USA > Illinois > LaSalle County > Biographical and genealogical record of La Salle County, Illinois. Volume I > Part 40
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When he received his right of franchise Mr. Vette voted for James K. Polk, and sided with the Democratic party, but after the organization of the Republicans he identified himself with their political body, and has voted for its nominees down to and including Mckinley.
Mr. Vette married Miss Wilhelmina C. Ghiske, a native of Germany, born August 16, 1825, the ceremony which united their destinies being solemnized in Cook county, September 2, 1846. Five children blessed their union, namely: Charlotte, wife of August Engel; John F .; Sophronia J., who married E. Engel; Amelia and Julia C. John F., the only son, a practical and skilled business man and mechanic, has been connected with the famous Peter Schuttler wagon factory in Chicago, in the capacity of foreman, for the past twenty years.
REV. N. J. LOCKREM.
Rev. N. J. Lockrem is a well known resident of Norway, LaSalle county, and although still a young man has laid the foundation for a life of usefulness that will cause his name to be remembered with gratitude by the many who have come under his administration. He is one of the able ministers of the Lutheran church and has charge of three organizations of that denomination in this county, and his services in connection therewith have been attended with marked success. His field of usefulness is also extended to educational lines and he is the founder of a Lutheran college in Ottawa.
Rev. Mr. Lockrem was born in Norway, mentioned above, on the 27th of November, 1863, and is a son of Jorgen Lockrem, a farmer of that locality. He acquired his primary education in the schools of Norway and when quite young emigrated to the United States, where he worked on a farm and engaged in teaching in order to earn the means to continue his studies. He subsequently added to his knowledge by studying in Chicago and at theological seminaries in Minnesota and Chicago, and after being prepared for his chosen life work, was ordained for the ministry in Fox River church, in Illinois, on July 12. 1893. He has shown himself to be a speaker of force and ability and of marked oratorical power. His discourses are eloquent, but he also made his audiences through logical, well ex- pressed thoughts which won for him sympathetic attention. Gradually the thought of the need of Christian education took possession of him and resulted in the establishment of the Lutheran College at Ottawa and was the first one to propose the establishment of a school of this nature in this district. He also had an extensive acquaintance with schools of a higher
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instruction and is well qualified for leadership in this work. Speaking of the matter to a friend who asked him what circumstances led to the estab- lishment of the school, he said:
"I noticed that the people in this district were enjoying considerable material prosperity; that in the diligent effort of our people to build up their economic fortunes there was danger of negligence to provide for the mental and spiritual fortunes of the rising generations. This negligence did not grow out of carelessness entirely, but arose largely from the force of cir- cumstances. Although our people rapidly became Americanized, yet they are conservative in matters of religious faith and anxious to have their children retain the elements of faith in the form held by the fathers. They are therefore very careful in their selection of schools to which to send their children. This characteristic I consider as one of the best among our people. It is a fact taught by the history of the church that only those who had clearly defined principles and adhered faithfully to them ever did much positive work in building up the walls of Zion and furthering the best elements of civilization and progress. I knew there was a vast amount of pent-up energy in the minds of the multitudes of our young generation that only required emancipation in order to become a large force in advanc- ing their own best interests and those of humanity at large. To accomplish this desirable end the most effective means would be the establishment of a school in some good center of intelligence and culture in our district. I noticed that communities of our people in other states had tried the same experiment and had been very successful. I accordingly made up my mind to make an attempt in this direction. In the latter half of 1892 I com- municated my thoughts to some of my friends privately. I will mention among these particularly, the Rev. Mr. Ellestad, who was a pastor formerly in my present charge, and who was at that time superintendent of missions in the United Norwegian Lutheran church of America. Traveling from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast in the performance of his duties, he had excellent opportunities of observation upon the enterprises and successes of our people everywhere, as well as of knowing their needs. He was well acquainted in this district and expressed the opinion that a school of this nature was strongly in demand. He encouraged me to go forward in my plan. Other friends gave similar encouragement. In Stevens' Grove, on the 4th of July, 1893, I made the first expression of my thoughts to a public audience. Some of the leading men present afterward expressed to me their hearty approval of the thought and encouraged a prosecution of the plan. Later in the fall of the same year, at our semi-annual district meeting, the Rev. Mr. Aarrestad, in introducing the question of the proper education and culture of our young people, took occasion to propound
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quite fully the idea of establishing such a school in our midst .. At that meeting was appointed the first committee to investigate the matter and take such preliminary movement as its wisdom might dictate."
