Palmyra Township (part 1 of 2)

Palmyra Township

This township is situated in the extreme northwest of Lee county, being bounded on the west by Whitesides county, on the north by Ogle county, on the east by Dixon township, and on the south by Rock river. It embraces tbe southern | of T. 22 N., and the N. W, |- of T. ,21 ]Sr., R. 8 E. of the 4th P. M. Beginning at the northwest corner of the county the boundary line runs east on the county line between Ogle and Lee counties, to the line between ranges 8 and 9 east ; and thence south on said line to its junction with Rock river ; thence down said river, southwest to the county line between Whitesides and Lee counties; thence north on said line to the place of beginning; making the township six miles wide from west to east, while the irregularity of the southern boundary on the river, from the northeast to the soutliM^est, contracts the eastern boundary to four and a half miles, and extends the western line to near nine miles in length ; embracing an area of about 4,640 acres.

A topographical description of this township is introduced by one of her citizens, who dashes off like a laughing school-boy on a cold December morning, as follows: "Connect not the name with visions of shady groves of waving palms, with bubbling fountains and breezes laden with the scent of the myrtle and orange, the lime and the almond \ none such are to be found in the place whose history 1 am recording^ and such visions would soon fade before the furious blasts of our northern winters, with the air filled with snowflakes, and the leafless trees swaying under fierce assaults of Boreas. No warlike Zenobia leads us on to victory, but in her stead we follow the milder divinities, Ceres^ Pomona, and Flora. Think not, however, because we can boast of none of these things in which lie the beauty of ancient Palmyra, the modern has no charms of her own. These are to be found in her broad, fertile plains, once covered with a profusion of juicy grasses and flowers of every brilliant hue, in her stately groves of maple and walnut, of ash and oak, in the impetuous rush of the crystal Rock river, rolling her tide to join the Father of Waters, her surface broken with the sportive gambols of bass and perch, the leaping sturgeon and rushing pike - and even in the silver thread of Sugar creek, which once could boast of turning a saw-mill."

The physical geography of the township is not of special interest, apart from its attractions to the agriculturist who seeks a home on fertile soil and in a salubrious atmosphere. The face of the country is gently rolling, and in places presents to the eye the appearance of the swelling and receding of the great waves of the ocean. Along the Pock river it becomes bluffy, and in places rugged ; but not so grand and precipitous as on the Ohio river, or the streams of the northwest.

The drainage is good, presenting the land in the most favorable condition for cultivation, embracing almost every acre of her soil. The greatest portion of the township is drained by Sugar creek, which enters on the north, meandering southward to the central portion of the township, passing through Sugar Grove, then westward emerging from the township three miles south of the northwest corner of the county. This stream drains the northern, central, and western portion of the township, and supplies running water to the many cattle that graze upon its banks on the beautiful farms through which it Hows.

The eastern and southern portion of the township is drained by Rock river and small tributaries that mingle their waters with those of that stream.

Palmyra township was well supplied with timber, maple, sugar and soft wood, oak of ditierent species, black walnut, ash and poplar. The southeast quarter of the township bordering on the river is covered with forest, while Sugar Grove covers three or four sections northwest of the township. The timber supply in the days of pioneer history of the country was of much importance; indeed, it w^as a necessity, as there was no means of access to coal supply as fuel or means of transportation of lumber but by teams across the prairie from Chicago, as it was conveyed for some of the first frame buildings in Dixon. The first settlements were along the borders of the forest groves. This natural provision in Palmyra induced many of the first emigrants to the county to settle within her borders in preference to the prairie townships. The soil of Palmyra is adapted to a variety of agricultural products, wheat, corn, rye, oats, among the staple grains; clover and timothy grasses furnishing good pasturage and fodder. Grarden products grow luxuriantly and of the finest quality. The geological deposits of the township are valuable to the mechanics and arts of the country. The finest l)uilding-stones are found along the river, those most valued being in the neighborhood of" Hazel wood Farm," formerly owned by ''Gov." Charters, three miles above Dixon. Besides the valuable quarries wdiich furnish stone for building purposes and quicklime manufacture are found gravel-pits along the river, most valuable for macadamizing improvements. The attractions of Palmyra are many to lovers of a rural home. The broad, rolling prairies, shady groves and running brooks of her interior, and her rounded hills and forestcovered bluffs along river borders, furnish great attractions for a country home.

Early History

In a letter to the "Dixon Sun," afterward published in the "History of Dixon and Palmyra," the writer says: "The first settlers in the town of Palmyra were the Morgan family, old Mr. Morgan and his sons Harvey and Jolui, with whom came Benjamin Stewart. This was in the spring of 1834, two years after the war with the Sacs and Foxes. The only white man in this part of the county was Mr. John Dixon, settled at Dixon's Ferry, Numbers of Indians, principally Winnebagoes, still remained here, hunting in bands through the country, having their headquarters at Prophetstown and Freeport. They were, however, quite peaceable, though occasionally stealing a few potatoes or some corn. The Morgans and Stewart settled on the south side of Sugar Grove, and in the autumn of the same year and early in 1835 several others came in, Wriglit and Toralin, of the present Myers' farm ; Capt. Oliver Hubbard ; John H. Pao;e and Fellows ; Absalom Fender with a large family, and W. W. Bethea ; Daniel Obrist and Mr. Thnmmel, a brother of the C. B. Thiimmel ; Harris; Keplinger; jSTathan Morehouse ; Sales ; Thomas, with his two sons, Enoch and Noah, who settled in the southwest corner of the town, in Walnut Grove; two brothers, Sandy and Elkanah Bush, and Martin Richardson. Of all these early settlers there only remain at present, living in the town, Mrs. Tilton, the widow of Capt. Hubbard, and W. W. Bethea. E. B. Bush and Tomlin were the first justices of the peace. Bush, however, never qualified. They were succeeded by Harvey Morgan and W. W. Bethea. 'Squire Morgan remained for many years the factotum of the town, serving as justice of the peace, probate justice and town clerk. The first teaching of the young idea, not how to shoot, for that was learned readily enough, but of the mysteries of the alphabet, was given by Mrs. Hubbard, but no regular school was established until 1838, when a frame building, never finished, was put up. In order to accommodate the greater number this was built in the center of Sugar Grove, about a mile and a half from any dwelling. Here for two winters 'Squire Bethea birched the boys and coaxed the girls.

" E. B. Bush was the first postmaster. I suppose his duties in the wilderness were not very onerous. He had, however, a deputy by the name of Kellogg at Buffalo Grove. Martin Richardson told me that on one occasion Bush was going to settle with his deputy, and, said he, ' As he thought old man Kellogg was kind of ugly and might cut up rough, he would have me go 'long with him, and said I must carry a pistol. I never felt so mean in my life. I kept a ranimin' the thing into my pocket, but it would keep a pokin' out, and I thought everyone I met would see what I was carrying.' However, old man Kellogg did not cut up rough, and they had no occasion to use the pistol. This Richardson was a most favorable specimen of the western pioneer, an excellent farmer, the best of neighbors, and the most liberal of men, yet he dearly loved a free fight, where everyone was at liberty to 'go in.' I remember on one occasion, when he was no longer young, a young fellow by the name of Heickus commenced blackgnarding him while he was engaged in pulling a ferry-boat, thinking himself safe, as Richard-' son was some distance from the shore. The old man jumped into the river, waded ashore, ran down Heickus, and seizing him by his flowing hair administered several hearty kicks. Sned before the squire he was fined $5. ' This,' said Heickus, as he put the money in his pocket, 'will buy my wife a new dress.' 'Yes,' said Richardson, 'and, by ginger! the next time I tell you 1 will clothe the whole family.'

greatest cordiality prevailed among the few inhabitants of the town. Old settlers always look back with fondness to the good old times when such universal friendly feeling existed. The prairie once broken, the crops grew almost without labor, as there were so few weeds and the land so fertile. "What few supplies they needed, or could afford, such as flour or groceries, were hauled by ox teams from Peoria, and their own produce brought a high price among the miners in Galena. Some of the new-comers brought nothing with them but mouths to feed. Of such was Sales, of Sales' Spring. To buy a bushel of corn he had to split one hundred rails. Taking his corn home he cut a hole in a log, over which he fastened a spring pole with an iron wedge inserted in the end of it. Working the pole up and down, he mashed the corn ; then sifting it, the finer portions he used for meal and the coarser for hominy. He was a great hunter, and as game was very abundant, the river full of fish and covered with ducks and geese, he and his family suffered no lack. There was no grist-mill nearer than Peoria, until Joseph "Wilson, an old Brandywine miller, came to settle on the Elkhorn creek, when the settlers turned out in a body and put up a log mill on the Elkliorn a short distance above the present mill. It was a rough looking structure, but I have never tasted finer flour than Joe "Wilson made from the splendid winter wheat of those days. Until flouring-mills were erected in Dixon, however, owing to the dryness of the creeks in summer we were often obliged to go as far as Aurora, on the Fox river, to get wheat ground.

"Dan. Obrist was droMmed while seining in Elkhorn creek, and was succeeded by his brother, Abram, who put up a saw-mill on Sugar creek. This was a great accommodation to the settlers, who could thus get flooring and do'or and window frames for their log houses, instead of having to hew them. They could even build frame barns, the first, I believe, being built and is still standing on the Seavey place, then owned by Ben Stewart. On these occasions the whole settlement would be called upon to help raise. There would be lots of hog and hominy washed down by copious libations of Fred. Dutcher's pure corn whisky, and the barn would be duly raised and then christened by breaking a bottle over the purlin plate, Abner Moon or Ruben Eastwood being generally chosen to perform this ceremony on account of their stentorian voices."

