have seven children. Hamilton is unmarried and is living at the old homestead. Robert died Feb. 24, 1886.

John A. Kearney, the subject of this sketch, was eighteen years of age when he came to America with his parents. Such education as he received was obtained in his native land, where, especially at that day, the opportunities of education for the poor were indeed limited, the schools being intended mainly for the rich. He made the best, however, of his limited facilities, and by reading and observation has become a reasonably wellinformed man. Aug. 23, 1868, he was united in marriage with Miss Sarah McKinley, of Hanover Township, this county, whose parents were likewise natives of County Tyrone, Ireland, and who emigrated to Philadelphia in 1827. They made that city their home until 1836, when they decided to move West, and, coming to this county, located themselves in Galena, where they made their home for some time. At that early day this part of the country presented a wild appearance, but Mr. McKinley nevertheless decided to try the life of a farmer,and purchased a claim in Hanover Township, where he successfully carried on farming for many years. He and his wife are now living a retired life in the city of Galena, enjoying well-earned ease and respected by every one who knows them. Mrs. Kearney was born Oct. 18, 1848, in this county.

To our subject and his wife have been born seven children, of whom six are yet living. Mary Jane was born Nov. 1, 1869; William Edward was born Jan. 24, 1872; Howard Leonidas on May 11, 1874; Ruth Isabelle on Nov. 30, 1876; John Wesley on Jan. 22, 1880, and Sarah Eveline, May 15, 1883. Mary Jane is married to Charles Knapp, a native of Derinda Township, born in 1866, and now carrying on a farm in that township; he is of C.crmnn descent. They have one child. Ida May. The rest of the children make their home with their parents, attending school and assisting in the labors of the farm.

Our subject and his brother have by subsequent purchase added 160 acres to their original farm, and now own a fine property of 470 acres under a good state of cultivation. On part of their land the}' do general farming, but raise little more grain than they need for home consumption, as they are extensive and successful dealers and breeders of stock of all kinds - cattle, horses, hogs, etc.

A man of kind disposition, of charitable impulses, willing to assist a friend in time of need, Mr. Kearney is widely known throughout this section of the county, and is widely respected. In fact, it is not tod much to say that he has not an enemy in the world. Although not a member of any church, Mr. Kearney is recognized as a man of high moral principle and of unimpeachable integrity.

For many years he has been a Master Mason and has passed the Chairs in his lodge. He has never - been an aspirant for office, but has served the people of his township faithfully for six years as Road Commissioner, and for three years has been School Director. Politically, he is a stanch Republican, and was a Grant man to the core, having had a personal acquaintance with the great General, as well as with Secretary Rawlins and Congressman Washburne.

FORGE REDFFARN, Jr.. owns and operates a farm of 240 acres on section 23, in Council Hill Township, and ranks among the successful men of this region. A sketch of his father, one of the old and honored residents of this county, will be found elsewhere in this volume. Our subject was next to the youngest in a family of eight children, and was born at the homestead, where he now lives, Nov. 25, 1845. He grew up on the farm, which he assisted in clearing and developing, and received his education in the common schools. In 1873 he and his brother pur chased the old homestead, which they operatei partnership for a time, and then our subject purchased the interest of his brother, since which time he has given his close attention to improving the propert}'.

Mr. Redfearn lias cleared about thirty acres of his land, and has 1 80 acres in grass and under cultivation, with sixty acres of timber, and all fenced. He has a flourishing apple orchard of two acres, while around the residence has been planted evergreens and other trees, which serve to make it attractive. The residence was put up in 1888, and is a neat and commodious structure. The barn and other out-buildings are creditable to the proprietor. The land is made fertile by a stream of running water, which, by the aid of a wind-mill and tanks, is conveyed to any spot desired. The land is mostly devoted to the raising of grain and stock, the latter including Norman, Cleveland Bay and Clyde horses, graded Durham cattle and good breeds of swine.

Our subject was married in Rush Township, this county, June 28, 1874, to Miss Olive A., daughter of Joseph and Jane (Sharp) Vick, who were born in Worcestershire, England. The paternal grandfather, William Vick, a clothing manufacturer, was the owner of a valuable estate and a member of the Episcopal Church. He spent' his entire life upon his native soil. Grandfather Sharp conducted a similar business, and was also an Episcopalian in religion. One of his sons served in the English army seven years. Joseph Vick was a fuller by trade, and carried on the manufacture of cloth in England until 1832, when he came to the United States, and located first in Ohio. Thence he came to this county in 1834, and purchased 160 acres of land in Rush Township. He was prospered, and at the time of his death was the owner of 300 acres. He passed away Dec. 23, 1866, at the age of fifty-five years. The mother is still living in Rush Township, and is now eighty-one years old.

Mr. Vick, politically, was a Republican, and was an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The parental family included seven children: Charles J. and Joseph T. are residents of Rush Township; the latter during the late Civil War enlisted in Company H,96th Illinois Infantry, but before the expiration of his term of enlistment was taken ill, and was obliged to accept his honorable discharge. Mary J. is a resident of Thompson Township. William H., when a youth of seventeen years, enlisted in the 142d Illinois Infantry, and served six months; he is now deceased. Olive A. (Mrs. Redfearn), Orlando J. and Alonzo J. were triplets. Orlando is a resident of Rush Township, and Alonzo died when sixteen years old.

Mrs. Redfearn was born in Rush Township, this county, Feb. 22, 1849. Of her union with our subject there are three children - Frank W., Charles T., and Almeda. Mr. Redfearn, politically, is a straight Republican, and has been quite prominent in local politics. Mrs. Redfearn is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

ylLLIAM SKENE, the subject of this sketch is one of the thrifty and prosperous fanners of Jo Daviess County, owning 500 acres of land in Derinda Township, of which 400 are fully improved, He is of Scotch birth and ancestry, and possesses in a marked degree the characteristics of sturdy honesty, absolute integrity, energy and enterprise which characterize the sons of Scotia.

