USA > Illinois > LaSalle County > Biographical and genealogical record of La Salle County, Illinois. Volume I > Part 33
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Space could not be reserved to enumerate in full the many enterprises in which the genius of George D. Ladd found manifestation. During the last years of his busy life he was prominently connected with the Peru Ele- vator Stock Company, and previously he had been active in the organiza- tions of the Peru Water Works and Electric Light Company, the Peru Water & Gas Pipe Company and the Illinois & Wisconsin Live-stock Com- pany, besides many others of lesser note.
In his political convictions, Mr. Ladd was broad minded, and, posting himself thoroughly upon all the great issues of the day, acted in accordance with the verdict which his judgment returned. For the most part a Demo- crat, lie was still so liberal and unbiased by party ties that he voted for
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Harrison and McKinley, as a matter of principle, believing that the good of the country would be best subserved by their election. Never a seeker of political preferment, upon his own account, he could not disregard the wishes of his fellow citizens, when, in 1886, they honored him with the office of mayor of Peru; but at the end of his two-years term he declined re-elec- tion. He was a true friend of the workingmen, and many a deed of kindly charity and unostentatious assistance did he perform. Quiet and reserved, he found publicity especially distasteful; but his name and fame were such that he was not always able to avoid being brought into prominence.
In early life he identified himself with the Masonic order and the Presbyterian church. After coming to Peru he joined the Congregational church, from which he afterward withdrew, owing to the fact that a political sermon was delivered from the pulpit .- a thing that offended all of his principles of good taste. In after years he expressed regret to his family that he had severed his connection with the church, but his action in this matter was but an expression of his strong individuality and his inherited belief that church and state should be kept separate, each perfoming its mission in its proper place. Deeply mourned by the whole community, Mr. Ladd passed away at his home in this city, in 1898, at the age of sixty- five years.
The wife of his youth was a Miss Lorinda Laird, of Danville, Vermont, and of the two daughters born to them Kate, the elder, now the wife of Thomas F. Bitner, resides in Milwaukee; while the younger, Lora, died when but six years old. Some time subsequent to the death of his first wife, Mr. Ladd wedded Mrs. Louise Banks, who died without children. In 1875. the marriage of Mr. Ladd and Miss Christina Murray was solemnized. Mrs. Ladd, who survives her husband, is a native of Peru, where her father was a prominent merchant for years, and was one of the early settlers. Both of the parents of Mrs. Ladd, Andrew and Bessie Belle (Buchanan) Murray, were natives of Scotland, and they are now residents of St. Louis. The eldest son of our subject and wife, George Dana, is now employed in the ore department of the Illinois Zinc Company and stationed at Joplin, Mis- souri; Frank Fenton, the second son, is with the same company; and the younger sons are Andrew Murray and Lester L.
MILTON B. PEDDICORD.
Milton B. Peddicord, an energetic and influential farmer of Rutland township, LaSalle county, Illinois, was born in this county, January 22, 1857, his parents being E. S. and Elizabeth (Johnson) Peddicord. His father was a Virginian, having been ushered into existence in that state
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July 9, 1829. He left his native state when a lad, traveling on foot to Licking county, Ohio, where he remained ten years, going thence to Dela- ware county, that state, where he worked two years. In 1870 he came west to Illinois, and during his life was known as one of the most success- ful business men of LaSalle county. September 20, 1842, he was joined in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Johnson, a native of Ohio. Nine children were born to them,-six sons and three daughters, namely: William D., of Dallas county, Iowa; Lewis E., of Chicago, Illinois; Willis P., who died in boyhood; Charles J. of Miller township; Isabella, deceased; Milton B., of this sketch; Edward P .: Jennie L., of Marseilles, Illinois; and Ami J., of Ne- vada, Iowa.
Milton B. Peddicord was educated in this county, where he grew to manhood and adopted the vocation of farming. He is one of the progressive farmers of the county and takes a pride in the appearance of his property. He was married February 23, 1882, to Miss Clara E. Gibson, daughter of George W. Gibson of this township, and took his bride at once to the farm he now owns. This contains one hundred and sixty acres, and is located one and three-quarters miles from Wedron station. The house in which they formerly resided was replaced in 1896 by a new building of modern architecture, one of the finest country residences to be found in the county. They have two children,-a daughter and a son: Myrtle M., born August 29, 1886, and George E., born May 12, 1890.