The first attempt at manufacturing was made by Mr. E. B. Bush, mentioned above, who built a saw-mill, and also an oil-mill for the manufacture of castor and linseed oil. To obtain grist for his oil-mill he induced a number of the neighboring farmers to devote a large portion of their lands to raising flaxseed and castor-oil beans, promising them a dollar a bushel for either of these products. This, in those days of moneyed scarcity, seemed a sure road to fortune, and we went at it with a will. The crop was a splendid one, but in the absence of threshing machines, how to separate the seed from the flax was the query. We tried tramping it out with horses, as we did the wheat and oats, but the flax was soon trodden into ropes which entangled the horses' feet, and we had Anally to abandon it altogether. Nor were we more successful with the castor beans ; some small quantit}^ was gathered in baskets, and as they were pleasant to the eye and the palate, many children required no more castor oil that season. About the time of harvesting the beans Bush's money gave out, and the bulk of the crop rotted on the ground. He had taken in as a partner a young man whose contribution to the joint stock was a colt valued at thirty dollars and muscle for the hard work. When the business failed this partner sued him for wages, and the case being referred " to three men," as was the custom of the day, they awarded him half wages. This was in 1841, and was, I believe, the first attem])tat manufacturing in our neighborhood.

"A man bearing the name of Smith was the first blacksmith in the settlement. He soon left and was followed by James Carley, who for many years shod the horses, sharpened the ploughs, sighted the rifles, and did all the thousand and one jobs of tinkering that the people could not do for themselves. He was a most skillful workman and a great power in the settlement, for on the approach of winter there would be such a demand for his services in shoeing horses that turns would be engaged sometimes a week in advance, and woe betide the man that did not stand high in his good graces. Carley took his pay in kind - wheat, corn, pork, etc. - ^and consequently, though burning his own charcoal, he furnished no iron, and it exercised all his ingenuity to convert the various scraps that were brought to him into the required shoe, etc. I remember on one occasion his usual blasphemy found unusual vent at being required to forge a horseshoe out of a broken monkey-wrench. A curious attachment existed between Carley and a poor slave of the bottle by the name of Beach. This Beach belonged to a highly respectable family in the east, and had received an excellent business education. He kept Carley's books, which were models of neatness. He also blew the bellows and fetched the whisky from Dixon. Old settlers will ever remember this mass of rags and pimples, his head crowned with a dilapidated old stove-pipe, always filled with greasy newspapers, which he greedily devoured when he had leisure.

. " By the spring of 1840 the settlement had gained considerable accession to its members and contained about sixty voters. In addition to those I have already named, there were four families of Martins, two of Powers (distinguished as Yankee and Kentuck), two of Law-

" The faihire of the United States Bank had cansed nnmbers of local banks to spring into existence, which flooded the conntrj' with their worthless paper, and gave great apparent prosperity to the conntry ; bnt by tlie year 1840 all of these, together with the State Bank of Illinois, had passed ont of existence, and hard times set in. Emigration was checked, and there being no longer any demand nearer than Chicago for the snrplns prodnce the price of wheat fell from $2 per bnshel to 25 and 30 cents, corn from ft dollar to 10 cents, beef and pork to 1-| and 2 cents per ponnd, and even these prices were nominal, wheat being the only article that wonld sell for cash. This was hauled to Chicago in loads of thirty and forty .bushels, and sold for 63 to 75 cents. The farmer generally took with him his own provisions, grain for his horses, scythe, axe and auger ; slept undei' his wagon ; and calculated that the trip, which generally required a week, should cost him nothing but his time. Some were fortunate enough to secure a return load from the store-keeper, at the rate of 40 cents per hundred pounds, for a distance of 116 miles. The ])roceeds of the trip were carefully hoarded for the land sale. But if profits were small, expenses w^ere equally small. Few liad a hundred dollars invested in farm machinery. Beyond the iron in the plowshare, the steel in tlie hoe, axe, scythe, and blade of the " turkej'-wing cradle," all was of wood, and generally home-made. Taxes were merely nominal, three commissioners, an assessor and collector doing all the business of the county. 1 have an old tax receipt for §1.50 in full on a farm of 420 acres, fairly stocked for that day.

'-' A man dressed as his fancy dictated, some entirely in buckskin of their own tanning. The appearance of one figure I shall never forget as he went about dressed in the remains of what had been a brightcolored dressing-gown, the gift of a city friend ; on his head a coonskin cap, with the tail hanging down between his shoulders ; moccasins, and a long rifle, with spotted fawnskin pouch.

"But enough of the old days; Palmyra has her full share of the prosperity of the country which she has aided so largely to develop. The log houses of the early settlers have given place to numerous tasty dwellings and commodious barns. The many neatly painted school-houses show- the regard paid to education. Among them is a fine brick building, intended as a graded school, jnit up at a cost of $3,000. On the grounds in front of this stands the monument erected to the memory of those sons of Palmyra whose blood enriched the southern battle-fields - sons who Palmyra has always freely given when her country called for them. In addition to the usual country shops, Mr. John Lord, a son of one of the early settlers, has bnilt up from small beginnings an extensive wagon and carriage shop, which from the excellence of the material and workmanship has attained a great reputation as well outside as in the town. Mr. Abijah Powers, a settler of '38, has not only added many fair acres to the original claim, but he was the first to introduce the fine short-horn cattle into the countj^, and has now a numerous herd. For many years the farmers were a rich source of plunder to the numerous fire insurance companies, but in 1S65 the Palmyra Fire Insurance Company was originated by an association of a few farmers. This company, which insures nothing but farm property and country school buildings, is manageid by a president, secretary and treasurer and thirteen managers. It has insurance on §965,175 worth of property. Insures for $3 per $1,000, with membership fee of $1, The insurance is perpetual and there is no further demand on the insured except in case of loss by tire, when a pro rata assessment is laid. How slight this tax is may be judged from the fact that in the eleven years of its existence the total assessments have not yet reached one per cent.

" In these western towns, settled by persons from so many foreign countries and parts of the Union, the eftects of our form of government and institutions are seen in the most favorable light. Here the poor emigrant, finding no bar to the acquisition of property and pursuit of happiness, rapidly develops into the well-to-do American citizen. The Now Englander losing his narrowness, while retaining his thrift and intelligence, finds here a wider field for their exercise, and the Southerner, still liberal, acquires industry, economy and education."

This village is located about seven miles north of west of the city of Dixon, in the western part of Palmyra township, on the N.W. J of N.W. I Sec. 5, in T. 21 N., R. 8 E., of the 4th P.M., at the intersection of the Dixon and Sterling road by the Sterling and Polo road. It was located by Messrs. Abijah Powers, Phillip Schock, Samuel Shaw, and Windthrop Seavey, and surveyed b}^ Milton Santee, April 10, 1855.

There was located on this site a smith-shop by Mathias Schick as early as 1843. The present smith-shop is conducted by Furley Brothers. The first store was opened by Elisha Ryder seven or eight years ago, which was followed in a year or two later by another, opened by Charles Furley, both of which are still in operation. The village school-house is a two-story brick structure surrounded by a belfry. The interior is divided into lour apartments for the accommodation of the several school departments. It is a beautiful edifice, reflecting credit upon the intelligence of the community" in which it stands. It is located in a pleasant, shady lawn. In the front of the school-grounds stands the soldier monument, erected to the honor of the sons of Palmyra who died in the service of their country during the war of the rebellion, and on which their names are engraved. It is of marble, and was built at a cost of $800 or §900, which was met by voluntary subscriptions from the citizens of Palmyra township.

There is a new church edifice, which is occupied alternately b}^ the Congregational and Lutheran denominations. The first Cono-regational preaching in the neighborhood was in 1846, by Rev. Amnon Gaston, brother to Levi Gaston, now i-esiding in Palmyra. Mr. Gaston preached for the congregation at this place and at the Gap for seven or eight years, and has since deceased.

C. B. Thuramel, who commenced preaching for the society about 1846, and continued with the society up to 1877, when he preached his semi-centennial sermon, retiring from the activii ministry.