Thus the idea of the college took root. It has required earnest, arduous and continuous labor to place it upon a firm foundation, but with unremitting zeal Rev. Mr. Lockrem undertook the task and carried it forward to success- ful completion. To-day it stands as a monument to his Christian zeal, his enterprise and devotion to the needs of the community. The school is now well organized in its various departments and is under the guidance of careful instructors, who give attention not only to the mental develop- ment of the pupils but also to their spiritual growth and welfare.
On the 19th of May, 1893, Rev. Mr. Lockrem led to the marriage altar Miss Caroline Bergslie, who was born in Norway and was educated in Chicago. She is a most estimable lady and an invaluable aid to her husband in his work. Two children, a daughter and a son, have been born to them: Gertie Lydia, born January 1, 1896; and Noble Gerhard, born Sep- tember 19, 1897.
Rev. Mr. Lockrem has few idle moments, but is never so busy but that he finds time to give willing aid to any who come to him for counsel and guidance. He is a man of broad views and is deservedly a favorite with all who have come in contact with him, his strong personality exerting a powerful influence for good.
JAMES M. GATCHELL.
Forty-two years have passed since James M. Gatchell came to LaSalle county, and he has therefore been a witness of the greater part of its devel- opment and upbuilding. He has seen its wild lands transformed into beauti- ful homes and farms, its hamlets grow into thriving towns and cities, and has witnessed the introduction of many and varied business enterprises, including the railroad, the telegraph and the telephone. As an agriculturist he has assisted in reclaiming the wild land for purposes of civilization and is to-day numbered among the leading agriculturists of Brookfield town- ship.
Mr. Gatchell was born in the township of Wales, county of Lincoln, near Bowdoinham, Maine, February 9, 1839, and is a representative of an old family of English origin. His father, Aaron Gatchell, was born March 11, 1800, and was reared in Maine. He married Miss Adah Witterell, of Lincoln county, Maine, and in order to support his family engaged in farming, although he was a sawyer by trade. Nine children were born
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of the marriage: Betsy, who is living at Clear Lake, Iowa; Martha, who lives in Richmond, Maine; Isaac, who was a veteran of the civil war and a member of the Grand Army Post at Pontiac, Illinois, and died in Odell, this state; Sewell B., a merchant of Freeport, Illinois; Charles, who is living on the old homestead in Maine: Miss Vesta, who lives in Lynn, Massachu- setts; Mellen M., who died in Story, Illinois; Lettice, who died at the age of thirteen years; and James M., who is the subject of this biographical notice. In his political views the father of these children was a Jackson Democrat until Abraham Lincoln became a candidate for the presidency, when he joined the ranks of the Republican party. In his religious views he was a Baptist. He died June 2, 1878, at the age of seventy-eight years, and his wife passed away March 16, 1889, at the age of eighty-one years.
Upon the old homestead farm in Maine James M. Gatchell spent the days of his boyhood and youth, and in the common schools of the neigh- borhood he acquired his education. When eighteen years of age he bade adieu to home and friends, and leaving the Pine Tree state came to Illinois, locating in LaSalle county, where he has since made his home. On the 14th of August, 1862, however, he put aside all personal considerations to aid his country in her efforts to preserve the Union and became a member of Company F. One Hundred and Fourth Illinois Infantry, under command of Captain J. J. McHernan, Colonel Moore and Lieutenant Hapeman, of Ot- tawa. He participated in twenty-one engagements with the enemy, includ- ing the battle of Harville, Tennessee, where on the 7th of December, 1862, he was taken prisoner. The following month, however, he was exchanged, and later he took part in the battles of Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. In the last named he was slightly wounded, and at the battle of Peach Tree Creek, Georgia, July 21, 1864, he was seriously wounded, which forced him to remain in the hospital for nine months. He was honorably discharged March 4, 1865, and returned to his home in LaSalle county, carrying with him a bullet wound six by eight inches. He had been a soldier loyal and true, and his name deserves a place upon the honored roll of the Union's defenders.