Mr. Peddicord takes an intelligent interest in politics, and is a strong Democrat. He has been an able member of the school board for more than sixteen years, and has lost no opportunity of furthering the cause of education. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and has the respect of the entire community.
HENRY GLOVER HALL.
Occupying a representative position among the leading farmers of LaSalle county, Illinois, is the subject of this review, Henry G. Hall, whose postoffice address is Wedron.
Mr. Hall was born in Ottawa, also in this county, November 29, 1853, and was a son of the late Joseph Hall, of Dayton township, this county, who was one of the pioneer settlers here. He was a native of Binghamton, New York, and in 1836, when a young man of twenty, came west to Illi- nois, making the journey by canal to Buffalo and thence by wagon to his destination, Ottawa. He had learned the trade of blacksmith in his native state, and on taking up his residence in Ottawa engaged in work here at
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his trade. Some years after his location here he acquired the property on which the Ottawa postoffice building is now located, and at this point had a shop and conducted a successful business for a number of years. In 1857 he purchased a farm in Dayton township, where his efforts in the direc- tion of cultivating and improving were characterized by that same push and energy that had gained him success at the forge. Soon he became one of the prominent farmers in the township, and such was his life that he won the confidence and esteem of all who knew him. He was married in 1841 to Miss Sarah Bryant Gurley, in Ottawa. Mrs. Hall was born in Hartford, Connecticut, May 23, 1823, and was a daughter of Jason Gur- ley, a cousin of the author, William Cullen Bryant. She was a sister of ex- Congressman John A. Gurley, a Universalist minister of Ohio, and gov- ernor of the territory of Arizona under President Lincoln. Mrs. Hall died in November. 1896, after a residence of over fifty-five years in LaSalle county. Joseph Hall died in 1890, at the age of seventy-four years. Their children are Harriet, wife of E. G. Keith, of Chicago; Charles A., engaged in the fruit and insurance business at San Jose, California; Frank G., a wholesale merchant of Chicago; Henry G., whose name heads this sketch; John A., at Hinsdale, Illinois, is an agent for Mr. Phipps, of Phipps & Carnegie; Jason G., at the homestead; Mary L., wife of L. W. Fuller, of Chicago; and Clarence R., connected with the Metropolitan Bank of Chi- cago.
Henry G. Hall was four years old at the time his father moved to the farm. as above stated, in 1857, and here his youthful days were passed. In 1875 he went to Chicago and became associated with his brother, C. A. Hall, in the commission business. Later he went into the custom house, where for eight years he filled a responsible position. In 1894 he returned to the home of his childhood and resumed farming, taking in charge the home farm, a tract of three hundred and eighty acres, and since that date he has managed farming operations with as much skill and success as though he had never known any other business. Politically he affiliates with the Re- publican party. He is unmarried.
JOHN C. AMES.
If those who claim that fortune favored certain individuals above others will but investigate the cause of success and failure, it will be found that the former is largely due to the improvement of opportunity, the latter to the neglect of it. Fortunate environments encompass nearly every man at some stage of his career, but the strong man and the successful man is he
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who realizes that the proper moment has come, that the present and not the future holds his opportunity. The man who makes use of the Now and not the To Be is the one who passes on the highway of life others who started out ahead of him and reaches the goal of prosperity far in advance of them. It is this quality in John C. Ames, of Streator, that has made him a leader in the business world of his county and won him a name in connection with commercial and political interests that is known through- out the state. He is now occupying the responsible position of United States marshal for the northern district of Illinois, and at the same time is closely allied with the business affairs of Streator.