Biographical

John C. Jacobs. Great events in every career are those that stand as landmarks to point the route of the traveler as he has made his way slowly but surely from incipiencj' to manhood's ripest years. There is no completely written life. But grasping here and there a fact and adjusting them as a continuous set of lenses, one can look through them and see the smaller acts, the liner threads of principle that have made the life what it is or what it has been. In business, as in war, there are constant promotions of the successful operator, and each promotion is a victory won, for " Peace hath her victories no less than war," The parents of John C. Jacobs were Corbin and Mary (Rice) Jacobs, both natives of Fredericktown, Maryland, and of English descent. Corbin Jacobs was a contractor and builder. He was a superior workman, having superintended the erection of many buildings around Harper's Ferry, handsome residences and large church edifices. In the early days of Ohio he moved from Maryland and settled near Chillicothe, Ohio, but later returned to his native state, where he died September 17, 1832, aged forty-four years. He was a very prominent member of the Episcopal cliurch. He served in the war of 1812. His brothers were John, who died in 1869 near Dayton, Ohio, his home, and Lenox Compton (a half brother), who died in 1879, also at his home near Dayton. Mrs. Corbin Jacobs was spared to aid her son, John C, in i-earing the family of six children : Benjamin L., John C, Oliver C, Maria, Ann Yirginia and William F. She died November 4, 1844, in Maryland. Benjamin L. became military director of railroads in the south, and died in 1863. William F. graduated at William and Mary's College, became an Episcopal minister and died in 1867. Ann V. died in 1877, and Maria died in 1878, leaving as survivors John C, and Oliver C, the latter of whom is now a thrift}' farmer near Palmyra, Missouri. The ]>rincipal character in this sketch is John C. Jacobs, whose birth happened November 15, 1819, near Chillicothe, Ohio. He was three years of age when his parents returned to Maryland. The death of his father left John at the age of thirteen years as the chief support of the family ; reverses in building contracts having proved serious to the fortune of the elder Jacobs. John immediately applied himself to such labor as came within his ability. He worked one year on a farm for $15 and clothes, at the end of which year he received as his savings $2.50, which he expended in five bushels of potatoes at fifty cents a bushel. He continued his labors on tlie farm for a time, and when not farming earned wliat he could with his ax chopping wood by the cord, or doing other job work. In 1863 he cared for a team of horses for the Chesaiieake and Ohio Canal Packet Company till the canal froze, when he resumed his wood chopping. It was about this time that a circumstance happened that probably shaped the beginning of a successful cai'eer for young Jacobs. His Uncle, Lenox Compton, then of Ohio, ottered the lad 160 acres of land and promised to aid him in starting. Friends and mother advised the boy to accept his uncle's offer, and to start immediately overland and on foot 400 miles to Dayton. The day approached for his departure from home. He weighed every hope and doubt. How would his mother and children live without his help, although meager as it Avas ? How could he get aid to his mother if he should be successful ? for there were no railroads then. Suddenly he resolved not to go Ohio but to stay with his mother, brothers and sisters, eai'n what he could and care for them as far as possible, let come what woul(;l. He made known his resolve to his mother, began his labors afresh and with renewed determination, April 3, 1S3T, he began work on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad between Point of Rocks and Harper's Fei'ry, at eighty-seven and a half cents a day. Flour at that time was $13 a barrel, so that a month's woi'k barely provided necessaries. Death (by accident) of a brakeman, November 10 following, made a vacancy, and young Jacobs was promoted to the position with a sliu;ht advance in wao-es. In June followino- the removal of the train deprived him of this place, and his work was such as supplying engines with fuel etc. In the fall of 1838 he became lireman on an engine at §45 per month, when each month seemed a harvest to him. As times were good or bad his wages were somewhat changed. After one year's service on the main line he was sent to the Washington branch between Washington and Baltimore. In the fall of 1842 he became a locomotive engineer at §2 a day, running also west of Harper's Ferry to Cumberland hauling iron for construction. After five years in that position he controlled an engine employed in assisting passenger trains and heavily loaded engines over grades etc. between Hancock and Harper's Ferry till 1850, his wages having reached $2.25 l^er day. Mr. Jacobs next became supervisor of engines between Baltimore atid Cumberland, the company having at that time 207 locomotives. In 1853 he was sent to Kingwood tunnel to hasten the business of construction of the road and cutting of the tunnel, receiving now $130 per month. He was then kept mostly west of Cumberland, and aided in the construction of the road at Board Tree tunnel. After the completion of the road he became train-master and supervisor of engines on the same road between Piedmont and Wheeling, continuing till

September 1856, when the Illinois Central Railroad Company offered him his present position. He severed his connection with the Baltimore & Ohio Company September 30, and starting west arrived at Amboy, Illinois, October 8, 1856, and assnmed the superintendency of the north division from Centralia to Dubnqne, including 347 miles of road. A successful career of nearly a half century from penury to very comfortable circumstances, a career in which many incidents have happened that cannot be recoixled here, linds Mr. Jacobs yet able, apparently, for many years' useful labor. A quarter of a century's residence in Amboy and Lee county has made him many warm friends, especially among the employes of the Illinois Central railroad. Mr. Jacobs was married November 4, 1846, to Harriet A. Hough, daughter of Samuel H. Hough, of Middletown, Connecticut. She was born January 21, 1821. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs are Molly H., wlio died September 27, 1868, aged twenty years; John C. (died when young) ; William F. and Charles C, both of whom have positions on the road.

One of the earliest as well as one of the most esteemed and distinguished names which is met with in. the search for biographical data in Palmj'ra township is that of Page ; and although no direct representative of the family now resides within the township, yet tlie respect and confidence which all who bore the name won and merited from their fellow-townsman will not fade for many a year. John H. Page, now deceased, was one of several natives of Strafford county, Kew Hampshire, who came to Palmyra at a very early da_y and took up a residence there. Stephen Fellows and James T., William and Jacob Martin were also members of this colony, all coming within a year or two of each other. Mr. Page was born at Rochester, New Hampshire, in 1806, and

Page, His mother was descended from a family who located at Bangor, Maine, at an early period. Mr. Page was brought up and received a common school education at Sandwich, New Hampshire, and following in the footsteps of his father, on ari'iving at manhood he became a farmer ; but being ambitious and energetic, he decided to abandon the sterile and rocky soil of the Granite State and seek a more fruitful reward of his labors upon the fertile prairies of Illinois. He reached Lee county in the fall of 1834 and located upon government land in the township of Palmjn-a. He built himself a log house, it being the second or third erected in the town, and engaged in farming, and continued on the same farm nntil 1868, when he sold out and removed to Menlo, Iowa, where he died in 1870. Mr. Page was first married at Sandwich, New Hampshire, in 1833, to Miss Julia M. Fellows, daughter of Stephen Fellows, who removed to Lee county at the same time with his daughter and son-in-law. Mrs. Page died at Palmyra in 1856, and in 1858 Mr. Page was again married, to Mrs. Sarah B. (Jenness)Wiggin. The result of the union of Jolin H. and Julia (Fellows) Page was eight children, four of whom are still living, three sons and one daughter. The former, George H., David S. and William B., all reside in Europe, and the daughter, Julia M., is the widow of the late James W. Harris, of Lee county. George H., eldest son of John H. Page, was the first child born in the town of Palmyra, that event occurring on May 16, 1836. He acquired a common school education in his native town and was then sent to the seminary at Mount Yernon, Iowa, (now known as Cornell College,) of which his uncle, Samuel Fellows, was one of the founders and the first principal. Another uncle, Stephen JST. Fellows, was a teacher in the same institution. After leaving school Mr. Page engaged in farming for a short time, but soon after the ontbreak of the rebellion obtained a clerkship in the war department at Washington, where he remained for three years. In 1866 he went to Switzerland, and in company with his brothers Charles A. and David S. he embarked in the business of condensing milk, which M^as the first undertaking of the kind in Europe, and which has proved an immense success. The business has grown from almost nothing to a trade of over $3,000,000 per year, and is now carried on by a joint stock company having a capital of $2,000,000, with six factories in Switzerland and England, and offices at London and Paris. Geo. II. Page is the general manager of the company, and his brother David S. is assistant general manager, both residing at Cham, Switzerland. The youngest brother, William B., also holds a position under the company. During some years of his residence in that country Mr. Geo. H. Page held the position of vice-consul at Zurich, Switzerland. He was married in 1875, to Miss Adelheid Swerzmann, of Zoug, Switzerland^ and has one son, Fred H. Page, aged five years. At the time of this writing Mr. Page is in Dixon visiting relatives and friends and renewing the associations of his youth. After a few months' sojourn in the United States he intends returning to Switzerland, bnt with no intention of residing permanently outside of his native country. It is proper in this connection that mention should be made of the career of Charles A. Page, the second son of John H. Page. He was born in Palmyra, May 22, 1838, and his early career was like that of his brother George. After graduating from Cornell College, he M-as for a year editor of a newspaper published at Mount Yernon, Iowa ; he then obtained a clerkship in the fifth auditor's oflice of the treasury department, Washington, where he remained some three or four years, when he became attached to the New York "Tribune" as a correspondent. During the war he accompanied the army of the Potomac as a field correspondent for the " Tribune," and the vivid descriptions and graphic delineations of the marches and battles, the defeats and triumphs of that heroic army published in the "Tribune" over the initials "C. A. P." will be well remembered by the older readers of that paper. He also was one of the party accompanying the remains of President Lincoln to their last resting-place at Springfield. During the summer of 1865 he was appointed consul at Zurich, Switzerland, and held this office four years, when he became the manager of the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company's London office, which company he had been instrumental in forming, and held that position until his death on May 26, 1873. He was married in 1868, to Miss Grace D. Coues, of Washington, D. C, and his widow and four surviving children now reside in that city. The career of these brothers is another illustration of the business energy and pluck which characterizes the young men of this country. Reared on a farm in what was then the Far West they struck out courageously, and have succeeded in establishing by their ability and enterprise an immense business in theheart of over-crowded Europe, and which not only brings fortune and reputation to themselves, but is the source from which hundreds of others derive a comfortable existence.

Fkedekick ]Sr. Pakks, farmer, Palmyra, is a native of the township, being born there on September 22, 1849, and is a son of Hiram P. and Martha (Moon) Parks, and both on his father's and mother's side is related to some of the earliest settlers of the township, both families having located in Palmyra some forty-five years ago. All of Mr. Parks' life has been spent in Pabnyra, and ever since he was able to be of assistance on the farm he has followed that calling. For the past ten years he has been engaged in farming for himself. He was married on February 7, 1872, to Miss Maria N. Sheeley, a resident of Guthrie, Iowa. Last winter Mr. and Mrs. Parks met with a severe blow in the death of their beloved and only child at the age of four years. Politically Mr. Parks is a republican.

William Miller, deceased. Palmyra, was a native of Germany, and was born there in 1801. His parents were Frederick J. and Cecilia Miller. His youth was passed in his native country, and in 1832 he came to America and settled at Philadelphia, where he remained until 1841, when he moved to Lee county, and purchased a farm in Palmyi^a township, where he died May 1, 1871. He married Miss Anna Obrist, whose death occurred December 26, 1872. Henry E. Miller, son of the above, is a native of Palmyra, having been born there on December 22, 1844, His whole life has been spent in his native town, and on the death of his father he took charge of the farm, and has since carried it on. He was married on December 25, 1869, to Miss Margaret Levan, of South Dixon, and has four children living : Charles M., aged seven ; Martha F., aged live; Edward H., aged three years, and John F., an infant son. Mr, Miller is a steadfast republican, and a member of the Lutheran church.