The father of our subject, William Skene, was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in 1816, and made his home there until 1857. when he decided to come to America and determine for himself the probabilities of bettering his fortunes in the New World. He spent several months in this country, and then returned to his Scottish home, coming back here the year following with his entire family. On his first trip here he had been greatly pleased with the soil and climate of Illinois, and determined to make his home in this State. On landing he came with his family direct to Jo Daviess County, and purchased a farm of 120 acres, which was partly improved, and there he spent the remainder of his days. The elder Skene was a man of unimpeachable integrity, of great energy and industry, and during his residence here acquired the confidence and respect of all his neighbors. He was married in his native country to Margaret Mollison, also a native of Scotland, born in 1819, and

This worthy couple were the parents of eight children, of whom six are living at the present time, and were named as follows: '1 he eldest was George, who died in the army in the spring of 1862; and Charlotte who died in 1876, and who was married to Calvin Rawlins, who survives her. James, the third son, is married to Nancy Wolcot, of this county, and is a farmer in Stockton Township. Robert is married to Wilda Cannon, a native of Wisconsin, and is also farming in Stockton. Margaret is the wife of Francis Boden, a farmer in Woodbine Township in this county. John has for several years past been a resident of California. Alexander P. is married to Dora Rankin, of Woodbine Township, and is farming in Derinda. The other survivor of this family is the subject of this sketch.

William Skene, of whom we write, was a native of Kenkernshire, Scotland, and was born Nov. 23, 1844. His chances for education in his native country were limited, but close attention to affairs of the day, and the reading of the best journals, together with his shrewd native sense, have made him a well-informed man. He was in his fourteenth year when he came with his parents to America, and took his full share of all the hard work necessary to bring the parental home to a high state of cultivation. There he acquired the practical knowlege of agriculture which has since stood him in such good stead.

Mr. Skeene was married Dec. 19, 1865, to Miss Caroline Hendershott, a daughter of Jonathan and Clarissa (Brazzle) Hendershott, who was born in 1842 and is the oldest living white child born in Derinda Township. Her parents were among the early settlers of the county, and her father was the first Supervisor of Derinda Township, and his cabin was among the first erected in Derinda Township. Mrs. Skene was one of a family of four two brothers reside in Missouri and a sister is dead. The latter was the first white child born in Derinda

The union of our subject and wife has been blessed to them by the birth of three children. The eldest of the family is named Mary, born October 7, 1866, r.ho wns married February I. 1887, t<>

Frederick Shuller, a native of Bavaria. The next born was George, whose birthday was November 4, 1867, and who is now a student of Monmouth College. The youngest is Jonathan, born March 9, 1873, and also attending school.

Beginning in a comparatively ' humble way, by the exercise of those sterling qualities inherited from his ancestors, Mr. Skene has become the owner of one of the finest farms in the township, consisting of 500 acres, on which he has a fine residence, good buildings, and all the appliances necessary to the successful prosecution of his chosen vocation. Besides general farming and grain raising, he raises and deals largely in stock, and was the first man in the county to successfully try the experiment of maturing cattle for market when one year old. That part of his business has been a specialty with him, and one in which he has met with much success. Mr. Skene was the first citizen of Jo Daviess County to put the siphon in practical use for watering stock, and for other purposes, drawing water from a well 450 feet distant.

Though never a seeker for office, Mr. Skene has with great satisfaction, held many of the township offices, when his services were needed by his fellow citizens, who have always reposed great confidence in his judgment and integrity. Though not a member of any denomination, he has always been regarded as a man of the strictest morality and of unimpeachable integrity, and no citizen of the township is more entitled to representation in this volume than is William Skene. He votes the Democratic ticket for the reason that he is opposed to a protective tariff.

1f^)F/V. JOHN KLIND WORTH, founder and llj^f pastor of the German Lutheran Church at db\ Galena, organized this body in 1858, and w|3)has since been continuously in charge. The society at one time was composed of more than 1,200 members, and occupied a prominent position in religious circles. Since then numbers have been called away by the grim destroyer, and some have left the city. The congregation for the first five years held services in the building now occupied by our subject. It is a large, long, two-stpry frame structure near the summit of the hill overlooking the city, and years ago was familiarly known as the Academy Building. For about twelve years the church has conducted a school, employing teachers of both German and English, but the school is now presided over by the present pastor, and in it the children are prepared for confirmation. For about twenty years the number of students averaged usually more than 100 annually, and some times has run as high as 150. It has proved a valuable educator, especially to the German element.

About 1868 Mr. Klindworth established another church in Guilford Township, known as St. John's German-Lutheran Church, and in 1885 established Ziou's Church at Sehapville, and these are in charge of (iustave Klindworth, son of our subject. The two churches are designated as St. Paul's, and comprise about ninety families. The church edifice in Galena was erected in 1864, and is a tasteful brick structure, costing about $3,000. On the 7th of June, 1874, it was nearly demolished by a cyclone, but was rebuilt, with an addition of twenty-five feet, and an extra cost of $2,200. Subsequently another addition was made by rebuilding the tower and belfry at an expense of $1,500, all of which was due largely to the efforts of the pastor.

For a period of seventeen years this church was connected with the German-Lutheran Synod of Iowa, but there finally occurred a separation on account of a difference of opinion from a doctrinal standpoint. The church later was connected with the Ohio Snyod, but is now a part of the Northwestern Snyod of Ohio, which includes 407 congregations and 53,510 members, as given in the report for 1888. The congregation at Galena, in 1883, celebrated the twenty-fif th anniversary of its existence under the pastorate of Mr. Klindworth. There are now seventy-five families and about 250 communicants.

The subject of this sketch was born in Hanover, Germany, Aug. !), 1833. His father was a welleducated man and a teacher by profession. He spent his entire life in his native Hanover, dying in 1876, at the age of seventy-five years. Our subject came to the United States when a single man twenty-five years of age. He had been well-educated with reference to his future calling. In his native province he had been betrothed to Miss Catherine Brandt, who was born in Hamburg, and came to America as his intended bride. She is now the mother of five living children: Clara is the wife of Rev. A. Kleinlein, and they live in Des Moines, Iowa, Mr. Kleinlein being pastor of the Lutheran Church there; Gustave is represented elsewhere in this volume; Albert is pastor of a church at Steubenville, Ohio; Otto is shippingclerk for the firm of Myer, Rose & Co., at St. Louis, Mo. ; Agnes lives with her brother in Sehapville, this county.