A native of LaSalle county, Mr. Ames was born on his father's farm in Freedom township, July 17, 1852, his parents being Isaac and Arilla (Mooar) Ames, natives of Maine and pioneer settlers of LaSalle county, where they took up. their abode in 1848. In the usual manner of farmer lads, among richly cultivated fields and verdant meadows, Mr. Ames spent his youth, assisting in the labors of the farm through the summer months, while in the winter season he attended the district school of the neighbor- hood. Subsequently his educational privileges were extended by a two- year course in the Illinois State Normal School, at Normal. On laying aside his text-books in 1872, in order to learn the more difficult lessons in the school of experience, he joined John Dickerman in the drug business in Streator, under the firm name of Dickerman & Ames. The following year, however, he sold his interest, and in 1873 engaged in the hardware business in connection with his father, under the firm style of I. Ames & Son, which connection was continued until 1875, when their store was destroyed by fire. The subject of this sketch then resumed business alone and be- came the proprietor of an extensive hardware store, which brought to him a handsome income. He conducted it successfully until the Ist of July, 1885, when he disposed of his stock in order to give his attention more entirely to the lumber business, in which he had embarked in 1878. In that year he organized the J. C. Ames Lumber Company, of which he is still president, and under his able direction the enterprise has been carried forward, yielding a handsome return to the stockholders.
Mr. Ames has by no means limited his efforts to one line of undertak- ing, but has been a promoter of many enterprises which have contributed not only to his personal prosperity, but have also advanced the general welfare through the promotion of commercial activity. He was one of the incorporators of the Plumb Hotel Stock Company, and was made a member of its board of directors. He was also a director and vice president of the Streator Loan & Building Association, which was organized in 1874. In 1891 he organized the City National Bank of Streator, and remained its
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president until he resigned his position to take that of United States marshal, to which he had been appointed by President Mckinley.
With the growth of the city Mr. Ames grew in influence, affluence and in public esteem, and not only became a leader in commercial circles, but was also called into prominence in political life and ably fulfilled many public trusts reposed in him. He has filled many local offices, has been alderman and county supervisor, and in April, 1885, was elected mayor of Streator, which position he filled for two terms, when he declined a third nomination. His administration was at once practical, progressive and beneficial, he using his official prerogatives for the substantial improvement and advance- ment of the city. Under Governor Fifer he served as one of the canal com- missioners of Illinois for four years, and by President McKinley he was appointed to his present position of United States marshal for the northern district of Illinois. This was an honor well merited, for he has not only been a recognized leader in the ranks of the Republican party in the state for many years, but also in every official position which he has filled he has dis- charged his duties in a manner which has won him the highest commenda- tion by reason of his fidelity to duty and his faithfulness to the trust reposed in him.
On the 2d of March, 1875, Mr. Ames was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Ross, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Hunter) Ross, of Lacon, Illinois. They have one child living, Isaac Carlos, now doing service for his country in the Philippine islands. One daughter, Aurelia Elizabeth, died at the age of fourteen months, and a son, Walter Cope, died December 28, 1895, at the age of eleven years. In Streator, where they have so long made their home, Mr. and Mrs. Ames are held in the highest regard, and their residence is the center of a cultured society circle. In his social relations Mr. Ames is connected with the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Streator Lodge, No. 607, F. and A. M., to Streator Chapter, No. 147, R. A. M., and to Ottawa Commandery, No. 10, Knight Templars. He is a man of fine personal appearance, of courteous deportment and social disposition, and, above all, of that sterling worth of character which wins recognition every- where and commands respect in every land and every clime.
OLE ERICKSON.
Miller township, LaSalle county, Illinois, includes among its well- known citizens the subject of this sketch, Ole Erickson, who has for three years figured in the public capacity of road commissioner, and who during this time has not only extended his acquaintance throughout the township.
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but also has won the confidence and favor of those with whom he has come in contact.
As his name suggests, Mr. Erickson is a Norwegian. He was born in Norway, January 12, 1852, a son of George and Winnie (Clarkson) Erick- son, who were the parents of seven children. Two of this number, Rjestine and Maria, are deceased. Those living are Ole, the direct subject of this review; Julia Jacobson, a resident of Lee county; and Bertha, Carrie and Mina, in Norway.
On his emigration to this country Ole Erickson located first in Fillmore county, Minnesota, where he remained for five months, at the end of that time coming to LaSalle county, Illinois, which has since been his home. In 1879 he purchased his present farm, one hundred and twenty acres, in Miller township, which he has improved with a modern residence, other good build- ings, etc., and has since that date devoted his energies to the cultivation of his broad acres.