George A. Ttckek, farmer. Palmyra, was born in Otsego county, New York, on May 7, 1841), and is the sou of Hervey and Catharine E. (xlrnold) Tucker. His father was a farmer, and died in the State of New York in the spring of 1865. flis mother is now a resident of Palmyra. After completing his education Mr. Tucker engaged in farming in Otsego county, but when twenty-two years of age removed to Lee county, and settled in Palmyra township, where he has since re" sided. Mr. Tucker was married in Otsego county in the fall of 1874, to Miss Mary M. Windsor, a resident of that county, and they have one child, Hervey, who was born September 13, 1875. Mr. Tucker is a democrat, is a school director in the township, and a member of the Episcopal church.

William A. Kintnek, farmer. Palmyra, was born in Wyoming county, Pennsylvania, on the 7th of January, 1843, and is the son of William and Susanna (Heller) Kintner. His father was a farmer, and in 1850 removed to Lee county and purchased the farm on which his son now resides, and there his death took place, in 1857. Mr. Kintner received a common school education, but the death of his father occurring when he was yet a lad, threw the care and responsibility of conducting the farm upon his shoulders, and he proved himself fully equal to tlie emergency. He was married first in Januarj^ 1868, to Miss Lizzie Stuart, a resident of Xelson township, who died shortly after her marriage. On March 19, 1872, he was again married, to Miss Fanny Clark, a daughter of George and Ann M. (Tuck) Clark. Mr. Kintner has one child by his first marriage, James E., aged thirteen years. By the second marriage there are two children : Georgie, aged eight, and Nellie, aged six years. In political sentiment Mr. Kintner is a republican.

Walter L. Hogers, farmer. Palmyra, is a native of Upper Canada, where he was born in 1815. He is the son of Gilbert and Nancy (Lock wood) Rogers. His father followed the occupation of a farmer, but died when the subject of this sketch was but two years old. After spending his youth and receiving his education in Canada Mr. Rogers removed to Monroe county, New York, and after residing there for three years came west and located in Palmyra township, in 1830, and a few years later purchased the farm on which he now resides. He was married in 1844, to Miss Hannah Fellows, the daughter of Stephen and Rachel (McGaifey) Fellows. Mr. Fellows was a native of Strafltord county, New Hampshire, where he was born November 18, 1786. He came to Palmyra township in 1834, and kept a tavern for several years where the residence of Mrs. R. C. Peck now stands. He was first married to Miss Peggy McGaft'ey, in 1808, who died in 1823, and he then married the sister of his first wife, Miss Pachel McGaffey, who is still living and is a resident of Iowa. Mr. Fellows was the father of fifteen children, ten of whom are still living. Mr. Fellows' death occurred in 1810. The family of Mr. Rogers consists of six children, the eldest of whom, Lewis G., was born November 20, 1846. tie is a farmer and resides in Palmyra. Eliza M., born June 27, 1818, is the wife of Thomas H. Johnson and resides in Colorado; Alice A., .born February 27, 1853, is married to Howard Johnson, a resident of Palmyra; Mary E., born December 16, 1851, married to James P. Wilson, of Woosung, Ogle county ; Anna, born July 14, 1856, and Flora A., born Deceniber 11, 1858, reside at home. Mi-. Rogers is a thorough-going republican. He has been supervisor of his town and held various other local offices, and attends the Methodist Episcopal church.

M. D. Hubbard, farmer, Palmyra, was born in Palmyra township, November 18, 1837, and is the son of Oliver A. and Eliza A. (Martin) Hubbard, both of whom were natives of New Hampshire. They removed to Illinois in 1836, and located in Palmyra township, where O. A. Hubbard died a few years later. Mrs. Hubbard is still living and is the wife of W. W. Tilton, Esq., of Palmyra. M. D. Hubbard was the third child born in the town. He received his education at the neighboring schools, and when old enough engaged in farming. On May 10, 1861, he enlisted in Co. B, 13th 111. Vols., and after serving some two years w^as honorably discharged on account of disability. After coming home he resumed farming, and in 1867 purchased the farm upon which he now resides. Mr. Hubbard was married February 17, 1864, to Miss Blanche Coe, a resident of Palmyra, and they have four children. Winona, the- eldest, is sixteen years old ; Henry A., thirteen ; Bert, eight ; and Ollie, four years. In his political views Mr. Hubbard is a supporter of the principles and policy of the democratic part3\

Charles F. Fitrley, farmer, Prairieville, was born in Maryland, February 14, 1852, and is the son of James and Mary J. (Black) Furley, both of whom are still living and have been residents of Maryland for many years, but are expecting soon to take up their abode in Palmyra township. His father has been principally engaged in fi^rming and stock dealing during his business career. Mr. Furley received his early education in his native state, and while still a boy learned the trade of chairmaking and general blacksmithing. For a number of years after serving his time he worked at his trade in various places both in the east and west, and some seven or eight years ago he located at Prairieville, in Palmyra township, where he has since resided.

Besides carrying on a blacksmith shop Mr. Fnrley is engaged in farming, buys and sells horses, and conducts a general store. Principally through the exertions of Mr. Furley a post-office was established at Prairieville, in June 1878, and he was appointed postmaster, which office he still holds. He was married in Whitesides county, Illinois, April 21, 1873, to Miss Sarah H. Harvey, a niece of W. W. Bethea, Esq., well known throughout Lee county as one of the oldest settlers. One child has resulted from the" marriage, Guy L. Furley, born November 19, 1874. Mr. Furley is an active and stirring member of the republican party and is a young man of much ability and enterprise.

Tpieodoke Wilson, farmer, Palmyra, is a native of Blair county, Pennsylvania, where he was born on May 8, 1847. He is the son of Franklin and Susannah (Bridenbaugh) Wilson, who moved to Lee county in 1856, and located in Dixon township, but moved about three years later to Palmyra township, where his father died in 1870. Mr. Wilson was brought up and acquired his education in Lee count}', and when old enough assisted his father in carrying on the farm, and after the death of the latter he continued farming on his own account. He was married on August 1, 1871, to Miss Cassie M. Lovell, a native of the State of New York, and they have one child, Angier W., who was born January 23, 1880. Mr. Wilson is an earnest and active democrat, and his ability and devotion to principle command the respect of his fellow citizens without regard to party. He is a member of the Presbyterian church.

Martin William Bbaler, farmer, Palmyra, was born in Germany, in March 1815, and was the son of Jacob and Katrina (Schween) Brau(y. He was educated in German}', and while a lad shipped upon a merchant vessel as a sailor and followed the sea for about nine years. In 1840 he emigrated to America, coming directly to Lee county, and after working for his brother-in-law for the space of a year he engaged in farming for himself, having owned 'and resided on the same property for over forty years. Mr. Brauer was married April 16, 1848, to Miss Helena Harms, in Germany, whither he had gone for that purpose. They have two children living, the eldest being Anton, who is farming in Whitesides county, Illinois, and Frank was living at the old homestead. Mr. Brauer is a republican in political sentiment, and a member of the Lutheran church.

William McGaffey, farmer. Palmyra, is a native of Sandwich, New Hampshire, where he was born June 24, 1828. The first of the family to settle in America was a native of Ireland, who participated in the siege of Londonderry, and was a firm supporter of the Protestant cause. He afterward came to this country and settled near Dover, New Hampshire. He left two sons, one of whom was the great- grandfather of Mr. McGaffey. His grandfather Samuel was married in 1783 to Miss Lydia Sanborn, and they had a family of seven children, one of whom, Mrs. Rachel, Fellows,! widow of Stephen N. Fellows, one of the early settlers of Lee county, is still living in Iowa at the ripe age of eighty-four years. The parents of Mr. Gaffey were Eliphalet and Aphie (Chase) McGaffey, both of whom lived and died in the State of New Hampshire. The early years of Mr. McGatfey were spent upon a farm, and in the fall of 1854 he came to the State of Ohio, where he taught school during the winter months. In the spring of 1855 he paid his first visit to Lee county, but soon returned to the east. In February, 1863, he again came west and purchased a farm in Palmyra township, on which he has since resided. He was married May 31, 1862, at Sandwich, to Miss Margaretta F. Davis, a daughter of Bradford C. and Margaretta (Farrell) Davis. They have three children: William D., born August 24, 1863; Samuel A., born December 10, 1866, and Anson, born September 21, 1875.

Simeon T. Martin, farmer. Palmyra, was born in Sandwich, Kew Hampshire, on May 6, 1813. His parents were Jacob and Mary (Tyler) Martin. His earl}' youth was spent in assisting his father on the farm. When about eighteen years of age he removed to Massachusetts, where he remained for several years engaged in various vocations. In June 1836, having come west, he located in Bureau county, Illinois, purchasing a claim and designing to settle there permanently, but after having been there for more than a year his claim was jumped, and he removed to Lee county and purchased a farm in Palmyra township, and which still forms a portion of his present property, which now consists of more than three hundred acres of valuable and fertile land, Mr. Martin was married in 1842, to Miss Catherine Montgomery, a resident of Palmyra township. They have been sadly afllicted, having had three children born to them, all of whom they have lost by death. Mr. Martin is a brother of James T., and also of the late Jacob Martin, and the brothers were pioneers in the settlement of the township.