ANIEL GAMBLE. From the rock-bound shores of County Donegal, on the northwest coast of Ireland, came the subject of this sketch. He was born in that county March 4, 1812, and is a son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Maulsad) Gamble, both natives of the same county. The elder Gamble died in his native county in 1828, and in 1852 the widow and family, with the exception of one of the sons, took passage from Londonderry for Philadelphia. On arriving off Newcastle, Del., the vessel came to anchor, and the Gamble family disembarked at that point. For about a year they lived near Newark, in the State of Delaware. Our subject during that time worked in Wilmington, in that State. They then removed to Philadelphia, living in that city for about three years.

The family of Daniel Gamble, father of our subject, consisted of four sons and one daughter, namely : Samuel, Jane, Joseph, James, and our subject. Samuel, who is now deceased, was married to Martha Campbell, also a native of County Donegal. Coming to this county from Philadelphia, Samuel died here and his wife and two daughters returned to that city. Eliza resides in Philadelphia; James is deceased ; Jane is married to Joseph Hunter, a farmer of Frankfort Township, Will Co.,111., and has two sons, one of whom is married, and the other is single. Joseph went to Texas from Philadelphia, and died of yellow fever in the Lone Star State.

James, who remained single, went to New Orleans and there he also became a victim of yellow fever. The only one of the sons to come West was the subject of this sketch. r He received a good education in his native country, and had determined to become his own master and to own a home. Acting on this principle, after a residence of three years, in Philadelphia he emigrated to Galena, 111., and thence to Hanover Township, and took up the claim in Derinda Township which is now his homestead. It comprised eighty acres of Government land, to which, in after years, by good management, industry and wise economy, he was successful in adding 435 acres, making in all a splendid farm of. 513 acres, all under fence, and 150 of it under cultivation; the balance is pasture and timber land. Mr. Gamble keeps a large amount of stock - cattle, horses, and hogs.

Daniel Gamble was united in marriage to Eliza McCall, also a native of Ireland, and a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth McCall, who emigrated to America in 1836, and landng in the city of New York, where they made their home for six years. They emigrated thence to Galena and bought a farm in Hanover, this county, on which they lived the remainder of their lives. »Mrs. Eliza Gamble died March 28, 1885, sincerely regretted, not only by her own family, but by every one who knew her, to whom she was endeared by her lovable character. A truly pious and consistent Christian, she has gone to meet her reward. Our subject and wife were the parents of nine children - James W., Thomas, Eliza, beth, Daniel B., Jane, Samuel, Martha Ann, John? and Joseph. Samuel is married to Lizzie Mahood, a farmer in Derinda Township, and has no children ; Martha Ann married George Wright, of Derinda Township, and they are now living in Sioux County, Iowa, near Ireton, where they are engaged in farming, and have one daughter, named Lizzie Eva ; Daniel B. and Samuel, who are farmers, also live near Ireton; James William, John, Joseph H., and Lizzie live with their father. Jane is a school-teacher, and during her vacation also lives at home.

An industrious, honest, and upright life, as in Mr. Gamble's case, met its just reward. His early ambition to own a home has been fully gratified. When he first came here the country was sparsely settled and comparatively wild. To-day it is one of the most fertile parts of the Prairie State; and one of the best farms in Derinda and Hanover Townships is owned by our subject. Now in his seventieth year, yet hale and vigorous, he is, in his comfortable home, surrounded by a large part of his family, enjoying that repose and freedom from care earned by a long life of industry and economy, uprightness, and unswerving honesty, the result of which is that to-day no man in the county stands higher in the estimation of his fellow-citizens than does this worthy specimen of the sturdy race from the North of Ireland. In politics Mr. Gamble supports the principles and policy of the Republican party. He has served his fellow-citizens in the offices of Commissioner of Highways, Overseer of Hihgways, and Assessor of the Township. Both he and his estimable wife have been life-long members of the United Presbyterian Church of Hanover, of which for more than forty years he has been an Elder.

1RAM B. HUNT, one of the oldest living settlers of Northern Illinois, is the owner of 500 acres of land on section 21, in Hanover ^p Township, of which he has been a resident since the summer of 1836, and of the county since 1823. He is one of those men who has illustrated in his life and character the perseverance and industry which is almost invariably followed Y>\ success. His has been a ripe and varied experience, during which he has learned well, and been able to apply his knowledge to the best advantage. A man of more than ordinary abilities, he has arisen, by his own efforts, from an humble position in life to that of one of the first men of Jo Daviess County.

Greene County, Ohio, was the native place of our subject, and his birth occurred April 19, 1822. He is the son of Benson and Elizabeth (Harris) Hunt, the latter a sister of Capt. D. S. Harris, of Galena. The parents were both -natives of Delaware County, N. Y., and some of the members of the Hunt family served as soldiers in the War of 1812. Grandfather Peter Hunt did good service in the Revolutionary War.

was brought by his parents to this county, landing in Galena Township June 19, 1823. They had made the journey from Cincinnati a in keel-boat by way of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Benson Hunt was a blacksmith by trade, and after reaching the site of the future town, where he was about the first settler, he established himself in a rude shop, and commenced the business which he carried on for many years. There was at the time of his coming here not a house upon the present site of Galena, and the country abounded mainly with wild animals and Indians. The elder Hunt confined his attention to blacksmithing until 1836, then took up a Government claim of 160 acres of land in the southern part of Hanover Township. He located upon it, but only remained a short time, taking up his abode then at Galena. In 1844 he returned to his land, commenced its cultivation and improvement, and lived there until his decease, which occurred in 1855. His first wife, the mother of our subject, had died in 1826, in Galena. Of this marriage there were born five children, three of whom are living, namely: Hiram B., our subject; James S., a resident of Savanna, 111.; and Stephen in California.