The same year he purchased his farm Mr. Erickson took to himself a wife. Mrs. Erickson, formerly Miss Caroline Anderson, is a native of Miller township, LaSalle county, and a daughter of Andrew Anderson, de- ceased. They have five children: Celia, Florence, Olive, George and Alice. Also they have three children deceased, all having died in infancy. Their daughter, Miss Olive, is an accomplished musician, and Celia is a successful teacher.
Mr. Erickson is a Democrat. Besides filling the office of road com- missioner, above referred to, he has for nine years been a member of the school board. He is identified with the Lutheran church, while his wife be- longs to the Church of Latter Day Saints.
D. H. WICKWIRE.
Since 1867 the subject of this sketch, D. H. Wickwire, has been a resi- dent of LaSalle county, Illinois, and since that time has owned and occupied his present farm near Ottawa. As one of the representative men of the county, some personal mention of him is appropriate in this work.
D. H. Wickwire was born in Litchfield county, Connecticut, January 3, 1844, the home of the distinguished Henry Ward Beecher, and his talented sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and comes of English ancestry, his grandsire, Daniel Wickwire, having been one of the early settlers of Connecticut. Chester Wickwire, the father of D. H., was born in Connecticut, May 27, 1810, and passed his life and died there, his death occurring in 1887, at the age of seventy-seven years. His wife, whose maiden name was Miss Mary
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A. Harrisson, was born October 2, 1816, and is still living. To them were born seven children, six of whom reached adult age, namely: Jennie Smith, of Cortland county, New York; D. H., whose name introduces this sketch; Julia J .; L. C .; Eugene, of Berkshire county, Massachusetts; and Gertrude Hornbeck, of Falls Village, Connecticut.
D. H. in his boyhood attended the district and "select" schools of the neighborhood in which he was reared, and, his father being a dairy farmer, the boy found plenty of work to do at home when he was not in school. In the fall of 1867 he came to Illinois, and settled in LaSalle county, and has since been operating a dairy farm.
Mr. Wickwire was married in 1871 to Miss Isabella Grove. Her father, David Grove, was a native of Ohio, and was for many years a prominent citizen of LaSalle county, where he died in 1880. Mrs. Wickwire's mother, before marriage Miss Amanda Houser, was a native of Licking county, Ohio. She died in August, 1849, leaving seven children, six of whom are living, as follows: Elizabeth, widow of D. W. Conard; Catherine Grove, of LaSalle county; Samuel, also of this county; George, of Ottawa, Illinois; Isabella; and Eliza, wife of William Chapman, of Freedom township, La- Salle county. Mr. and Mrs. Wickwire have had two children: Gertrude, born October 26, 1882, died in May, 1885; and Herbert G., born October 18, 1876, is at home with his parents.
Mr. and Mrs. Wickwire are identified with the Congregational church, and politically he is a Republican.
URIAH T. SMITH.
Uriah T. Smith, proprietor of the livery, sale and feed stables located at the corner of Washington and Rose streets, near the railroad station, in Marseilles, Illinois, has been successfully engaged in business in this city for a number of years. His livery barn is a spacious brick structure, sixty by one hundred feet in dimensions, and is well stocked with a large number of good horses and an assortment of carriages, cabs, etc. The business as conducted by Mr. Smith is a successful one, and both as an enterprising and up-to-date business man and as a public-spirited citizen does the pro- prietor of this establishment merit mention in the present work.
Uriah T. Smith was born at Starruca, Wayne county, Pennsylvania, November 1, 1826, and was reared in his native state. His father, Uriah Smith, was the son of a Revolutionary soldier and was born on Long Island, New York. He married Miss Sarah Wyant, a native of Orange county, New York, and their union was blessed in the birth of ten children, five sons
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and five daughters, four of whom are still living, namely: Michael, a resi- dent of Waymont, Pennsylvania; Uriah T., whose name forms the heading of this sketch; Wesley T., first lieutenant of the Sixteenth Kansas Infantry during the civil war, and now a resident of Amboy, Illinois; and Sarah Cur- tis, who resides in Sherman, Pennsylvania. The father of this family died in Pennsylvania, on the old homestead, and the mother passed away at Mound City. Linn county, Kansas.