Harvey E. Johnson, farmer, Palmyra, was born in Bainbridge, Chenango county, New York, on February 11, 1819. His parents were Seth and Mary (Hough) Johnson, both of whom were natives of Connecticut. Until he was twenty-six years of age Mr. Johnson resided in Chenango county, having acquired his education there, and having assisted his father in carrying on the farm. In 1845, however, he came west, and purchased a farm in Palmyra township, which he still owns, and on which he resides. He was married December 31, 1848, to Miss Mary J. Wheat, a daughter of Josiah Wheat, one of the earliest settlers of what is now China township. They have four children living, the eldest being De Forest J., who was born April 13, 1850. He married

Miss Emma Bovey on December 24, 1872, and resides in Palmyra township. Florence R., born October 8, 1851, married to Jacob Baker, December 25, 1873, and resides in Ogle connty ; Franklin F., born December 19, 1855, and married to Miss Ida Rand, December 1, 1876 ; he is a resident of Palmyra township. Addie A., born December 25, 1866, and resides with her parents. Mr. Johnson's political affiliations are with the republican party, and he is a member of the Baptist church.

CuARLES Lawton, farmer, Palmyra, is a native of Lincolnshire, England, and was born December 9, 1813. His parents were Edward and Mary (Roe) Lawton. Mr. Lawton lived in his native land until his twenty-third year, when he came to America and settled in Wyoming county, Pennsylvania, where he farmed for seventeen years. In the spring of 1853 he came to Illinois and located near Elgin, but a year later he removed to Palmyra township, where he has since resided. Mr. Lawton was first married in England, in 1835, to Miss Sarah Tuck, who died in Palmyra about 1857. Four children survive from this marriage, only one of whom, Mrs. A. A. Beede, is a resident of Lee county. On August 22, 1858, Mr. Lawton was again married, to Mrs. Ann M. (Tuck) Clark, and they have four children living: Carrie L., born in 1859, is the wife of William F. Swigart, and resides in Dixon township; Charles H., born April 20, 1861 ; John W., born December 18, 1862, and Fred A., born August 29, 1865, reside with their parents. Mr. Lawton is a republican, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

James P. Goodkich, farmer, Palmyra, was born in the State of Yermont, on October 14, 1849, and is the son of Samuel and Charlotte (Perry) Goodrich. His father is a farmer and is now a resident of the State of New York. Mr. Goodrich received his early education in Yermont, and when seventeen years of age came to Illinois and lived for two years in the vicinit}" of Grand Detour, after which he purchased the farm in Palmyra township on which he now resides. He is largely engaged in the dairy business, in which line he has met with much success. Mr. Goodrich was married, May 2, 1872, to Miss C. M. Williams, daughter of George Williams, Esq., an old resident of Palmyra. They have only one child, Eddie, aged eight years. Mr. Goodrich is a stalwart republican and an attendant of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Charles A. Guyot, farmer. Palmyra, was born in August 1820, in the island of Guadaloupe, West Indies, and is the son of John F. and Augustine (Lions) Guyot. His grandfather was an officer in the Frencli army sent to this country during the revolutionary struggle to assist the colonies, and served under the Count De Rochambeau. At the end of the war the regiment to which he belono^ed was sent to garrison the island of Gaudaloiipe, and soon after he married there and engaged in planting. Upon the emancipation of the slaves in the West India islands the family removed to the United States. Mr. Guyot landed in New Orleans, but after a few months' residence, having become imbued with the gold fever, he determined to go to California, which he accordingly did in the spring of 1849, and remained there until 1852, M-hen he returned to Kew York. Soon after he came to Lee county and located in Palmyra. In 1856 he returned to Guadaloupe, but sickness in his family compelled his departure in 1861, since which time he has resided on his farm in Palmyra township. Mr. Guyot was married February 20, 1854, to Miss Sarah Ann Graham, a daughter of Capt. Hugh Graham. Tlieir children are Mary B., born in February 1859; Charles L., born in May 1860; Ermine O., born, in July 1863; Hugh G., born in October 1865, and George R. E., born in November 1869. Mr. Guyot is a member of the republican party.

S. P. RuTT, farmer. Palmyra, is the son of John W. and Barbara (Putt) Putt, and was born in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, January 1, 1845. His parents came west and settled in Lee county in 1864, and are now residing upon a farm in the county of Whitesides. Mr. Putt was brought up and educated in Dauphin county, and came with his parents and located in Palmyra towovship, where he is now engaged in farming. He was married October 18, 1869, to Miss Catharine Andrews, a resident of Whitesides county. They have iive children : Elam, aged eleven ; Edwin, aged nine; Solomon, aged seven ; Maggie,, aged five ; and Archie, aged two years. In his political views Mr. Putt is a republican.

Benjamin Staltffee, carpenter, Prairieville, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1819. His parents were John and Barbara (Eby) StaufFer. His father was a miller and also carried on a farm. He died in Pennsylvania on December 2, 1871. Mr. Stautfer obtained a common school education in his native town, and while a boy commenced working in his father's mill, and a few years later engaged in the milling business for himself, which he carreid on until 1852, in which year he came west and settled in Whitesides county, only a short distance from the boundaiy line of Lee county, and engaged in farming, which he continued until 1875, when he removed to Prairieville and for some time followed the trade of carpenter, but of late years has been principally working at wagon-making. Mr. Stauifer was married Februarj^ 29, 1839, to Miss Catherine Bookwalter, a resident of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. They have nine children living: Esther, born July 18, 1840, is the wife of B, F. Rohrer and resides in Whitesides county ; John, born November 10, 1842. He enlisted in

18G2, in Co. D, 75tli 111. Yols. and served until the end of the war. He is a farmer and lives in Kansas. Abraham L., born June 7, 1845, is a farmer and resides in Nebraska; Henr^-, born July 12, 1847, resides in Pahiivra township; Barbara A., born January 11, 1852, is married to Eli R. Ebersole and lives in Whitesides county ; Emma C, born March 27, 1854, is the wife of Henry Ebersole, and also resides in Whitesides county; Benjamin F.,born January 27, 1857, resides in Nebraska ; Eliza, born August 11, 1860, and Amos, born March 12, 1S63, are now residing with their parents. Mr. Stauifer is a republican and has been a justice of the peace for tlie town of Palmyra since 1877. He is a member of the Mennonite church.

Hermann S. Fischer, farmer, Palmyra, was born in Hamburg, Germany, on the 21st of July, 1845, and was the son of Carl and Bertha (Schroeder) Fischei-. His father is a lawyer by profession, and is still a resident of Hamburg, where his mother died in 1845. Mr. Fischer was educated in Germany, having been a student at the University of Bonn-on-the-Rhine, and also that of Halle in Prussia. A few months after leaving the university he came to America and located at once in Palmyra township, where he has since resided with the exception of a few months' absence in Europe. He was married on September 10, 1878. to Miss Kate Tl)ummel, daughter of the late C. B. Thummel, of Palmyi-a township. Mr. Fischer is a young man of excellent education and fine attainments, and is universally esteemed and respected.

Ellwood Highes, farmer. Palmyra, is a native of Columbia county, Pennsylvania, where he was born on the 4th of November, 1818. His parents were Benjamin and Mary S. (Stokes) Hughes. His father for many years followed the trade of a shoemaker, but engaged in farming in Columbia county in 1830, and died there in May IStiO, at the age of seventy. Mr. Hughes received a common school education, and at the age of seventeen engaged in teaching, which occupation he followed for several winters, assisting upon the farm during the summer months. He then engaged in farming on his own account, in Columbia county, where he continued until 1869, when he removed to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He i-emained there until February 1871, when he came to Lee county and purchased the farm where he now resides. He was married at Hughesville, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, on the 16th of January, 1840, to Miss Elizabeth Hill. Seven children resulted from this marriage, five of whom are still living, as follows: Mary C, born January 20, 1841, and married to James Hill, Esq., who is a resident of Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania; Benjamin F., born April 6, 1844, now practicing law in Philadelphia ; Charles H., born April 13, 1846, and a member of the firm of Hughes & Mellick, at Dixon ; Ellwood C, born August 25, 1855, is a graduate of Carthage College and also of the Theological Seminary of Springfield, Ohio, and is now practicing law at Storm Lake, Iowa; Edward A., born March 26, 1857, and is a resident of Palmyra. The eldest son, John M. Hughes, who was born in 1842, was a captain in the 210th Penn. Vols., and was fatally wounded on the 31st of March, 1865, at Gravelly Run, Virginia, and died May 6, 18<i5. Mr. Hughes held the positions of deputy marshal and justice of the peace in Columbia county, Pennsylvania, and since his removal to Palmyra has served two terms as supervisor and is now town clerk. He is also secretary and treasurer of the Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Palmyra. Mr. Hughes is an ardent republican and a member of the Lutheran church.

Henry Deckek, fai-mer, Palmyra, was born in New Jersey, in 1835, and was the son of Elijah and Christina (Kintner) Dicker. Both his parents are still living, in Wyoming county, Pennsylvania. They removed to that section in 1837, and there Mr. Decker was raised and educated. In August, 1862, he enlisted in the 143d Penn. reg., and served for one year and a half, and was then transferred to the signal corps, where he remained until the close of the war. After leaving the service Mr. Decker removed to Illinois, and located in Palmyra township, where he has since resided. He was married September 26, 1867, to Miss Imogene Bunnell, of Palmyra, and they have four children: Charles E., aged thirteen; Eddie, aged ten; Nellie, aged seven, and Bessie, aged four years. In political sentiment Mr. Decker is a thorough republican and attends the Methodist Episcopal church.

Mks. Diana Warn, Palmyra, was born in the State of New York, on the 24th of September, 1835. She was the daughter of Alanson B. and Mary (Benjamin) Campbell. She was brought up and educated in her native state, and when nineteen years of age came to Lee county with her parents and lived for some time in Dixon township, afterward removing into the city, where they remained for about five years. On the 15th of July. 1860, she was married to Israel P. Warn, a resident of Palmyra township, where she has since resided. Mr. Warn died on the 9th of October, 1871, leaving a widov.^ and four children to mourn his loss. The latter are all daughters, the eldest being Elizabeth, aged twenty; Ella M., aged eighteen; Lena B., aged thirteen, and Gerty S., aged ten years, all of whom reside with their mother.

