USA > Illinois > LaSalle County > Biographical and genealogical record of La Salle County, Illinois. Volume I > Part 18
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In 1825 John Fleming, Jr., was united in marriage to Miss Mary Brower, a daughter of Abraham and Mary (Goodman) Brower. Her father was of Dutch parentage. He was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in 1783, and died in 1869, a member of the Methodist church, in which he was class- leader and exhorter. His wife, who was of German descent, was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1784, and departed this life in 1877, in her ninety- third year. They were the parents of five sons and six daughters, of whom three sons and one daughter are still living. Both the Browers and the
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V. Flemming Marseilles Filhos
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Goodmans were weavers and workers in textile fabrics. Although Pennsyl- vania Dutch was his mother tongue, Abraham Brower acquired an English education and taught school, his family being proficient in both languages. Jolın and Mary (Brower) Fleming had nine children, six sons and three daughters: Nathan; Isaac N .; Joshua C., who died in infancy and is buried at Harmony church, Berks county, Pennsylvania; James, who died in 1869, at the age of thirty-six years; Mary Anna, who died in 1847, in her thirteenth year; Elizabeth; Margaret Jane; Burr Bryant, who died in 1876, in his thirty-fourth year; and John Davis, who died in infancy.
In the spring of 1837, John Fleming, Jr., and his family made their first move westward, stopping in Butler county, Pennsylvania; in 1841 they removed to Mount Vernon, Ohio; in 1843 to Marion county, that state, and in the autumn of 1845 came to LaSalle county, Illinois, locating on the bank of the Illinois river just above the present site of Seneca. In October, about one month after their arrival, John Fleming, Jr., suddenly departed this life, in his forty-third year, his death being occasioned by a congestive chill. "It has always seemed providential, after these many removals, that he should just live to leave his family in this God-favored land of the great state of Illinois."
When the family removed from Ohio Nathan Fleming did not accom- pany them, having an engagement to run a potash factory, at six dollars per month. Not hearing of his family, he returned late in the fall to Ohio, from Pennsylvania, where he had gone at the close of his term of engage- ment, and there he first learned of the death of his father. He at once started for Illinois, arriving about the Ist of March, 1846, having traveled on foot alone five hundred miles in the dead of winter. "Shall thy mother ever forget thee?" If ever a mother was glad to meet her son it was then. He, being the eldest, assumed his place at the head of the family and thus relieved his mother of much responsibility and care. She was most devoted to her children, her most pronounced characteristic being her unselfish love for them. She departed this life at the home of her daughter Elizabeth, in North Evanston, Illinois, December 14, 1879, and lies buried in the cemetery by the little church in Manlius.
In 1847 Nathan Fleming was employed on the farm of Solomon Bell, whose stepdaughter he subsequently married. In 1848 he rented a farm and was enabled to make a first payment on land bought at the first canal- land sale of that year. He continued farming until 1853, when he went to California, going from New York by ship and across the isthmus of Panama. He engaged both in agricultural pursuits and mining in California until 1857, but not meeting with the success he anticipated he returned home by the route which he had previously taken.
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On the 19th of April, 1858, in Ottawa, Illinois, was celebrated the marriage of Nathan Fleming and Mary Harrington, who was born in Central Square, near Syracuse, New York, January 22, 1837. Her grandfather, John Harrington, was a native of England, and in that land married Miss Mary Barbara Bell. They became the parents of seven children, of whom Thomas, the father of Mrs. Fleming, was the eldest. He was born in England August 7, 1808, and came to America with his parents about 1834. On the 10th of March, 1836, he wedded Margaret Summers, at Central Square, New York. She was born December 16, 1811, and in 1837 they came to Marseilles, where Mr. Harrington was drowned in the Illinois river, March 16, 1838. In 1844 Mrs. Harrington was united in marriage to Solomon Bell, of Rutland township, and on the 6th of January, 1876, she was called to her final rest. To Nathan Fleming and his wife eight children were born : Herbert H., born May 26, 1859, was a soldier in the Cuban war as a member of the Second Regiment Illinois Infantry; Sherman, who was born March 26, 1861, and married Bertha Arnold, by whom he has two children- Margaret Lucile and Florence A .; Edwin D., who was born November 28, 1862, and died March 29, 1864; George C., who was born February 12, 1865, and married Jessie C. Samuels, by whom he has three children- Nathan L., Mary E. and Jeanette B .; Gertrude; James, who was born March 13, 1870, and died April 17, 1892; Frederic S., born July 31, 1872; and Margaret June, born June 5, 1874.