The second marriage of Benson Hunt resulted in the birth of four children, namely: Betsey (Mrs. Baine) a widow, of Galena; Sarah (Mrs. Edward Cochran) of St. Louis, Mo.; Rose (Mrs. Rust) of Texas; and Charles M., who is also a resident of the Lone Star State. The father of our subject was originally a Whig, politically, and after the abandonment of the old party identified himself with the Republicans. He was a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity at Galena, and Master of his lodge. A man of decided views, he left his impress upon his community, and was uniformly in favor of everything tending to elevate society and benefit the people.

The subject of this sketch was reared to man's estate in Galena Township, and acquired his early education in the schools of Galena. From the a^e of sixteen until twenty he assisted his father in the blacksmith shop, and later was engaged for a period of thirty years as an engineer on the Mississippi River. During this time he was connected with the well-known steamers, "Gray Eagle," "War

Eagle," and other first-class vessels. In the meantime, in 1836, he took up a Government claim of 160 acres on section 28, where his family resided during his service on the river, while he had a general oversight of the farm operations. In 1 85 1 they removed to that which they now occupy.

Mr. Hunt followed the river^until 1861, then turned his attention exclusively to agricultural pursuits. His career was marked by success, and, as his capital accumulated, he invested it in land. The whole 500 acres has been brought to a good state of cultivation , and being bottom land is considered of the best quality in Hanover Township. He has erected good buildings, gathered together first-class farm stock and machinery, and the estate presents the picture of the ideal rural homestead in the midst of peace and plenty. In 1843 Mr. Hunt took unto himself a wife and helpmate, Miss Abigail Comstock, and in due time seven children gathered around the family board. Emma, the eldest, is at home; Abby is the wife of Charles Robison, of Custer County, Neb.; Ella died when one year old; Arthur is a resident of Belleyue, Iowa; Ernest is farming on the homestead in Hanover Township; Kittie is the wife of Kenney Knight, of Warren, 111. ; Irene married James Eraser, and lives in Savanna. Mrs. Abigail (Comstock) Hunt departed this life at the homestead in Hanover Township, Jan. 25, 1872.

Our subject, on the 6th of January, 1876, contracted a second marriage with Miss Parmelia Van Dorn, and they have one child, a son, Paul, born March 7, 1884. Mr. Hunt, although having passed Ills' threescore years, looks much j'ounger, is hale and hearty, and mentally and physically as good as he was thirty years ago. A life of sobriety has preserved his faculties unimpaired, while his habits of observation concerning men and things have contributed to make him thoroughly well-informed upon matters of interest to the intelligent citizen everywhere. Like his honored father he is a stanch supporter of Republican principles, and is remarkable in that he has never sought office, although from his standing and well-known experience and intelligence he might have had any position within the gift of his fellow-citizens. He has noted the development of this county from its primitive days, and may justly feel that he has been no unimportant factor in bringing it to its present proud position. His brother, James S. Hunt, was the first white child born in this county.

JOSEPH TANG YE. The gentleman whose history we here briefly record is recognized as one of the most successful and popular merchants of Scales Mound. Personally, he is a man who attracts to himself many warm friends, being courteous in his demeanor, of fine stature, and commanding presence, and one whom it is most pleasurable to meet. Public-spirited and liberal, he is always to be found foremost in the encouragement of those enterprises having for their object the elevation of society, and the best good of the people. He is active in Church affairs, and a favorite in the social circle. In business he carries a fine and largely-selected stock of merchandise, and enjoys a very extensive patronage. Our subject comes of substantial English stock, being the son of Richard and Elizabeth (Pierce) Tangye, who were both natives of Cornwall County, England, and the father born in 1793. Both the father and paternal grandfather engaged in mining the greater part of their lives. Richard Tangye departed this life in his native Cornwall, when middle aged, in 1833. He was an upright, honorable man, and a member in good standing of the Wesleyan Church. The mother survived her husband the long period of thirty-five years, dying in 1868, in Camborne, England. Their seven children were named respectively: Mary and John, deceased; Elizabeth, now living in England; Richard, John, and James, deceased, and Joseph, our subject.

Mr. Tangye was born in the town of Camborne, Cornwall County, England, Oct. 7, 1833, the same year of his father's death. He was reared by his mother, and attended the neighboring school until a lad of twelve years. It was then necessary for him to do something which would add to the family income, and he accordingly began work in a blacksmith shop, learning the trade and following it until sixteen years old. He then went into the copper and tin mines, but a year later passed over into Scotland and continued working in the mines in the vicinity of Creetown for about six months. Both himself and brother were then injured by the premature explosion of a blast, which laid him up for some three months. He then returned to England and worked in the Cornwall mines one year.

Young Tangye now determined to seek his fortunes on this side of the Atlantic. In March, 1853, when twenty years of age, in company with his brother, he embarked at Liverpool on the sailing-vessel "Compromise," under command of Capt. Reiley, and after a voyage of five weeks landed in New York City. Thence he emigrated to Phcenixville, Chestnut Co., Pa., and labored in the copper and lead mines of that region until June, 1854. He now set out for Shullsburg, Wis., and was thereafter employed in one mine for a period of nine years. This brought him up to 1865.

Changing his occupation somewhat, Mr. Tangye now entered the employ of Mr. Osborne at Shullsburg as clerk and book-keeper, and remained with him until June, 1873. His next removal was to Scales Mound, when he established the store which he now owns and occupies for McNulty Bros., and operated as their manager five years, at the expiration of which time he purchased the business, enlarged the building, increased its stock, and entered upon the career which has been so successful. His store now occupies an area of 24x78 feet, and is filled with dry-goods, groceries, boots and shoes - in fact, everything that can be mentioned in connection with the town or country household. He probably carries the largest stock of any dry -goods house in the town. His residence property is on the same block as his store, being thus convenient and easy of access. He has a pleasant and tasteful home, and enjoys the friendship and society of the cultivated people of this region.

At Shullsburg, Wis., Mr. Tangye was married, Nov. 25, 1858, to Miss Elizabeth T. Osborne, who was born in Missouri, in August, 1842. Mr. and Mrs. Tangye have no children. Mr. Tangye, politically, votes the straight Republican ticket, and keeps himself posted upon matters of general in- terest. Socially, he has been identified with the I. 0. O. F., at Shullsburg, Wis., for a period of twenty-eight years. The doctrines of the Methodist Episcopal Church coincide with his religious views, and he has been an earnest worker in its behalf, officiating as Steward and Trustee, overseeing the erection of the church edifice, and has officiated as Superintendent of the Sunday-school for fifteen years. He has never sought office, but has served as School Treasurer in his district six years, and has been uniformly willing to contribute his time and means to all worthy objects.