John H. McWethy, farmer. Palmyra, was born in Wyoming count}'. New York, on March 2, 1836, and was the son of Henry and Olive (Hale) McWethy. His father was a farmer and a resident of the State of New York until his death, which occnn-ed about twenty years since. Mr. McWethy after leaving school assisted his father on the farm, and when twenty-five years of age came west and located npon a farm in the township of South Dixon. After remaining there three years he removed to Pahnyra township and purchased the farm on which he now resides. He was married in Livingston county, New York, in December 1860, to Miss Harriet E. Sheldon, a resident of that county, and they have three children living, the eldest of whom is Charles E., aged nineteen ; George P., aged seventeen, and Willie C, aged nine years. Politically Mr. McWethy is a republican, and a member of the Presbj'terian church.

David A. Holly, deceased, for many years engaged in farming in Lee county, was born in Paradise township, York county, Pennsylvania, in 1804. His parents were Jesse and Anna (Sherer) Holly. Mr. Holly removed, when a young man, to Ohio and engaged in farming there until 1835, at which time he removed to Franklin Grove, in Lee county, where he remained for ten years. He then came to Palmyra and purchased 720 acres of land in that township, of Smith Gilbraith, a considerable portion of which he retained and continued to reside upon until his death, in June 1875. He was married in Knox county, Ohio, January 1, 1830, to Miss Eva Hoke, who survives him. There are also seven children living, the eldest of whom is William D. F. Holly, born in Belleville, Richland county, Ohio, September 1, 1834, and now a resident of Iowa ; Amos H. Holly, born in Lee county, April 9, 1836, now living in California; Cornelia A. Holly, born in Lee county on the 12th of February 1840, and married to Frank Biddie, also residing in Iowa; David C. Holly, born in Lee county, January 1, 1843, who intends to remove to Iowa within a short time; George W. Holly, born in April 1845, and James F, Holly, born in June 1851, have also resided in Iowa several years ; Emily Holly, born in Lee county in August 1849, and married to Orville Fort, lives in Iowa.

Eben H. Johnson, farmer. Palmyra, one of the oldest settlers of the township, was born in Chenango county, New York, July 3, 1810, and was the son of Seth and Mary (Hough) Johnson. His father was engaged in farming and died in Chenango county. Mr. Johnson resided in his native county until he was twenty-eight years of age, but in the fall of 1838, having just been married, he started for Illinois, conveying his wife and household goods in wagons and occupying five weeks in the journey. Lie located in Palmyra township, buying a squatter's claim for $1,000 in addition to the government price of $1 per acre. He soon after purchased another claim, paying $10 per acre for it. He has been a continuous resident of the township from the time of his arrival. Mr. Johnson was married August 13, 1838, to Miss Sarah Johnson, a resident of Broome county, New York, and the result of this union has been seven children, live of whom are still living, as follows : Thomas H., born in Lee count}^ May 23, 1839, now residing in Colorado and a member of the legislature of that state; Jane A., born in Lee county December 5, 1844, residing with her parents; Ralph E., born January 22, 1846, residing in Palmyra; William H., born August 27, 1851, residing in Palmyra; Marcus M., born August 15, 1855, also residing in Palmyra; Mary J,, born March 20, 1841, married William Swigart, of Palmyra, and died June 3, 1875 ; Theodore, born May 27, 1848, was murdered in Nebraska, in August 1870. Mr. Johnson has always been an active and earnest republican since the formation of that party ; has held the office of supervisor and several other local positions; and he and his wife, who has been for nearly half a century his faithful companion and friend, are enjoj'ing in a serene old age the esteem and affection of their many neighbors and friends. Both Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Charles A. Martin, farmer. Palmyra, was boi'n in Sandwich, New Hampshire, August 11, 1830, and was the son of William and Elizabeth (Hill) Martin. His father was a farmer and removed to Pal mj^ra township in 1836 and engaged in farming upon the land which his son now occupies, where he died in 1844. Mr. Martin was brought up and educated in Palmyra township, and when he grew to manhood he engaged in farming, which he still continues. He was married in October 1852, to Miss Anna Tilton, daughter of Lorenzo and Ruth (Brown) Tilton, and they have six children living: William M., aged twenty-eight, residing in Nebraska; Edward E., aged twenty-six, also' living in Nebraska; George C, aged twenty-four; Fannie R., aged twent3^-one ; Adelaide, aged seventeen; and Winifred, aged eight, all of whom reside at home. Mr. Martin is a republican in political sentiment and attends the Congregational church.

Amos Goodwin, farmei'. Palmyra, was born in Oswego county, New York, August 29, 1827, and was the son of Benjamin C. and Rosanna (Shoemaker) Goodwin. His parents removed to Bradford county, Pennsylvania, when he was about four years of age, and followed the occupation of a farmer until the fall of 1852, at which time the family moved to Lee county, Illinois, and purchased a farm in the vicinity of Dixon, but resided in the town for a number of years. In 1873 Mr. Goodwin removed to Grand Detour and remained there about four years, after which he purchased a farm in Palmyra township, upon which he still resides. Mr. Goodwin was first married in the fall of 1861, to Miss Susan G. Dixon, a granddaughter of Father Dixon. She died September 15, 1878, leaving two children: James P. Goodwin, born February 18, 1863, and Isaac B. Goodwin, born September

13, 1865. He was again married in JSTovember 1879, to Mrs. Mary C. Huston, of Dixon, and they have one child, Mary, aged one j-ear. Mr. Goodwin is a republican and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Jacob Martin, deceased, Palmyra, was born in Sandwich, New Hampshire, December 29, 1806. His parents were Jacob and Mary (Tyler) Martin. He was brought up and educated and carried on a farm near Sandwich until 1836, when he moved to Lee county and settled on the farm in Palmyra township which he occupied at the time of his death, which occurred quite suddenly on Monday, August 29, 1881, in his seventy-fifth year. Mr. Martin was one of the earliest settlers of Palmyra, and his death makes still another gap in the fast thinning ranks of those brave and hardy pioneers who have made this fertile and beautiful section to "blossom like the rose," but who are rapidly passing away, and all of whom will soon, in the course of nature, be numbered with the dead, leaving behind them, however, many affectionate remembrances and fragrant memories. He was first married April 26, 1814, to Miss Margaret Curtis. As the result of this union there are three children living: Helen, aged twenty-nine, and Howard, aged twenty-seven, residing at the old homestead, and Josephine, aged twenty-eight, who is married to Thomas Morgan, and now resides in Missouri, The second marriage of Mr. Martin occurred May 5, 1856, when he was united to Miss Belle Drynan, who survives him, and by whom he had six children : Lillian, aged twenty-four; Emretta, aged twenty-two ; Lizzie, aged eighteen ; Franklin P., aged sixteen ; Charles L., aged eleven, and Tyler E., aged six ; all of whom reside at home.

Matthias Schick, farmer. Palmyra, was born in Bavaria, Germany, on November 9, 1813, and was the son of John and Sal ma (Prout) Schick. He was educated in Germany, where he also learned the blacksmith's trade. When he was eighteen j^ears of age he came to America and worked at his trade for several years in Berks county, Pennsylvania. From there he went to Philadelphia, where he remained until 1842, when he moved to Palmyra township and settled on the farm which he at present occupies. Mr. Schick was married at Philadelphia on July 10, to Miss Elizabeth Obrist, who died April 18, 1875. Seven children were the result of this union, of whom five survive: Matthias A., aged forty-one; Charles P., aged thirty, and George "W., aged twenty-seven, all of whom reside in Whitesides county, Illinois; Anna E., aged thirty-nine, married to J. J. Burger, and a resident of Palmyra township; William H., aged 24, and resides in Chicago. Emanuel, born in Lee county, October 26, 1845, enlisted in the 34th reg. 111. Yols. on February 28, 1864, and died at Vining Station, Georgia, August 7, 1864, from disease contracted in the service.

Theodore L. was born in Lee county, May 20, 1849. He graduated from the law department of Ann Arbor University in the class of 1871, after which he n^oved to Brownsville, Nebraska, and engaged in the practice of his profession. In the fall of 1880 he was elected a member of the legislature of his state, and died of fever on August 9, 1881, after a lingering illness. He was a young man of much promise, and had just started on a career which gave every indication of being prospei'ous and honorable. On August 20, 1877, Mr. Schick was united in marriage to Mrs. Rachel Hotchkiss. In political sentiment Mr. Schick is a thorough republican, and is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran church.

John L. Lord, manufacturer and farmer, Palmyra, was born at Hopkinton, New Hampshire, June 10, and is the son of John and Achseh (Carj^) Lord. His father was a blacksmith, and removed to Lee county in 1838, where he died February 7, 187-1. Mr. Lord came to the State of Illinois with his^parents, and received his education at the schools of Dixon and vicinity. His father at lirst settled in Dixon in 1838, and followed his trade there, but three years later he reftioved to Palmyra and engaged in the manufacture of wagons and carriages. After leaving school Mr. Lord learned the blacksmith's trade and worked for his father until 1850, at which time he purchased the property, and has since carried on the business with much success. He has also been engaged in farming for many years, commencing with seven acres of land, which he has now increased to about 250. Mr. Lord was married June 17, 1851, to Miss Mary L. Warriner, a daughter of Moses M. and Oriel (Smith) Warriner, who also settled in Lee county in 1838. They have six surviving children, the eldest being Augustus W., born March 3, 1852, and now residing in Iowa ; Paul G., born December 31, 1853 ; John P., born April 17, 1860 ; Mary E., born December 18, 1863; Fredrick, born February 12, 1869; Grace, born September 26, 1872, all of wliom reside at home. In his political views Mr. Lord is strongly republican, and has twice been elected to the office of supervisor.

