USA > Illinois > LaSalle County > Biographical and genealogical record of La Salle County, Illinois, Volume II > Part 29
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John G. Bell, the father of our subject, was born in Pennsylvania, where he followed the trade of milling, and in 1857 came to Illinois. After living at Todd's Mill for a short time he went to Ottawa, where he made his home for many years. Then one year was spent in Hennepin, and from that time until 1898 he dwelt upon a farm in Hope township. He then located in Lostant, where his death occurred June 1, 1899. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary Henning, and who was born in Ireland, is still living. She is a devout member of the Episcopal church, while her husband was a Lutheran. They were the parents of three sons and four daughters, five of whom survive, namely: A. H .; George F., of Lostant; Lulu, wife of James Patterson, of Hope township: Olive, wife of Charles Lambourne, of the same district : and Miss C. Mae Bell.
Alfred H. Bell, who was born in Putnam county, Illinois, attended the public schools of Ottawa and obtained an excellent education, as a founda- tion for his future career. For several years subsequent to leaving school
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he worked in a flouring mill in Ottawa, together with his father; and after the latter's removal to the farm in Hope township he devoted his winters to teaching, while in the summer he worked on the homestead. A number of years were thus busily occupied, and then, leaving his brother George to superintend the farm, he came to Lostant, in 1894, and has since been a resident of the place, thoroughly identified with its upbuilding. For the first year after coming here he was associated with his uncle, James Henning, in his warehouse and elevator business, and at the expiration of the time stated he and his brother George purchased the senior man's interest, and have since conducted the business under the firm name of Bell Brothers. They possess energy and sound common sense in the management of their financial affairs, and are steadily prospering.
In 1897 Mr. Bell was appointed the postmaster of Lostant, and entered upon his duties in December of that year. He takes great pains to meet the wishes of his fellow citizens, and is highly commended for his promptness and general efficiency. For two years he served as a member of the village board of trustees of this place, and while living in Hope township he was a road commissioner for five years. Politically he is a Republican of no uncer- tain stamp. Fraternally he belongs to Magnolia Lodge, No. 103, F. & A. M., and is connected with Magnolia Grange. Following in the line of his early religious training, he is an Episcopalian.
WILLIAM HOCHSTATTER.
A life-long resident and highly respected citizen of Troy Grove town- ship is he of whom the following lines are penned. By the exercise of his native talents and well directed energy he has become well-to-do, financially, and in the midst of his many business undertakings he finds time to dis- charge his duties as a citizen of this great republic. His success is due solely to his own efforts, and integrity and justice mark all of his dealings with others.
The parents and ancestors of our subject were natives of Germany. and both of his grandfathers lived and died in that country. His grandfather Hochstatter, who was a farmer, lived to reach his seventieth year, and reared five children. After the death of the maternal grandfather his widow came to America, passed her declining years in LaSalle county, and is now sleep- ing her last sleep in the old Catholic burying ground. Theodore Hoch- statter, the father of our subject, was born in Prussia, and in 1846 sailed for the United States. Upon arriving in Illinois, he worked on the canal at Lockport for some time, and received a bolt of cloth in payment for his
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labor, and this cloth later paid his transportation from Lockport to Troy Grove. Locating in Troy Grove township, he bought an eighty-acre farm, which he improved, and as the years rolled by he invested in other property until his possessions amounted to seven hundred and twenty acres. He was summoned to the silent land on the 12th of March, 1895, when he was in his seventy-fourth year. He had occupied the offices of road commis- sioner and school director for many years, and enjoyed the respect and confidence of the entire community in which he had dwelt so long. His devoted wife, whose maiden name was Christina Kratz, was born in Prussia, also, and, like himself, was a member of the Catholic church. She survived him about one year, dying at the age of seventy-five. They were the parents of three sons and two daughters, one of whom is deceased. The others are John, William, Helen, widow of Theodore Sondgeroth, and Peter, of Kellogg, Kansas.
William Hochstatter, of this sketch, was born on his father's farm in this township. September 29. 1853. He attended the district schools, the Lutheran seminary, and Henderson's high school at Mendota, and thus his educational advantages were much better than those of most of his youth- ful associates and neighbors. His father also gave him some timely aid, after he was married, and was starting out on the difficult pathway of inde- pendent living. With this sum-five hundred dollars-he rented a farm of one hundred acres, and purchased necessary agricultural implements and household furnishings. He continued to lease the farm for about twenty years, in the meantime, however, purchasing a quarter-section farm in 1881. and buying and selling several other homesteads. Recently he sold a farm of three hundred and twenty acres in Kansas, which he had owned for some time, and he still has seven hundred and twenty acres in his possession. In addition to farming, he conducted an extensive grain business for two or more years, and built an elevator at Culton, which station was established on the Illinois Central Railroad at Itis solicitation. The town is located four miles south of Mendota. and three miles north of Dimmick, and the land for the site was donated to the railroad company by Mr. Hochstatter. For just a quarter of a century he has served as a school director, and has been instrumental in securing good educational advantages for the children of his township. Politically he is independent, using his franchise for the candidates and principles which he considers worthy of his support, regard- less of party.