W^ILLIAM ROBERTS. Woodbine Town, "ship can boast of many valuable, well, managed farms, that yield bountiful harvests to careful cultivation, and have proven valuable investments to their owners. One of these desirable estates is in the possession of our subject. It is finely located on section 5, and contains 170 acres, of highly fertile soil, under excellent tillage, and is well provided with buildings of a fair class, the necessary farming machinery, etc.

Mr. Roberts is a native of Cornwall, England, his birth occurring Friday, April, 20, 1832 (Good Friday). His parents, William and Mary (Spargo) Roberts, were also natives of Cornwall, the father having been born there March 15, 1810, and the mother on April i, 1810. The father was a miner in the old country, and in 1857 he came with his family to the United States, and after spending a few weeks in Stockton Township, this county, removed to the shores of Lake Superior, to work in the copper mines. After being thus employed in Ontonagon County, Mich., for a year, he returned to this county and again settled in this township, and, purchasing a farm on section 9, was engaged in farming here until his death in July 1885. His wife preceded him to the grave, dying Sept. 22, 1875. They were the parents of twelve children, seven of whom are living: William, Henry, John, Paul, Mary J., Elizabeth, Grace. Henry, who lives in Elizabeth Township, married Mary Trisedder, and they had three children, all of whom are dead. John, a resident of Stockton, married Margaret Wixon (for further particulars see his biography on another page of this volume). Elizabeth married John Merryfield, of this township, and they have one child. Paul W. Grace married John B. Anthony, of this township and they have two children - Mary and Albert.

William Roberts, the subject of this sketch, was reared to man's estate in his native country, and came to the United States in the vigor of early manhood, and has been identified with the agricultural interests of Jo Daviess County for nearly a quarter of a century. That he has met with success in his chosen calling is sufficiently attested by the appearance of his fine farm and by the fiictthat he derives a comfortable income therefrom. He is a man whose genial, whole-souled nature and other pleasant social qualities have made him a general favorite in his neighborhood, and he is respected for his manliness and the rectitude of his conduct and character. He is a highly esteemed member of the Methodist Church, which holds its meetings in the Apple River school house, and he is ever active in its interests. Our subject was the first member of the Roberts family to come to America, the father, six brothers and three sisters coming soon afterward. William has been three times across the Atlantic ocean, and has traveled extensively both in the Old World and in the New. His home is much admired for the beauty of its location and the natural scenery that surrounds it. Nestled among the hills, the water of Apple River murmurs by, as if saying to the world : "Men may come and men may go, but I go on forever.'' A fine lithographic view of this beautiful place is shown in this volume elsewhere.

^^. APT. PAUL KERZ. The subject of this fl( _ notice is a prominent figure among the old ^^y and popular river men who assisted in piloting the pioneer crafts up and down the Mississippi thirty years ago or more. He came to this county as early as 1855, landing within its limits on the 1 0th of February, and not long afterward engaged on a boat conveying wood from Sand Prairie to Galena, on the Father of Waters. He was thus occupied until 1859, when he became captain, pilot, and part owner of the "Charles Rogers," a small vessel running between Galena and Bellevue. This occupied his time until 1867, when lie sold out and purchased the a stanch vessel of 150 tons, and which he also managed as captain and pilot for a number of years, and until 1875. Five years of this time she was utilized as a tow-boat for rafts. In 1875 Capt. Kerz sold the "Sterling" to W. J. Young & Co., and the year following began to run the "J. W. Mills" for the above-named firm, and which he operated as pilot and captain until 1881.

During the winter of this year Capt. Kerz was occupied in superintending the building of the "Douglas Board man," and was employed to run this for one season. In 1882 he superintended the building of the "W. J. Young, Jr.," which has been under his charge since that time. This also was de- \oted largely to rafting, and the season of 1888 it was employed until Thanksgiving Day, which was quite a remarkable circumstance. The Captain has been extremely fortunate in his experience on the Father of Waters, escaping serious accident, both to himself and others. This is largely due to his faithful oversight of his duties, and his perfect understanding of what is required. There are many dangers in river navigation, as well as that of the lakes, and the successful pilot must understand his business.

Our subject was born near the city of Mentz, in the Rhine Province of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany,,Oct. 15, 1837. His parents were of pure German stock, and spent their entire lives on their native soil. The father died in his prime, when fifty years of age. The mother lived to be ten years older. They were named, respectively, Peter and Lena (Gerlech) Kerz, both, born and reared in Hesse -Darmstadt, and trained in the -faith of the German Catholic Church, to which they ever after adhered.

Paul came to the United States when a youth of seventeen years, in December, 1854, after an ocean voyage of thirty days, on the sailing-vessel "Bavaria," bound from Havre to New York City. Soon after landing he proceeded to Chicago, 111., and a short time later to Galena, which has since been his home. In this county he found his bride, being married, Dec. 17, 1862, to Miss Barbara Yunker, who was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Feb. 18, 1841. Mrs. Kerz is the daughter of Philip and Barbara (Balbach) Yunker, who emigrated from the Fatherland in 1854, and coming directly to this county, settled on a farm in Rice Township. A few years later they removed to Galena, where they both died at an advanced age, the mother after rounding up more than three-score years, and the father when eighty-two years old. They belonged to the German Catholic Church, and were people held in high respect by all who knew them.

Mrs. Kerz was carefully reared by an excellent mother, and remained under the home-roof until her marriage. The four children born to this household are recorded as follows : Barbara is the wife of John Heid, a tinsmith by trade, and they live in Galena; Adam, Philip, and Paul remain at home with their parents. The latter, like their forefathers, belong to the German Catholic Church, and Capt. Kerz, politically, is an uncompromising Democrat, lie is represented in most of the benevolent societies of the city.

p^jLLIES DURRSTEIN. The subject of this jU) biography occupies no unimportant position jf--^i among the highly respected and substantial German citizens of Apple River Township. His career has been signalized by arduous labor, and as one of the early settlers of this county he located here in his younger days, and assisted valiantly in the struggle to subdue a portion of its soil and develop a portion of its rich resources.