Charles A. Becker, deceased, Palmyra, was born in Prussia in 1810. He was educated in that country and also learned the watchmaking trade, but when twenty j^ears of age came to America to avoid serving in the Prussian army. After working at his trade in various cities for a number of years he finally located at Dixon in 1839, where he remained for several years. Having purchased a farm in Palmyra township he gave up business and engaged in farming, which he continued until his death in 1859. Mr. Becker was married at Reading, Pennsylvania, on the 2d of December 1833, to Miss Mary Kessler, who still survives him. Twelve childi'en resulted from the marriage, eight of whom are stilj living. Mary B., born August 28, 1834, is the wife of James L. McGinnis, of Palmyra; Sarah, born May 7, 1839, is married to William Bryner, and resides in Pennsylvania ; Julia, born May 10, is married to C. A. Kaufman, and resides in Nebraska ; Cecilia, born October 10, 1844, is married to Patrick Hall, and also resides in Nebraska; Francis, born November 19, 1846; Fanny, born April 4, 1851 ; Paulina, born November 1, 1853, and Lizzie, born August 21, 1856, reside at the old homestead at Palmyra. Charles, who is the eldest son, and who was born September 20, 1837, enlisted in 1861 in the 13th 111. Yols., and was mortally wounded at Yicksburg on the 28th of December 186^, and died January 8, 1863.

"William Myees, farmer. Palmyra, was born in Ohio, September 9, 1809, and is the son of John and Nancy (Hopkins) Myers. When he was eight years of age his father removed to Philadelphia and remained there about nine years, after which they located near Cincinnati, and lived there for three years. They then came to Illinois, and settled near Pekin, Tazewell county, in 1830, and in 1836 came to Lee county and engaged in farming in Palmyra township. At the time of the Black Hawk war Mr. Myers enlisted as a volunteer under Col. Strain, of Marshall county, and served until the close of the war. With this exception Mr. Myers has been continuously engaged in farming ever since he grew to manhood. Mr. Myers was married in 1826, to Miss Phebe Hull, daughter of Capt, Hull, of Buffalo Grove, who died October 25, 1873. Eight children resulted from this union, three sons and five daughters. Two sons and two daughters are residents of Iowa, two more daughters live in Nebraska, and the remaining daughter resides at Buffalo Grove, Ogle county, Illinois. The third son, Andrew Jackson Myers, now lives upon the old homestead. He is a native of Palmyra township, having been born there March 11, 1842, and acquired his education at the neighboring schools. When arrived at maturity he engaged in farming, and has continued to follow that occupation up to the present time. He was married December 25, 1865, to Miss Julia Kintner, daughter of the late William Kintner, of Palmyra, and they have three children living : Minnie, aged fourteen ; Phebe, aged eleven, and Hattie, aged five years. Mr. Myers' political proclivities are with the democratic party.

Edwin B. Chase, farmer, Palmyra, was born in Columbia county, New York, November 26, 1810, and is the son of Benjamin and Phebe (Barnard) Chase. His father was a farmer and a native of Massachusetts, and died in the fall of 1871. When Mr. Chase was seven years of age his parents removed to western New York, where his father purchased a farm, and here Mr. Chase was brought up and acquired his education. When grown to manhood he engaged in farming, and followed this vocation until 1856, when he removed to Palmyra township, Lee county, where he purchased a farm, and with the exception of some three or four years has since continued to reside. Mr. Chase was married in "Wayne county. New York, in 1833, to Miss Elizabeth Rushmore, a native of Westchester county, New York. They have five children living, the eldest of whom, Reuben B., was born in 1836, and has resided in California since 1860; Adeline S., born in 1839, was married in 1861, to H. C. Peek, now sheriif of Ogle county ; William D., born in 1815, resides in Palmyra and is by pi'ofession a teacher ; Edwin B., jr., born in 1855, is a resident of Seward, Nebraska ; John P., born in 1S5!», resides with his parents. The second son of Mr. Chase, Arthur W., born in 1812, enlisted in August, 1862, in the 92d 111. Yols., and during his term of service contracted a lung complaint, which finally terminated in his death June 5, 1879. Mr. Chase has been an active member of the republican party from the time of its organization.

George L. Klostermann, farmer. Palmyra, is a native of Germany, where he was born March 29, 1815. He is the son of Ernest H. and Alma Klostermann, both of whom are still living in Palmyra. They came to America when Mr. Klostermann was but a few months old, and coming directly to Lee countj^ f'^^y located near Prairieville, and have ever since resided in that vicinity. For the past fourteen years Mr, Klostermann has been engaged in farming on his own account, and now owns a fine property near the line of Whitesides county. He was married March 12, 1869, to Miss Rebecca C. Lamken, a resident of Palmyra, and the}' have four children living : Ernest H., aged eleven ; Julia F., aged nine; Eddie G., aged four, and Herbert, aged nearly two years. Mr. Klostermann is a republican, and a member of the Lutheran church.

Geor<;e Ric'Kert, farmer, Palm^n'a, was born in Dutchess county, New York, on July 20, 1822. He is the son of John and Elizabeth (Plattner) Rickert. Both of his parents were born, lived and died in the State of New York. Mr. Rickert in his early youth removed to Delaware county. New York, and when old enough engaged in i'arming, which he continued until 1852, when he went to Ulster county. New York, and followed steamboating for about a year, after which he returned to Delaware county. In 1855 he came west, and settled in Palmyra township, where he resided for eight years, with the exception of a few months spent in Colorado. In 1863 he removed to Whitesides county, but in 1871 returned to Lee county, and has since resided on his farm in the town of Palmyra. Mr. Rickert was married in the State of New York on January 1, 1814, to Miss Phebe Bennett, a resident of Greene county, that state, and they have two children : Ennna, born in

1851, and the ".'ife of F. F. Klosterraann, of Palmyra township, and Mathias, born in 1853, and now a resident of Iowa. In his political views Mr. Rickert is in full accord with the republican party, and he and his family are members of the Lutheran church.

John F. Stager, farmer, Palmyra, was born in the State of Pennsylvania, on July 21, 1832, and is the son of John and Sarah (Fensler) Stager. His father is a farmer, and still lives in Pennsylvania, and follows that occupation. His mother died about a year since. Mr. Stager was nineteen years of age when he left his native state, and having learned the trade of a carpenter he came to Stephenson county, Illinois, and for the next live years worked at his trade most of the time in that county. About 1856 he came to Dixon, and about a year later settled in Palmyra, and since that time has built most of the first-class buildings erected in the township. For the past seventeen years he has also been engaged in farming, and for the past few years has followed that pursuit exclusively. He was married on December 27, 1859, to Miss Harriet A. Seavey, the daughter of Jesse and Sarah J. (Norris) Seavey. Mr. Stager has three children : Lillian G., born February 5, 1862; John G., born September 16, 1868, and Lloyd, born March 28, 1880. Politically Mr. Stager is a member of the republican party.

John T. Lawkence, farmer, Palmyra, is a native of the island of Jamaica, West Indies, where he was born September 25, 1819, his parents being John T. and Julia (Ricketts) Lawrence. The Urst of the family to settle in America was Sir Llenry Lawrence, who was president of Cromwell's council. After the death of the latter and the restoration of the Stuarts he came to this country and settled on Long Island. Some years later he removed to Jamaica and engaged in planting, but died soon after. Mr. Lawrence's father in his early life was an officer in the English navy, but on the death of his elder brother he succeeded to the estates in the West Indies. Upon the abolition of slavery in the British colonies he removed to the LTnited States and died in the city of New York in 1847, leaving live children, three of whom are still living : James P. Lawrence, of New York city ; Mrs. General Ricketts, of Washington, D.C., and the subject of our sketch. The latter was educated at Columbia College grammar school, and also passed one year at West Point military academy. After leaving school he engaged in civil engineering for a short time, but in 1839 he came west and located upon the same farm where he now resides and where he has lived continuously for moi'e than forty years. He was marred in 1845, to Miss Elizabeth Graham, a daughter of Capt. Hugh Graham, a very early settler. This union has rusulted in six children, all of whom are living: Julia, the eldest, is the wifeof Harry Eldred and resides at Beardstown, Illinois; John T., jr., Elizabeth,

Rev. Chkistian B. TiirMMEL, D.D. (deceased), Palmyra, was born in German}^ in 1802, and after attending preliminary schools he entered the University of Halle in Prussia, in 1820, afterward graduating from the University of Tubingen in Wurtemburg. He was licensed to preach the gospel in the spring of 1824, and ordained in 1826, soon after which he came to America. For about a year he was employed as a missionary, and in 1827 he was chosen professor of languages in Hartwick Seminary, which position he occupied until 1838, when he accepted a professorship in the Lutheran seminary at Lexington, South Carolina. In 1845 he removed to Prairieville, Illinois, where he resided until his death, which occurred May 24, 1881. For fifteen years before his death he held the position of secretary' and treasurer of the Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Palmyra, and was universally esteemed and respected by all with whom he came in contact. Mr. Thummel was married May 17, 1837, in New York, to Miss Cathrine Lattin, who is still a resident of Palmyra. They had five children : Anson E., residing in Palmyra; Charles, residing in Kansas; George, practicing law in Nebraska; Warren, also a lawyer in Iowa; and Cathrine, married to H. S. Fischer and living in Palmyi-a.