When he had sufficiently recovered his health Mr. Gatchell began farm- ing. In 1866 he located upon a seventy-acre tract of land in Brookfield township, and in 1878 he purchased his present farm of one hundred and forty acres, succeeding James J. McCully in its ownership. This farm is now under a high state of cultivation, being divided into good fields and pasture lands. The house is a modern residence and the farm buildings are in good condition, indicating the careful supervision of a progressive owner.
On the 27th of October, 1867. Mr. Gatchell was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Rose, a representative of a family of high respectability.
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She was born in New York and is a daughter of Washington and Maria (Balsh) Rose, both of whom were natives of the Empire state and early settlers of LaSalle county. They had eight children: William Henry, of Brookfield township, LaSalle county; Mrs. Gatchell; Albert D. (Ist), de- ceased; Albert D. (2d), who is living in Brookfield township; Truman D., of Boulder, Colorado; Ellen, who died at the age of ten years; George, who died at the age of thirty-nine years, leaving a widow and five children; and Emma, who died at the age of twenty-seven years. The father's death occurred when he was seventy-three years of age. By occupation he was a farmer, following that pursuit throughout his life. In his political views he was a Republican and in religious faith both he and his wife were Methodists. Mrs. Rose is still living, at the advanced age of seventy-eight years. Mr. and Mrs. Gatchell are the parents of six children, three now living,-Cora Delia, Charles Albert and Chester Edward. Those deceased are William Edward and William James, who died in infancy; and Adah Maria, who died at the age of eighteen months.
Mr. Gatchell has been a stanch Republican since casting his first presi- dential vote for Abraham Lincoln. He has served in several township offices and is now school director. He belongs to. Joseph Woodworth Post, No. 281, G. A. R., of Marseilles, and his wife and daughter are members of the Presbyterian church. The family hold a high position in social circles and have the warm regard of all who know them.
JULIUS H. WHEELER.
Mr. Wheeler controls one of the leading industrial concerns of Mar- seilles, LaSalle county, having been engaged for a number of years in the manufacture of brick and tile at that place. His close application and strong determination, so necessary to a successful business career, have proved potent elements in securing to him a comfortable competence. He came to Illinois from New England, his birth having occurred in Hydeville, Rutland county, Vermont, on the 30th of June, 1853. He is a son of Nicholas and Nancy Ann (Thatcher) Wheeler, the former a native of Rutland county and the latter of Ticonderoga, New York. In their family were two sons and three daughters, namely: Mrs. Nancy Coleman, Julius H., Mrs. Harriet Powell, Mrs. Jennie Bull and Fred H. In 1864 the father removed to Illinois, and his last days were spent in Livingston county, this state, where his death occurred in 1866.
Julius H. Wheeler acquired his education in the public schools of that county, to which place he accompanied his parents when about nine years of
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age. There he grew to man's estate and in 1895 he took charge of the brick and tile factory in which he has since carried on an extensive business, his patronage steadily increasing. He finds a ready market for his products, owing to their excellent quality, and the output of the factory is now very large. The plant was established some twenty years ago, by Mr. Layman, and is now the best equipped factory in this part of Illinois. The annual returns are two thousand dollars each season, and the superior quality of the brick sold insures a continuous demand.
Mr. Wheeler entered the matrimonial state on the 22d of December, 1874, his bride being Miss Ida, daughter of S. M. Rodgers. Seven children have blessed their union, namely: Fred E., born December 3, 1875; Elmer A., February 1, 1877; Ernest R., March 7, 1881; Lucy A., July 19, 1883; Ida May, who was born August 8, 1886, and died at the age of one year, eight months and nine days; Harry E., born April 23. 1893; and Elma E., born September 22, 1895.
Mr. Wheeler is a prominent member of Shabbona Camp, No. 258, Modern Woodmen of America. In his political adherency he is a Repub- lican. He is one of the most enterprising business men of the county, and is public-spirited and liberal, contributing in many ways to the growth and upbuilding of the community.
JOHN BOWEN.