Mr. Durrstein is a man of more than ordinary intelligence, reading and writing both the English and German languages fluently; and, notwithstanding he has labored early and late, he has. still found time to cultivate the soil of his mind by a thorough course of reading, and has thus kept himself well informed upon matters of general interest all over the world. He owns land to the extent of 180 acres. His accumulations are the re- suit of his own sturdy industry, as he began in life for himself without other resources than his persevering industry and the strong muscles with which nature had provided him.

A native of Germany, our subject was born Feb. 18, 1837, and crossed the Atlantic with his parents when a child of two years. The latter were John and Louisa Durrstein, also of German birth and parentage, and upon their emigration to America, in 1847, came directly to this county and settled in Thompson Township; both parents died in 1876. Their children, seven in number, were named, respectively: John, Elias (our subject), Louis, Gus, Mary, Catherine, and Elizabeth.

Young Durrstein was a lad of twelve years when his parents removed from Guilford to Thompson Township. The principal amusement of the boy thereafter for a few years was hunting deer and wolves. The last piece of venison which he shot was a buck, which he brought down in Thompson Township. He has cut grain with a sickle, scythe, and cradle, and no man in Northern Illinois has watched with greater interest the improvements in farm machinery during the years which have followed. He was married at the age of twenty -three. He started in life with a capital of $200, and from that modest beginning has accumulated the fine property which he now enjoys. The homestead proper includes 140 acres of good land, and Mr. Durrstein has, besides, forty acres of timber. He cast his first Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln, although a member of the Democratic party.

eAPT. THOMAS W. BURNS, of Galena, is a gentleman whose personality would attract attention anywhere, he being of fine presence and symmetrical in frame. He occupies the office of United States Local Inspector of Steamboats at Galena, which is also the headquarters of .the Local Board of Steamboat Inspectors. He is now serving the fourth year of his first term, having received his appointment from Secretary of the Treasury Daniel Manning.

and St. Paul, and has had an experience in this line dating from 1857. He seemed well adapted to the business, and was granted a full certificate of competence in 1858, which he has kept renewed annually up to the present. He, for three years, occupied the position of pilot on the steamer "Ataska," which ran between Galena and St. Paul," and was also on the "Key City" and "War Eagle," and other boats belonging to the Galena and Minnesota Packet Company.

Our subject began at the foot of the ladder in his river experience as early as 1857, and worked his way upward step by step, filling all the positions from "cub pilot" up to Captain. He was connected with the " Diamond Jo " line of steamers for a period of sixteen years, running from Fulton, 111., to St. Paul, and also from St. Louis to that point. He thus, naturally, came in contact with many prominent steamboat men, such as Capt. Harris, Capt. James Ward, of St. Louis; Capt. Thomas Buford, of Rock Island, 111., and others of note. He is genial and companionable by nature, and a man calculated to make friends wherever he goes.

The native place of Capt. Burns is Boston, Mass., and his birth occurred June 11, 1836. Six years later he became a resident of Galena, where he has since made his home. He was taught to make himself useful at an early age, his parents being in limited circumstances, but he does not consider that this is any drawback to the development of his best qualities. He was trained to habits of industry, and acquired a practical education in the common schools. In 1863 he was married in Galena, to Miss Eliza C. Woodward. This lady was born in Meadville, Pa., Jan. 28, 1844, and is the daughter of John F. and Florinda P. (Stewart) Woodward. They came to the West at an early day, and the father died at Galena, in November, 1861, while in his prime. The mother is still living, making her home in Wenona, this State, being now seventy-five years old. She is the only survivor of six daughters born to her parents, and is in good health and quite active.

The father of Mrs. Burns was, for a number of years, Wharf Master at Galena, and was interested in other enterprises in Galena. Mrs. Burns was reared chiefly in this city, where she received her education, and through a mother's careful trainingbecame fitted for a worthy position in life. Of her union with our subject there have been born two children, Blanche and Flora W., who make their home with their parents, the latter attending school. Mrs. Burns and her daughter are members in good standing of the First Presbyterian Church. The Captain, socially, belongs to the I. O. O. F. and Wildey Lodge No. 2, is a K. of P., connected with Saxon Lodge No. 62. He is also identified with E. D. Kittoe Post No. 502, G. A. R. Jn June. 1861, he recruited Company C, mostly at his own expense, at this place and Freeport, 111., which was assigned to the 45th Illinois Infantry, and which was mustered into service in September following. They took up their quarters at Camp Washburn, where they were furnished with equipments, thence proceeded to Camp Douglas, Chicago, and, later, to Cairo, 111. Our subject, after the capture of Ft. Henry, was taken ill, and sent back to Paducah,Ky. In this interval was fought the battle of Ft. Donelson. The next engagement of the 45th was at Shiloh, and at Corinth; subsequently, the Captain was disabled by sickness, and tendered his resignation. As soon as possible he returned home, and resumed his duties as a river man, which he prosecuted until being appointed to his present office.

UGUST BRUCKNER. This well-to-do !| German citizen of Guilford Township is especially prominent among his countrymen in this region, and one of the pillars of the Presbyterian Church at Schapville, in which he serves as Deacon, and contributes liberally to its support. The edifice erected by this society and its friends is one of the finest structures of its kind in the county. The family of Mr. Bruckner consists of his wife and two children, a son and daughter, who are remarkably bright and intelligent, and it is hardly necessary to say are the joy and pride of their parents' hearts. Mrs. Bruckner is the sister of Corporal Anton Schap, the founder and benefactor of Schapville. She is a very estimable lady, and the whole family stand well in their community. The Bruckner home-

We learn from the family history of our subject that his parents were Jacob and Helena Bruckner, natives of Wittenburg, Germany, where tlie father carried oh farming successfully, and died in 1870, at the age of seventy-three years. The mother had preceded her husband to the silent land, her death taking place in 1856, when she was fifty-three years of age. Their family consisted of eight children, six sons and two daughters, of whom August was the fourth in order of birth. He first opened his eyes to the light May 29, 1837, at his father's estate near Wittenburg. He attended the schools of his native town, and was carefully reared in the doctrines of the church of which his parents were members, being confirmed at the age of fourteen years. He remained at home until after the death of his mother, then began to work out on a farm, and, when reaching his majority, entered the army, serving six years.