The marriage of our subject and Miss Eva, daughter of Conrad and Margaret (Schroeder) Sondgeroth, was celebrated October 25, 1875. They have become the parents of three sons and six daughters, namely: Christina, Catherine, Peter, Annie, Henry, Ella. Maggie. Benjamin and Eva. all of
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whom are at home with the exception of the eldest born, Christina, who is the wife of Joseph Happ, of Calloway county, Missouri. They have two children, named in honor of our subject and wife-William and Eva.
JOSEPH J. MATERN.
Joseph J. Matern, of Tonica, LaSalle county, is in the prime of man- hood, as he was born April 24, 1861. He is one of the ten children of Adam and Theressa (Amrehn) Matern, who were natives of Bavaria, Ger- many, and became loyal, respected citizens of the United States. The father. who has made farming his chief occupation in life, located in Putnam county, this state, in 1844, and now, after fifty-five years passed in that local- ity, he is living retired from the active toil in which he was engaged until recently. Beginning his career as a common laborer on farms, he pros- pered, on account of his industry and economy, and within a few years after landing in this country, a stranger to its people, language and customs, he had bought a farm and had made substantial improvements upon the place. He reared his sons and daughters to be useful. patriotic citizens, and the regard and respect of all who know him is his in gratifying measure. His wife, who faithfully seconded all of his plans, and was a true helpmate in every respect, was summoned to the silent land in 1895, when she was in her sixty-third year. Both have been identified with the Catholic church since childhood. Their respective fathers passed their entire lives in Germany. where they were engaged in managing farms.
Joseph J. Matern is one of the seven children of the parental household who are yet living. His brothers. Michael and Bernard, are residents of Wesley, Iowa, as also is the elder sister, Elizabeth, wife of Joseph Gates. Theressa, William and Henry are living in Mount Palatine, Illinois. Two sons and a daughter died in childhood.
Near the town last mentioned the birth of our subject occurred, and there, on his father's farm, he learned the elementary principles of business and good citizenship under the wise guidance of his elders. He remained at home, giving his aid to his father in the care of the farm until he had reached maturity, in the meantime acquiring a practical education in the local schools. His father then being well along in years, the young man took charge of the old homestead, which he continued to carry on with distinct success until 1898. the year of his coming to Tonica. Here he en- tered into partnership with C. F. Austin, and transacted a large business in grain, coal and tile until the spring of 1899. when he purchased Mr. Aus- tin's interest, and is running his affairs alone at present. His business is constantly increasing, and his patrons are. without exception, on the best
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of terms with him, for he is accommodating and genial, prompt in filling orders and perfectly fair and just in all of his dealings.
On the 19th of April, 1898, Mr. Matern married Miss Anna Lawrence, a daughter of Anton and Frances Lawrence, and they have become the parents of a little daughter, Irene. Mr. and Mrs. Matern are Catholics in their religious faith, as were their ancestors before them.
While living in Putnam county, our subject served for three years as the assessor of Magnolia township, and was the collector for four years, making an enviable record as a public official. He uses his franchise in favor of the Democratic party.
DAVID DAVIS.
David Davis, a retired farmer of Earlville, LaSalle county, was born in Wales, September 24, 1831. His parents were John and Maria (Davis) Davis, who were born, reared and married in that country. The father, a saddler by trade, died in early life, leaving two children: David, our subject, and Rachel, wife of L. B. Stark, of Licking county, Ohio. After his death the mother married Elias Jones, by whom she had four children,- Mary, Samuel, Elizabeth and Jane, all deceased, the son dying in the army during the civil war. The mother came to this country in 1840, with her parents, six brothers and three sisters. Her brothers were John J., Thomas J., David J., Henry J., Evan J. and Frederick J .; and her sisters Rachel, Mary and Jane. She settled in Licking county, Ohio, where she married Mr. Jones.