John Bowen, a son of the pioneer, Hiram Bowen, will form the subject of this memoir. He was born in Kane county, Illinois, February 8, 1839, reared and educated a farmer boy and now owns and manages the old family homestead. In his youth he attended school and improved his every oppor- tunity to acquire knowledge. His first impressions were that school was a good place for a boy and that study was one process of mind development and culture. His favorite study was mathematics, and he was not only a master of this branch himself while in school, but he also had time to aid the larger pupils and frequently the teacher, as well. At twenty years of age Mr. Bowen was obliged to quit school and take a permanent and continuous interest in farming. As time went on and his financial position became more independent he turned his attention to cattle-feeding and still later to buying and shipping live stock, and he remained in this lucrative business for many years.
Mr. Bowen remained a single man until December, 1898, when he married Susan Edwinson, the daughter of a Norwegian school teacher. Mrs. Bowen is forty-two years of age and is a native of the United States."
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Our subject's identity with political matters has been confined to voting. He has never cared to hold public office,-in fact is not constructed in the lines necessary for a public servant. He is one of the well posted men, historically, of the town, and while he may have no particular pride on that account it is certainly a source of great satisfaction to him to be able to recall, with accuracy, the important events that have entered into the history of our country and speak of them as if they were of the living present. He has strong convictions on political questions, which his own experience and study warrant him in defending. His first presidential vote was cast for the martyred Lincoln, and his last for William McKinley, who he believes ranks with the first president of the Republican party in statesmanship and patriotism. He believes in the policy of expansion practiced by the present administration and forced upon it by existing circumstances con- nected with the late Spanish war. Defensive expansion, in the interests of humanity, is a national virtue that is entirely novel, and one in which the United States has the distinction of being the pioneer, thinks Mr. Bowen. These conclusions are not arrived at by mere speculation and fanciful theories, but by a good knowledge of the history of all nations and the light of an advanced Christian civilization.
FRIDTHGOF G. ARNTZEN.
Fridthgof George Arntzen, a retired merchant of Serena, was born in the parish of Flagstad in the northern part of Norway, December 19, 1847. His father, Andrew Arntzen, was a merchant, and our subject was reared and trained in that line of business. At the age of nineteen years he left school and became a bookkeeper in the office of a merchant at Bergen, Norway. Upon finishing his engagement there, in 1869, he joined a com- pany of young people who were emigrating to the United States. He embarked from Bergen on the sailing vessel Valkyren, bound for Quebec, and after five long weeks of water journey he landed, on the 16th of June. He continued his journey by rail to Chicago, went to Wisconsin and found work on a farm that fall and winter. He had heard so many roseate accounts of the south that he went to Mississippi, where he secured work on a planta- tion. This was too far south for a man born in sight of an iceberg and reared in the pure air of pine-and-hemlock-perfumed Norway; so, by the middle of the following December, he made his way back to Chicago. In the spring of 1871 he came to LaSalle county, Illinois, and clerked for a time in the village of Norway. He came to Serena, March 13 of that year, and then began clerking for Mason & Schlenbusch, and later for Mr. Mason.
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In 1882 Mr. Arntzen succeeded Mr. Mason, by purchase, and conducted a general merchandise business just ten years, retiring in 1892.
The date of Mr. Arntzen's marriage was June 27, 1882. He chose for his companion Henrietta, a daughter of John D. Hoxsey. The latter was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, August 3, 1812, and came to Illinois about 1840, settling in Serena, and became one of her prosperous and pro- gressive citizens. He was a fine business man and became, in general stand- ing, one of the first men in the place. He died February 23, 1881. His wife was by maiden name Elizabeth Beem. Their children were: Henry, who died in the army during the civil war period; Frances E., deceased; Henrietta, born April 10, 1849; Fremont; Lincoln; Fannie E., the wife of Ed. S. Jacobs. Mrs. Hoxsey died October 27, 1886. Mr. and Mrs. Arntzen are the parents of John Decatur, born 1883; Mary E., born in 1884; and Richard, born in 1891.