In his young manhood Uriah T. Smith was employed in the lumber trade, running rafts down the Delaware river. He remained in Pennsylvania until 1857, when he came west and located in Missouri, where he resided at the time of the civil war. He enlisted as a member of Company C, Sixth Kansas Infantry, and served for eighteen months under Colonel Jamison.
In the meantime, June 14, 1853, before he left the east, which was in 1857, he was married, in Pennsylvania, to Miss Amanda C. Hale. She died in 1869, leaving a family of seven children, namely: Sophronia, Allie, Fanny, Emma, Luella, Wesley and Uriah W. Luella is now a resident of Montana and Wesley lives in Boone, Iowa. October 1, 1871, Mr. Smith was a second time married, Joicy Deem becoming his wife. They have two children, Gertrude and Forrest E. In politics Mr. Smith is a Republican.
JOHN RINKER.
Among the worthy citizens that Germany has furnished to the New World is John Rinker, who resides near Marseilles. He is now numbered among the early settlers of LaSalle county and at all times he has been loyal to his adopted land, having faithfully served in the Union army during the civil war, while in days of peace he displays the same fidelity to duty which marked his career upon the battle-fields of the south.
Born in the Fatherland, October 17. 1840, he is a son of Christian and Frederica Rinker. His mother died when he was only six years of age, leaving five children, namely: Charles, who was a soldier in the war of the Rebellion and is now living at Marseilles; Fred, who also followed the Stars and Stripes during the period of civil strife, and is now a resident of Hastings, Nebraska; John, of this review; Christian, who is living in LaSalle county ; and Frederica, deceased. After the death of his first wife the father was again married, and by the second union also had five children: William, who is living in Great Bend, Kansas; Henry, whose home is near Papillion, Nebraska; Nancy, deceased; Mrs. Jane Shobert, of Nebraska; and Mrs. Lizzie Seybold, who is living near Papillion, Nebraska. In 1853 Christian
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Rinker left his native land and with his family sailed from Antwerp, Belgium. After a voyage of sixty-seven days he landed at New York and at once proceeded to Chicago, whence he made his way to Ottawa. He then pur- chased forty acres of land on section 25, Grand Rapids township, seven miles from Ransom, and there carried on agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred in 1898, when he had reached the advanced age of eighty-eight years.
John Rinker has resided in LaSalle county since he was thirteen years of age, and has long been a prominent representative of its agricultural interests. Amid the fields and verdant meadows his youth was passed and he was early trained to the practical work of the farm. When the country became involved in civil war and President Lincoln issued his call for three hundred thousand men, with a marked spirit of patriotism he offered his services to the government, August 12, 1862, and was assigned to Company D, One Hundred and Fourth Illinois Infantry, under the command of Captain Collins and Colonel Moore. During the battle at Hartsville, Ten- nessee, he was taken prisoner, but was soon afterward exchanged and
participated in the battles of Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge. On the 20th of July, 1864, he was wounded by a bullet which lodged in his right ankle, and was sent to the hospital at Nashville. In June, 1865, he was hon- orably discharged and with a creditable military record he returned to his home to resume the peaceful vocations of civil life.
In 1869 Mr. Rinker was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Sunder- man, daughter of Simon Sunderman, a native of Germany. Fourteen chil- dren were born of their union, seven sons and seven daughters, and thirteen of the number are still living, as follows: John, Lizzie, Polly, Ernest, Ed- win, Emma, Paul, Bert, August, Minnie, Herman, Ida and Ralph. A little daughter, Kitty, died at the age of two years and nine months. The mother of this family was called to her final rest May 3, 1893, and in 1896 Mr. Rinker was agam married, his second union being with Mrs. Ellen S. Wormley, widow ot fohn Wormley. She is a native of Pennsylvania, and a daughter of B. Bolhouser.
Throughout his business career Mr. Rinker has carried on agricultural pursuits, and is to-day the owner of a valuable farm of two hundred and forty acres, all of which is under a high state of cultivation, and yields to the owner a golden tribute in return for the care and labor he bestows upon it. The place is improved with a good residence, two large barns and other substantial outbuildings, and the latest improved machinery facilitates and lightens the farm labor. Mr. Rinker gives his political support to the Repub- lican party, and as every true American citizen should do keeps well informed on the issues of the day. For many years he has held the office of justice
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