In 1858 Mr. Fleming engaged in the milling business in Ottawa, carry- ing on operations there until 1863, when he removed to his farm in Rutland township, operating it until 1867. Through the six succeeding years he purchased grain in Marseilles for the firm of Scott & Harrington, after which he took a vacation, going to California, where he visited some of the places that he had seen in the 'sos. The First National Bank of Mar- seilles was incorporated in 1871 and Mr. Fleming was one of the original stockholders. He was elected vice-president January 17, 1874, and has since served continuously in that position. In 1891 the directors presented him a splendid gold watch chain and charm. In 1874 he removed to the farm where he now resides, leasing it for three years, and at the end of that time extending the lease. Upon the death of Mr. Bell, his wife's step- father, one-half of the farm reverted to Mrs. Fleming and Mr. Fleming purchased the other half of the remaining heirs.
In 1848 our subject cast his first presidential vote, supporting Martin Van Buren. Since the organization of the Republican party he has been one of its staunch supporters, never swerving in his allegiance to the party and its principles. It has been his good fortune to represent that somewhat rare and ideal condition in which the office sought the man, rather than
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the too common reversal of the case. He is at present township trustee of schools, and is officially connected with other concerns, being a director of the Rutland and Manlius Friendly Aid Insurance Company; treasurer of Marseilles Lodge, No. 417, F. & A. M .; vice-president and director of the First National Bank of Marseilles, and has held the office of assessor of Rutland township for twenty-five years, being elected twenty times without opposition. He voluntarily resigned in 1898. He is a member of Marseilles Lodge, No. 417, F. & A. M .; Shabbona Chapter, No. 37; and Ottawa Com- mandery, No. 10, K. T. In January, 1897, Mr. Fleming, accompanied by his wife, made another trip to California, and one of the places of interest visited by them was the old mining camp at Nevada City, California. On the very ground where Mr. Fleming had worked a claim forty years before, they found one solitary man at work. After a pleasant sojourn in the Golden state, they returned to LaSalle county and to their many friends living in this section of the state.
The following is an extract from the remarks of Mr. P. A. Butterfield, made on the fortieth anniversary of their wedding:
Mr. and Mrs. Fleming: Your children and friends have met with you in commemoration of your wedding which occurred forty years ago to-day, and have chosen me, in behalf of your children, to present to you their filial gratitude for favors, precept and example, and also this fine furniture. May it be useful, ornamental and always a reminder of those who view you with tender regard and loving kindness in your declining years.
Allow me also to present to you these beautiful chairs, in behalf of your many friends here convened, as a memento of their kind regard and esteem. They do not offer them as an article of any considerable money value, nor do they conceive they would be any more thankfully received by you were they more elaborate. They tender them to you hoping you may use them much, that they may be useful and comfortable, and bring to you that rest and repose so necessary to the welfare of those who have started down the western slope of life's hillside. Finally they present them wishing that they may cause you to recall occasionally the vision of the donors, the day and the date which makes this meeting and greeting emi- nently proper.
G. E. PENNEY.
G. E. Penney, a retired farmer residing at Ottawa, Illinois, may well be classed among the representative men of LaSalle county. Intelligent, public-spirited and liberal, his life has been an example and inspiration to others to make the best of their opportunities, even as he has done. He was born in the town of Adams, Jefferson county, New York, October 3,
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1832. the state in which his father, George Penney, was also born. The family came from England to this country about the year 1630 and settled in the New England colony. The grandfather Penney married a Miss Crosby and moved to "York" state, where he brought up his children. George Penney married Miss Polly Gardner, whose father, Ezekiel Gard- ner, was a native of Rhode Island and moved from that state to New York after the birth of Polly. She died in that state in 1870, and her husband twenty years later.