In national matters Mr. Arntzen has identified himself with the Repub- lican party. By his strict attention to business, as well as by his dealings with his neighbors and friends, he has shown himself to be a gentleman of the first order and one worthy of the confidence of the public. He adopted American ways and habits and early became as thorough an American as if born in this country. He has never sought nor favored publicity for himself, preferring to remain a quiet and modest man of affairs. Unlike many other foreign-born people, the Scandinavians come gracefully under the flag of this nation and prefer to become as one among us. They are a portion of the best of our adopted brotherhood.
HON. JOHN McLAUCHLAN.
"Honest John McLauchlan," as he is familiarly called by his numerous friends and admirers, is now acting as a representative in the state legislature from the twenty-seventh senatorial district of Illinois. He is a man who comes from the ranks of toil and whose proudest boast is that he is of and for the working men. By his own exertions and indefatigable energy he has educated himself, becoming well informed upon the great questions of the day, and by his intimate acquaintance with the problems and needs of the toilers and masses is enabled to speak with authority in their behalf.
The ancestors of our subject, upon both the paternal and maternal lines, were purely Celtic in origin. His parents, Daniel and Elizabeth (McCrae) McLauchlan, were natives of Scotland, the former coming from the agri- cultural class and the latter's relatives being more given to mechanics and trades. The paternal great-grandfather of our subject operated the second
John In Lauchlan
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blasting engine ever used in Scotland in the smelting of iron. In his early manhood Daniel McLauchlan was engaged in agriculture, but later he turned his attention to iron-mining and devoted himself to that line of business for over a quarter of a century. Both he and his wife died in their native land, where they had led worthy, upright lives.
John McLauchlan, whose birth occurred January 27, 1840, is one of seven children who attained maturity, and is the only representative of the family in America. He attended school until he was ten years of age only, and was then obliged to begin learning how to mine iron ore. He worked industriously at this calling in Scotland until 1869, when he came to the United States, hoping to better his condition and to enjoy the blessings of a free country. At first he made his home in Pennsylvania, whence he came to Illinois early in the '70s, and since the Centennial year he has dwelt in LaSalle, with the interests of which community he is actively identified. For five years after coming here he was, as formerly, occupied in mining. In the spring of 1881 he was elected a supervisor of LaSalle township, and has served in that capacity ever since. He is strongly in favor of the prin- ciples of the Democratic party and is a believer in free silver. In 1894 he was elected to the legislature, and upon the expiration of his term was honored by re-election in 1896, and again in 1898. As may be surmised, he is particularly active in labor organizations and in all movements which he believes will benefit the laboring class.
Before leaving his native land, Mr. McLauchlan married Miss Sibelle McBeth, who died in Pennsylvania in 1871. The only child of this union, Daniel McLauchlan, is now living in Indian Territory. In 1873 our subject was married, in Illinois, to Miss Mary Arbuckle, who was a native of Glas- gow, Scotland, and whose death occurred in 1891. She left three sons and a daughter to mourn her loss, namely: Robert, James, Andrew, and Katie. In 1893 Mr. McLauchlan married Elizabeth Fleming, who was born in England and came to the United States with her parents when two years of age. Her father, William Fleming, was an early settler and a successful farmer of Dimmick township.
HENRY K. PARR.
This widely known and popular retired agriculturist of Serena belongs to one of the earliest families, who made up the vanguard in the settlement of LaSalle county. He was born in Rutland township, this county, Decem- ber 22, 1830. His father, William Parr, was born in Licking county, Ohio, reared there and brought up to do farm labor. He came to LaSalle county
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in October, 1830, and at once began to subdue the new prairie country by the improvement of his farm. Being the offspring of a sturdy foreigner, he inherited an industrious disposition. His father was an Irishman, of the working class, just the station from which to select material for good citizen- ship in a free land.
William Parr married Sally Trumbo, whose people were numbered among LaSalle county's settlers before the Indian tribes had yet forsaken the territory. They were Alsatian people, speaking probably the French tongue, and their descendants are numerous and prominent in the county to-day. William Parr passed from the scenes of earth in 1859, and his good wife in 1896. Their children were: Henry K .; Isabel, deceased, who married Orson Potter; Samuel Parr, of Ottawa: Mary, the wife of Samuel Groves, of Utica; and John, deceased.
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