Upon being released from his military duties Mr. Bruckner in 1857 set out for America, and making his way to this county secured employment on a farm. Not quite two years later he took unto himself a wife and helpmate, Miss Augusta Schap, and they began the journey of life together in a modest home. The children born of this union are William and Amanda. They have been carefully reared and well educated, and reflect great- credit upon their parental training. Mr. Bruckner gradually climbed up to a good position socially and financially, and has been rewarded for his perseverance and industry. Their home is one of the pleasantest and most hospitable in Guilford Township, a place where both friend and stranger are cordially^ welcomed and given " rest and refreshment."

Mr. Bruckner is the second husband of the estimable lady who now bears his name. She was first married to a Mr. Arnold, and became the mother of five children. As a widow she was the owner of seventy -seven acres of land, for which Mr. Bruckner paid her children $1,000. He next bought forty-five acres in 1876, and eighty aores in 1882. In 1883 Mr. Bruckner re-crossed the Atlantic to the Fatherland, and spent three months very pleas- antly amid the friends and associations of his childhood. Upon becoming a naturalized citizen he identified himself with the Republican party, of which he is a conscientious supporter. The family residence was erected in 1880, and combines all the conveniences of modern life. The farm is otherwise well-improved and supplied with a goodly assortment of live-stock and machinery. It is one of the homes which have so greatly assisted in building up the reputation of Jo Daviess County.

/^jj) APT. DANIEL S. HAKRIS. In the early (If _ annals and later history of Jo Daviess ^^gl County the name of this gentleman stands prominently forth as that of an honored pioneer who has been active in developing its resources, and in promoting its advancement to the front rank of the rich and prosperous counties of the great commonwealth of Illinois, and it is with pleasure that we present to his many friends this biographical sketch, in which his life-work, to some extent, will be perpetuated and handed down from generation to generation, for the benefit of his descendants. The Captain is a valued resident of the City of Galena, with whose mining interests he has been extensively identified for more than half a century. He has, also, been largely interested in the steamboat business on the Mississippi River, and in his various enterprises he has met with success and has amassed a handsome competence. He is, and has been for years, President of the Old Settlers' Society of Jo Daviess County, and can relate, with great interest, many incidents of pioneer life here more than half a century ago, when the surrounding country, was yet in its primitive condition, it having been his privilege to watch almost its entire growth. When he came here in the first quarter of this century the greater part of the Northwestern territory, from the eastern bounds of the State of Ohio on the east to the Mississippi River on the west; from the Great Lakes on the North to the waters of the Ohio on the south, was still in the hands of the pioneers ; settlements were few and scattering, with not many large towns; in some parts the primeval forests stretched for miles and miles unbroken, inhabited only by Indians and wild animals; and there were innumerable wild prairies, whose fertile acres had been open to the influences of summer suns and winter rains and snows for countless ages, that still awaited the coming of the white man, that they might be made to yield abundant harvests of wheat and corn, to feed not only the hungry millions of this continent, but even of other countries across the sea.

Capt. Harris comes of an honorable New England ancestry, a sturdy, vigorous, noble race, and he can trace his lineage back to the Pilgrims who landed on Plymouth Rock from the Mayflower in 1620. His grandfather and his great-grandfather, of the same name as himself, were natives of Massachusetts. Later in life his grandfather emigrated across the border into Connecticut, and finally went from there to Delaware County, N. Y., in 1780, the removal being made with teams. He became a pioneer of that part of the country, and buying a tract of land in Delaware County, he cleared a farm from the wilderness and there passed the remaining years of an unusally lenghty life, his death occurring at the advanced age of ninety-eight 3- ears. The maiden name of his wife, who was also a native of Massachusetts, was Rood. During his residence in New York he erected a frame house on his homestead, sawing all the lumber with a whip-saw. All the nails used in the construction of the house were made by a blacksmith in the vicinity, and our subject has some of them preserved as relics.

James Harris, the father of our subject, was born in Connecticut, and was quite young when his parents moved to New York State, where he was reared and married. Abigail Bathrick, a native of Delaware County, becoming his wife. They continued to reside in that count}- until 1815, when Mr. Harris went to Cincinnati, Ohio, the family not removing there until the following year, and there Mr. Harris taught school for a time, and later rented a farm and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was afterwards employed as an engineer in a woolen factory. In 1820 he moved to Greene County and engaged in farming there. He became a prominent man in his locality and was He continued his residence there until 1823, when he came to Galena and was a resident here until his death. When he first came here he was in the employ of Dr. Meeker, who had large interests here, and the first year Mr. Harris had charge of the general business; and in 1824 he opened and improved the first farm cultivated in Jo Daviess County, which is located four miles north and a little west of Galena. The followingyear he commenced the improvement of a farm for himself three miles southwest of Galena, which was the second farm in the county. He lived on that place four years, and then returning to the city became conspicuously identified with its civic life, was elected Magistrate, and served until his death, Oct. 10, 1829, of cholera. His sudden demise was a misfortune to the little town, which thus lost one of its most useful and able public officers. He was a man of high intelligence and of incorruptible character, whose influence was always exerted for the good of his community. Socially, he was a Royal Arch Mason; and, politically, he was independent of party, voting for men and measures, rather than for the interest of any special candidate. To him and his worthy wife were born twelve children, of whom ten grew to maturity. The mother died in Galena, July 9, 1844, leaving to her descendants the precious legacy of a useful life.