Mr. Penney was the second child in a family of five who reached mature years. His boyhood and youth were passed in Jefferson county, and there he received his education, finishing with a course in Adams col- lege. He farmed in the summer and for three years employed his time by teaching during the winter months, but his natural inclination was for farming, and in 1856 he came to LaSalle county and purchased a farm of one hundred acres at Freedom Center, in Freedom township. This land and its cultivation received his closest attention and he brought it to such a state of perfection that it yielded him a sufficient return to enable him to add to it until he owned four hundred acres of the choice land for which this state is famous. He has been much interested in raising cattle and hogs of a fine grade, and in this respect he has been a benefactor to the com- munity by teaching them the benefit to be derived from raising choice stock on the farm. He has been unusually successful as a corn-grower, raising some two hundred acres annually and feeding a part of it to his hogs and cattle, thus not only getting more for his crop, but also keeping his land in the best possible condition of fertility. He feeds and sells from this farm each year a carload of hogs, and his successful crops and hand- some returns from the stock raised has demonstrated clearly that he has solved the problem of extensive crop-raising without impoverishing the land. For twenty years he gave his entire attention to agriculture, and then took up his residence in Ottawa in 1877, and the following twelve years carried on his farm by means of hired help. Since then he has rented the land and for four years engaged in buying grain near the Rock Island Rail- road.
In 1855 Mr. Penney was married to Miss Arvilla Wheeler, daughter of Daniel Wheeler and a native of the township of Lorraine, near Adams, New York, where our subject was born. Three children were born to them: Anna Dell, wife of Thomas McCall, of Chicago; Edith M., wife of Emil Johnson, of this city; and George B., of Chicago. Mrs. Penney passed to her reward May 6, 1896, a sincere member of the Baptist church, and left a host of friends to mourn her demise.
April 17, 1899, Mr. Penney was married to Mrs. Elizabeth Johnson,
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the daughter of Rev. David and Ruth (Lewis) Prichard. Her father was a native of Brekenshire, Wales, and her mother of Remsen, Oneida county, New York. Mrs. Penney was born in Delhi, Delaware county, Ohio, Jan- uary 26, 1850. By her former marriage, to W. W. Johnson, she had two daughters: Mrs. Lucy Lansing, who lives at Amboy, Illinois; and Ger- trude, who lives with her mother.
Mr. Penney is an earnest worker in the Baptist church, of which he is a trustee, and he is also a prominent Mason, belonging to Freedom Lodge, No. 194, A. F. & A. M. In politics he is a Republican, but has never aspired to office. In 1892 he erected a fine residence in one of the most pleasant locations in the city, on Paul street, which is a model of modern architecture and convenience. It is finished in the most approved modern style and heated throughout with hot water, making it a most comfortable and desirable property. Mr. Penney is characterized as a broad-minded, upright man, whose conduct in life will bear the test of the closest scrutiny and who has the esteem of everyone.
SYLVANUS S. THOMPSON.
Some forty-five years ago Sylvanus S. Thompson came to LaSalle county, with whose welfare he has been closely associated ever since, and few citizens of Marseilles and vicinity are better known or more highly esteemed.
The family to which our subject belongs has been represented in Pennsylvania for several generations. John Thompson was the grand- father and George L. Thompson the father of Sylvanus S. Born in the Keystone state in 1823, George L. Thompson married, in 1846, Elizabeth Wilson, of the same state. In 1854 they removed to LaSalle county and settled in the town of Grand Rapids, where the husband and father improved a farm, and was successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death in 1891. The mother, who was a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Wilson, departed this life in 1877, having preceded her husband about four- teen years.
The birth of Sylvanus S. Thompson occurred in Beallsville, Wash- ington county, Pennsylvania, June 10, 1847, and he was consequently seven years of age when he accompanied his parents in their removal to this county. He acquired a thorough, practical knowledge of farming when quite young, and continued to aid his father in the management of the old homestead until he reached his majority. He then engaged in farming upon his own account, and was prosperous in the undertaking. Making a
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specialty of raising and feeding cattle and hogs, he found a ready market for them, and derived a good income from this source alone. For twenty- five years he has owned a homestead in Grand Rapids township, and has instituted substantial and valuable improvements upon the place within this period. The farm comprises three hundred acres of fertile land, all kept under fine cultivation. Since 1892 Mr. Thompson has lived in Mar- seilles and has carried on his farm by the aid of reliable men whom he has employed. March 26, 1874, the marriage of our subject and Miss Sylvia Stead, a daughter of Henry Stead, of Grand Rapids township, LaSalle county, was solemnized. A son and a daughter were born to this worthy couple, namely: Henry S., now a student at Lake Forest, Illinois; and Ethelinda, now the wife of Charles Booth, of Peoria, Illinois.