Anson E. Thummel, eldest son of the above, was born in Lexington, South Carolina, September 22, 1841, but removed with his parents when very young to Prairieville, Lee county, where he was brought up and educated. In August, 1861, he enlisted in the 34th 111. Yols., and served with them for more than four years. He returned home in 1865 and soon after went to Iowa, where he engaged in farming, but in about three years he returned to Palmyra township, where he has since been pursuing the same vocation. He was married December 25, 1868, to Miss Helen C. Powers, a daughter of Hon. Abijah Powers, of Palmyra. They have had six children, four of whom survive, the eldest being Laura, aged twelve years; then Bertha, aged ten ; Blanche, aged eight, and Lloyd, aged two years. Mr. Thummel is a republican and a member of the Lutheran church.

Alfred A. Beede, farmer, Palmyra, was born in Carroll county, New Hampshire, in July 1834, and is the son of Noah and Harriet - (Fellows) Beede. His father was a native of New Hampshire, and in his youth learned the trade of a shoemaker. He moved to Lee county in 1836 and settled in Palmyra township, and combined the occupations of farming and shoemaking until his death in February 1854. He married Harriet, daughter of Stephen N. Fellows, in Carroll county. New Hampshire, in 1827. She is still living and resides with her son in Palmjra. The latter was only two years of age at the time of his parents' removal to the west, and received his education in the neighboring schools, and when old enough engaged in farming, which pursuit he still follows. Mr. Beede was married in October 1870, to Mrs. Elizabeth (Lawton) Diblenbeck, a resident of Palmyra, and they have a family of six children : Bertie, aged fourteen ; Hattie, aged t^^n ; Edward A., aged eiglit ; Frank A., aged six; Charles, aged four, and Mary, aged two years. Mr. Beede is, and always has been, an earnest supporter of the republican party and its policy.

Fletcher Hutton, deceased. Palmyra, was born August 10, 1820, in Columbia county, Pennsylvania. His parents were William and Elizabeth (Bowman) Hutton. His father was a fai-mer, and moved to Illinois in 1838, and died in Whitesides county. Mr. Hutton acquired a common school education in the east, and after coming to Illinois commenced operations for himself by cutting wood and breaking prairie, and as his small savings accumulated he invested them in land. He finally settled upon a farm in Carroll county, Illinois, where he resided for about twenty years. He then moved to Lee county and bought a farm in Palmyra township, where he resided until his death on May 20, 1879. Mr. Hutton was married in 1866, to Mrs. Sarah J. (Drynan) Hutton, the widow of his younger brother Maurice Hutton, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1831, and who enlisted in the 21th Iowa Vols, in 1862 ; was taken prisoner at the battle of Cedar Creek in October 1863 ; was confined at Andersonville and other rebel prisons for nearly two years, and finally died, in March 1865, from exposure and starvation. He left two children : Ernest L., born in 1859, and Bert M., born in 1854. Fletcher Hutton left the following children : Alice A., aged fourteen ; William D., aged twelve ; Earl F,, aged ten ; Leon E., aged eight; Walter C. aged six; and Lulu M., aged three years. Mrs. Hutton still resides in Palmyra, and manages her large farm besides looking after the physical and moral well-being of her children.

David G. Book, farmer, Palmyra, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsj'lvania, in March 1832, and is the son of John and Anna (Geist) Book. His mother died in the spring of the present year, but his father is still living and is a resident of Pennsylvania. He was brought up and educated in his native county, and when twenty-two years of age became west and settled near Sterling, in Whitesides county, where he remained until about 1870, when he purchased his present farm, on which he has since resided. Mr. Book was married October 27, 1856, to Miss Mary A. Weaver, a resident of Whitesides county. They have nine children living, the eldest of whom is Aaron, born August 7, 1859 ; Leander, born May 13, 1861 ; Ann E., born December 6, 1862 ; Frank-

Anton BTarinis (deceased), Pahn^a-a, born in Oldenburg, Germany, in 1800, was the son of Frank and Helena (Strengan) Harms. He came to America in 1848, and settled in Palmyra township, Lee county, on the same farm on which his family now resides. He was first married in Germany, to Miss Anna H. Wieting, who died in 1848. Three children survive this marriage, none of whom now reside in Lee county. He was again married in the fall of 1851, to Miss Anna Hector, who is still living. This union resulted in a farail}^ of three boys and two girls : George A., aged twenty-nine, resides with his mother on the old homestead ; Anton W., aged twenty-seven, is married and lives in Palmyra township, and is a farmer ; Theresa S., aged twenty-five, is married to Fred Jurgens, and is a resident of Sterling, Illinois; Augusta C, aged twenty-three, and Herman F., aged twenty-one, reside with their mother.

Ralph E. Johnson, farmer, Palmyra, was born in Palmyra township on January 22, 1847, and is the son of Eben H. and Sarah (Johnson) Johnson, of Palmj-ra. Mr. Johnson's whole life has been spent and his education received in his native town, and for a good many 3^ears he was engaged in farming, having a joint interest with his father and brothers, but about a year ago came into possession of the farm on which he now resides, and has since then farmed on his own account, Mr. Johnson was married March 10, 1875, to Miss Abbie Knox, and they have two children : Anna, born May 25, 1876, and Pena, born December 31, 1878. In his party afifiliations Mr. Johnson has been a steadfast republican.

Henry Miller, farmer, Palmyra, was born in the Province of Oldenbui'g, Germany, November 13, 1822, and is the son of Pope E. and Theda (Remmers) Miller. His father during his youth was engaged in milling, but after his marriage became a farmer, and in 1837 came to America and settled in Cass county, Illinois, where he died a few months later, leaving a widow and five sons, Sibald, Emke D., Anthony F., Becker and Henry, all of whom survive, with the exception of Mrs. Miller, who returned to Germany in 1850, and died there in 1859, and Emke D., who died of consumption in the fall of 1848. The eldest son, Sibald, returned to Germany, and is still living, and xlnthony and Becker are residents of Whitesides county, Illinois. In 1838, soon after the death of the husband and father, the family removed to Palmyra township, Lee county, and settled on the property which is now solely owned and occupied by Henry Miller, and which he has farmed for forty-three years. Mr. Miller was married on September 29, 1850, to Miss Fredrika A. Klostermann, of Palmyra, and there are nine children living, of whom the eldest is Charles E., aged thirty, who resides at Detroit, Michigan, and is an attorney-at-law ; Mary E., aged twentyeight, wife of Warren F. Powers, and residing in Whitesides county ; Rena H., aged twenty-six, and wife of Mathias Rikert, now of Palmyra, but soon to remove to Iowa ; Lucy, aged twenty-four, married to Henry Leniken, and residing in Grundy county, Iowa; Nellie G., aged seventeen, is engaged in teaching school in Iowa; Alma, aged twentyone ; Frank S., aged nineteen ; Kate, aged fifteen, and Minnie, aged thirteen, reside with their parents. Mr. Miller is a republican, and is a member of the Lutheran church.

Becker Miller, brother of the above, and now residing near the boundary line of Lee and Whitesides counties, was born in Oldenburg, Germany, on April 6, 1820, and his history up to the time of their residence in Lee county is comprised in that of his brother Henry. He sold his interest in the farm in Palmyra township to the latter in 1854, and removed just across the line of Lee county into Whitesides, where he has since resided, largely engaged in farming. He was married on September 19, 1852, to Miss Elizabeth M. Thummel, a daughter of Rev. C. B. Thummel, of Palmyra. They have six children: Emma C., born August 12, 1855, and married in December, 1876, to Henry Montillon, a resident of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Adeline E., born January 26, 1857; Ella M., born May 18,1860; George W., born April 2, 1862; Frederick L., born September 15, 1864, and Jessie L., born September 14, 1872, all of whom reside with their parents.

Abram R. Rutt, farmer, Palmyra, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, August 17, 1853, and is the son of Samnel W. and Maggie (Rutt) Rutt, and the grandson of Samuel Rutt, an old settler of Lancaster county. His father was born there in 1822, and after receiving his education engaged in farming in his native county, and continued there until 185-, when he removed to Franklin county, in the same state. He removed to Lee county and located in Palmyra township early in 1865. His property in Pennsylvania was valuable and well improved, but he had endured many losses during the civil war from the incursions of both the Union and confederate armies, and at the time of the burning of Charaborsburg by the rebels he resided within two miles of that town and suffered greatly from their depredations. He accordingly sold his property considerably below its value and moved west. In 1879 he returned to Sterling, Whitesides county, and is now engaged in the ice business there in company with two of his sons, Levi and Henry. Abram R. came west with his parents in 1865, and when old enough engaged in farming in Palmyra township, where he still resides. He was married on the 16th of December 1874, to Miss Maria Landis, a resident of Whitesides county, and the}' have two children : Clarence, born September 23, 1876, and Anna, born March 6 1S78. Mr. Rutt is, and always has been, a thorough republican.

EicHAKD C. Peck (deceased), Palmyra, was born in Bethany, Genesee county, New York, in 1821. and was the son of Richard and Catharine H. (Comstock) Peck. His father was a farmer, whose whole life was passed in the State of Now York. Mr. Peck grew up and was educated in his native county, and when groAvn to manhood became engaged in farming there, wliich lie continued until 1856, at which time he came to Illinois, and settled in Whitesides county, until 1863, when he purchased a farm in Palmyra, on which he resided until his death, January 12, 1877, and where his widow and children are still living. Mr. Peck was married in December 1852, to Miss Sylvia A. Gillett, at Byron, Genesee county, New York. Five children resulted from this union, the eldest being Charles D., born March 25, 1854; Mary Hope, born October 21, 1861; Kate L., born March 10, 1864; William J., born February 3, 1866, and Frank H., born January 31, 1873. Mr. Peck was universally esteemed and respected, and left to his family a legacy more precious than gold or silver, that of an unsullied reputation and untarnished name.