The subject of this sketch was born in the town of Courtwright, Delaware Co., N. Y., July 24. 1 808. He was eight years old when he started with his mother, in 1816, to join his father in Cincinnati. The mother, with her seven children, made the entire journey with a two-horse wagon. An uncle, of Mr. John Bathrick, accompanied them, ridino- over the mountains with them, the entire trip taking thirty days, a quick journey in those days of slow travel, there being no railroads or canals in that part of the country then, and all transfer was with teams, or on the river with flatboats, keel-boats and barges. In 1823 our subject accompanied his father on another long journey at the time of their coming to Galena, they preceding the other members of the family, who did not come until the following year. They made the journey with Dr. Meeker, who built a keel-boat, called "Col. Btimford," for their transportation; andloading it with eighty tons of mining supplies, provisions, etc., the boat being manned by thirty-five men, accompanied by four women: Mrs. Bensen Hunt, sister of our subject; Mrs. John Doyle, Mrs. Maria Bunts, and Maria Rutherford, they started on the momentous voyage down the waters of the Ohio and up the Mississippi, April 20, 1828, and had a pleasant and easy passage to Cairo, which, at that time, was a small hamlet, containing but one frame house. They found the waters of the Mississippi very high, and the rapid current hard to stem, and the men had to resort to various expediences to get the boat along through the rushing waters. They first tied the boat to a tree, so that it would not drift down stream, and then sent a skiff ahead with a long rope, which was fastened to a tree; the boat would then be drawn to the tree, made fast to it, and then the rope carried further up the river to another tree, and so on, this method of propelling the boat being called warping. At times the men would run the boat close to the shore and pull it along by catching hold of the bushes and trees, that mode Deing called bushwacking. At other times the men would walk along the bank and pull the boat by a rope, that process being called cordelling. While they were resting for the night at Grand Tower, the steamer "Virginia," the first that ever went up the river above the mouth of the Illinois River, passed them. That was in the last part of April, or the first part of May. They made a shortstop in St. Louis, spending Sunday in that city, which then had about 5,000 inhabitants. Alton was but a small settlement on the east bank of the Mississippi, and was the last town until Clarksville, Mo., was reached, and after the latter place came Louisiana, Mo. A log cabin and a blacksmith's shop were the only two buildings in Hannibal at the time. At Quincy, John Wood, the first settler and the only resident at the time spoken of, of that city, and afterward Governor of Illinois, was living in his little ca^bin near the river, which he had built in 1822 on his claim taken up the previous year. The only farm between Quincy and Galena was on the Missouri side of the river, fifteen miles above Quincy, and was owned and occupied by Capt. White. Near Ft. Edward, where Warsaw now stands, a sail was raised, and :\11 was going well, when a shot was fired from the fort, and Dr. Meeker, concluding that it was best to stop, the commandant of the fort insisted on searching the boat for contraband goods, and after satisfying himself in that direction, and sampling the whisky in the locker, the boat was allowed, to pass on. At Nauvoo there was an Indian village, inhabited by 5,000 aborigines. At Rock Island there was a Fort Armstrong and garrison, at the lower point of Rock Island in the Mississippi, and on the present site of the city an Indian village. The journey from there on was an uneventful one, and the party arrived in safety at its destination at Galena, then known as the Upper Mississippi Lead Mines. When our subject and his friends landed at Galena, there were probably about 100 white men and 150 Indians. Mr. Harris, and those accompanying him, lived on the boat until log houses could be erected on land for their shelter. During the first season our subject engaged in mining with an Indian boy, but failed to strike a lead. The next summer he was more successful at Vinegar Hill. Subsequently he discovered the mines at West Diggings, about two miles southwest of Galena, near the Mississippi, which were equal to the best in the country. He was actively engaged in mining the three following years. The circumstances connected with his rich find in that place are as follows: While he and his brother, Robert S., were lying under a shade tree one Sunday, taking a rest and talking over their prospects in this, to them, new country, with all the ardor and enthusiasm of youth (for the}' were neither of them of age), Daniel told Robert that he thought he knew of a good lead, and after some persuasion induced Robert to accompany him to the place above referred to. After going to a hole that had been sunk about eight feet and abandoned by a " sucker," our subject got down into the shaft and struck his pick into the side of the hole - a lucky stroke, for he was enabled to secure in one piece, after it was taken out, 35,000 pounds of the metal, and the mine later produced more than -I (WO, 000 pounds, while his brother's mine, which was not quite so valuable, yielded a large amount of lead. Since that time the Captain has been more or less interested in mining with great success, and still is. After the first three years, he and his

Our subject secured his title of Captain by his extensive connection with the steamboat business on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. He began life as a boatman in 1833, and at different times has been interested in more than a hundred steamboats, plying from New Orleans to St. Paul or St. Anthony, but more especially from St. Louis and Cincinnati to St. Paul, and he has been sole owner of the following boats: "Jo Daviess" (his brother was also for a time interested in that boat) ; later he and his brother owned the ''Frontier." He next built the ''Smelter" in the season of 1836-37, and also the "War Eagle No. 1 ;" next, the new "St. Paul" and the "Preemption," and subsequently he constructed the "Relief," and after that the "Pizarro." He later purchased and operated the "Heroine," then the "Franklin No. 2," the "Senator," the "Yankee," and also the "Enterprise" and many others, and he was associated with the Minnesota Packet Company. One of the boats in which he was largely interested, and which he had had constructed at Cincinnati, and ready for the water in six weeks, though not quite completed, he was offered a profit of $15,000 for by a boat company on the Ohio River, and this being a good profit, he accepted it. The boat when completed would cost about $75,000. He had intended the steamer, which he called the "John Finch," but which was later named the "Brilliant," for a transfer boat for the army, and meant to run her past Vicksburg for Grant. During the trying times of the great Civil War our subject was one of the most active of the loyal citizens of the Union, without whose substantial aid and encouragement to back her soldiery she must have fallen. He was very zealous in the cause, and spared neither time nor money to promote the best interests of his beloved country in her hour of peril. He spent large sums of money for various purposes, and among other things equipped a whole company with Henry repeating rifles that cost $62.50 apiece, and he has one of them in his possession as a relic. He was quite close to Gen. Grant in those days, and was quite familiar with the various members of the War Department, and it was but just that, in view of the large sacrifices that he made in spending his money so freely to aid in furnishing the sinews of war at a time when many hesitated to even invest their money in Government securities, for fear of the downfall of the Union, he should receive ample return, and he did make money.