Fraternally Mr. Thompson is a Knight Templar Mason, belonging to Marseilles Lodge, No. 417, F. & A. M .; Ottawa Chapter, No. 37, R. A. M .; and Ottawa Commandery, No. 10, K. T. Politically he has been a faithful worker in the ranks of the Republican party for years, having held many positions of trust. In June, 1898, he was honored with the appointment to the postmastership at Marseilles, and, entering upon his duties upon the 16th of the following July, he has made a record as an efficient and popular public official.
SAMUEL P. HALL.
An able member of the LaSalle county bar is Judge Samuel P. Hall, who for the past nine years has been engaged in practice in Ottawa, and who long since achieved distinction in the field of jurisprudence. He is a man of scholarly attainments, possessing thorough knowledge of the law, sound judgment upon all disputed points, and the clear, logical mind which readily solves intricacies and involved questions. All cases entrusted to him he manages with masterly skill and tact, and never stoops to the petty methods employed by too many members of the legal profession, but maintains that high standard of ethics to which none can take exceptions.
The family to which our subject belongs, and to which his name and record have added new luster, is one of the oldest in New England. The founder of this branch in America was a native of England, and settled in the colony of Connecticut in 1645. Sherman A. Hall, the paternal grand- father of the judge, was one of the pioneers of DeKalb county, Illinois, where he was occupied in agricultural pursuits until his death.
Born December 25, 1818, in Jefferson county, New York, Russell R. Hall, the father of the judge, passed his boyhood there, and about 1845 became a resident of DeKalb county, Illinois. December 22, 1848, he
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married Miss Ruth Ann Simmons, who was born July 10, 1823; and to them were born two sons and a daughter: Samuel P., Frank, who is a farmer of LaSalle county; and Emeline M., wife of C. C. Duffy, of Ottawa, the present clerk of the supreme court. The death of Mrs. Ruth Ann Hall occurred July 16, 1861.
The birth of Samuel P. Hall took place May 16, 1851, in Clinton, DeKalb county. In his youth he attended the public schools and Jenning's Seminary, at Aurora, an institution conducted under the auspices of the Methodists. He continued his higher studies there until he was graduated, in 1871. Having determined his future course in life, he then began the study of law in the office of Judge Parks, of Aurora, and later he was guided and aided by William Barge, a lawyer of Dixon, Illinois. Circumstances prevented his rapid progress in the acquisition of a legal education, and it was not until 1879 that he was admitted to the bar of LaSalle county, in the appellate court at Ottawa. He established an office at Plano, Illinois, and subsequently, in February, 1881, removed to LaSalle, where he succeeded in building up an extensive practice. In 1890 he was elected to the judge- ship of the probate court of this county, in which office he made a record of which he may justly be proud. Upon the expiration of his term, in 1894, he opened an office in Ottawa, and is conducting a general law business, giving particular attention to probate matters. Politically he is identified with the Democratic party, and socially is a member of Acacia Lodge, No. 67, F. & A. M., of LaSalle.
December 17, 1881, Judge Hall married Miss Carrie Henry, daughter of James K. Henry, of Dixon, Illinois. They have a pleasant home and are the parents of five promising children, who are named, in order of birth, as follows: Samuel P., Jr .; Bruce; Ruth H .; Blanche, and Esther. Mrs. Hall is a lady of intelligence and culture, and presides over her home with womanly grace and dignity, endearing herself to all who know her, and carrying an atmosphere of loving sympathy and helpfulness wherever she goes.
FREDERICK P. TISLER.
Prominent among the French-Americans of LaSalle county is Fred- erick P. Tisler, a well-to-do and enterprising florist of Marseilles. He was born in Alsace, France, December 15, 1843, his parents being Charles B. and Catherine (Neuviller) Tisler. Both of his grandfathers, Jolin Tisler and Charles Neuviller, were soldiers serving under the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1855 the Tisler family, to which our subject belonged, emi- grated to the United States. Arriving in New York city, they proceeded
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on their westward journey, and thenceforth were residents of Ottawa, Illi- mois, until death released them from life's burdens and responsibilities. Mrs. Tisler died in 1867, and was survived by the husband and father, whose death took place in 1895.
Frederick P. Tisler is the eldest of five children, and with his brother and three sisters attended the public schools of his native land. After coming to this country he went to the Ottawa schools for a short time, and then set about learning the carpenter's trade. During the next few years he was employed in the building of many of the houses and stores in Ottawa. In 1879 he came to Marseilles, where for a score of years he was similarly occupied. In 1892 he embarked in a very different line of enterprise, and has made a success of the venture. He opened a green- house, and has since made numerous improvements which add greatly to the value of the plant. A fine hot-water system is used during the winter season for keeping the greenhouse at the proper temperature, and all mod- ern appliances and devices used by florists are employed by Mr. Tisler, who is wide-awake and progressive. He is very popular. In 1896 his fellow citizens elected him to the position of alderman, and he was re-elected for a second term. In 1897 he was appointed collector of taxes for Rutland township. Fraternally he belongs to the Ancient Order of United Work- men.
In 1867 Mr. Tisler married Miss Sophie E. Scheidecker, who was born and reared in France. She is a daughter of Louis and Henrietta (Bernard) Scheidecker, and from this union were born to them the following, namely: Sophie E., wife of M. H. Pitts, of Deer Park. Alabama: Emilie H., wife of Louis Morel, Marseilles; Fred P., Jr., a machinist; Ida J., a graduate of 1893; May L., a teacher in the Marseilles schools; Charles L., who died in Ottawa, in 1878; Henry A .; Cora L., a graduate of the class of 1899 (M. H. S.); Adele L .; Eva J .; and Mabel E., who died in 1890. All of the children were given a liberal education and are well qualified to meet the battles of life. Mr. Tisler is a man of thorough integrity of character, as all who know him cheerfully testify.
CHARLES H. KNICKERBOCKER.
Charles H. Knickerbocker, a retired farmer of LaSalle county, was born in Columbia county, New York, August 17, 1841, upon a farm near where both his parents were ushered into existence. His father, James B., was born February 5, 1812, and his mother, Catherine, nee Latimer, in 1821. In 1845 James Knickerbocker brought his family to LaSalle county, Illi-
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nois, and settled on a farm in Manlius (now Miller) township. He broke the sod, improved the land and did general farming. He was a man whose personality was largely felt throughout the community, where he was much esteemed. He was a Republican and held a number of minor offices. He was a member of the school board several years and also acted in the ca- pacity of treasurer for the school. His death occurred on his farm, May 4, 1884, his wife dying there March 8, 1887. Their children are: Harriet, deceased, wife of Richard Pitzer; Sally, wife of J. B. Parr, of Manlius; Milton, deceased; Lorinda, wife of George Bowers, residing on the old homestead; and Charles H., our subject.
As a boy Charles H. Knickerbocker was inured to the work incident to farm life. He attended district school during the winter months, work- ing on the farm in summer. He remained with his parents until he attained his twenty-first year, when he began to follow agriculture for himself, at first on rented ground. He then purchased eighty acres in Miller town- ship, where he lived until 1883, when he bought one hundred acres in Brookfield township, where he moved, remaining there until 1884, and he then came to Marseilles. He has been most successful in his farming operations and has accumulated a neat competency by his thrift and in- dustry, making him independent of future labor. January 10. 1866, he was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca Shipman, daughter of Johnathan and Laura A. (Woodard, born February 23, 1812) Shipman. Her father was born in Providence, New York, March II, 1809, and was captain of the home guards. Johnathan Shipman was united in marriage, in Provi- dence, New York, September 30, 1830, to Miss Laura A. Woodard, and they came to Marseilles, LaSalle county, in 1856. They were the parents. of four children, three of whom lived to maturity: Marcius M., who lives in Nebraska; Rebecca, wife of our subject; and Davis N., who is a resident of Joliet, Illinois. Johnathan Shipman died January 28, 1883, and his wife passed away September 28 of the same year.
WILLIAM F. FLETCHER.
In all the various relations of life W. F. Fletcher bears an excellent reputation. As a citizen he upholds all movements of progress and im- provement, and loyally supports the principles which lie at the foundation of good government. As a business man his integrity, justice and enter- prise are well known and favorably mentioned among the people of Ottawa. In the home circle and in society his genial, happy manner and genuine
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