David Davis was nine years of age when he came to America with his mother and remained in Licking county on a farm until 1857, when he came to LaSalle county, where his uncles had located. He worked on his uncle Henry's farm for about ten years, receiving a monthly stipend, most of which was carefully saved up for the purpose of purchasing land. His first property was eighty acres of unimproved land in Freedom town- ship, which he soon placed in a state of cultivation, making it second to none in that section. He was industrious and economical, and the habits of thrift and industry so early formed now enabled him to add to this acreage until his farm land covers some two hundred acres. His farming has been by improved methods, and the success which has marked his progress speaks well for his ideas and has placed him among the front rank of intelligent, prosperous farmers.
Mr. Davis was married February 24, 1876, to Miss Martha Wiley, of Freedom township, this county, born January 2, 1845. Her parents were Charles and Seraphina (Greenleaf) Wiley, pioneer settlers of this township,
David Davis
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who came from the state of Maine in 1844. Mr. Davis is a Republican, but has never been an aspirant for official honors. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and stands high in the community.
J. C. CORBUS, M. D.
Dr. Corbus is one of the distinguished physicians of Illinois, his skill and ability winning him a marked prestige as a representative of the medical fraternity. In the progress that has been made in the science of medicine during his connection therewith is found an incentive for renewed effort. becoming familiar with all the discoveries and theories advanced by members of the profession. His knowledge of medicine is broad and comprehensive, and in its application to the needs of suffering humanity he has won the success that numbers him among the leading practitioners in his section of the state. He has recently been appointed the superintendent of the Kankakee Insane Asylum, a position which he is fully competent to fill.
Dr. Corbus was born in Holmes county, Ohio, in 1833, and after com- pleting his literary education he determined to devote his energies to the practice of medicine. To this end he entered the Western Reserve Medical College, of Cleveland, Ohio, and was graduated in that institution with the degree of M. D. In 1855 he came to Illinois, where he has since engaged in successful practice. At the outbreak of the civil war he put aside all personal considerations and responded to the country's call for volunteers, being made assistant surgeon of the Seventy-fifth Illinois Infantry. Subse- quently he was promoted to the rank of surgeon, but was unable to remain at the front throughout the four years of the civil strife, owing to ill health.
Returning to the north, he resumed the private practice of medicine in Illinois, and as a physician and surgeon ranked second to but a few of the practitioners of the Prairie state. For years he was the president of the state board of charities, and was retained in that office by every governor except Altgeld since his appointment to the position by Governor Beveridge. For fifteen years he was a United States medical examiner, his thorough knowledge of medicine and anatomy well qualifying him to discharge the duties devolving upon him in that office.
Dr. Corbus is a man of broad general knowledge and is a prominent and influential member of the Republican party. For four years he served as a member of the Republican state central committee. and at all times has labored earnestly for the advancement of the welfare and success of his party. As a Knight Templar Mason he is very prominent in Masonic circles,
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and as a gentleman of genuine worth and genial manner is highly esteemed in social circles.
He has been twice married. His first wife died in 1890, and in 1892 he married Mrs. Helen Ruggles.
HENRY GUNN.
Conspicuous among the successful lawyers of LaSalle county is the gentleman named above, who is a member of the firm of Gunn & Gunn, at Tonica. He was born in Montague, Franklin county, Massachusetts, December 13, 1830, a son of Windsor and Abigail (Osgood) Gunn, natives also of the Bay state. In both ancestral lines the first families in this country settled in Massachusetts about 1632. The parents of our subject had five sons and two daughters, and of these six are still living, viz .: John, a resident near Mount Palatine, Illinois: Eunice, the widow of Charles Mudge and now residing in Tonica; Henry, our subject; Levi, living in Barton county, Kansas, seven miles from Great Bend; Cyrus, living near Mount Palatine; and Mrs. Lucy Ullery, of Barton county, Kansas.
Windsor Gunn, the father, was in early life a comb manufacturer and later a farmer. He came west with his family in the autumn of 1842, locating near Davenport, Iowa, and lived there till the winter of 1849; then he came to Putnam county, Illinois, and remained a resident there till his death, which occurred in February, 1871, when he had attained the age of sixty- nine years and eight months. His wife survived till 1876. being about seventy-four years old at the time of her death. In her religious proclivities she was a Baptist, but was a member of no ecclesiastical organization. Mr. Gunn was for many years a Unitarian. In his native state he was once a captain of the state militia.
The paternal grandfather of our subject. Joseph Gunn, was also a native of the Bay state, a farmer by occupation and was about seventy-five years of age at the time of his death, in Schoharie county, New York. He brought up a large number of children. The maternal grandfather of Mr. Gunn, Samuel Osgood, was also a native of Massachusetts, had six children, and died in middle life.
Henry Gunn, whose name heads this sketch, was four or five years of age when his parents moved from Massachusetts to Vermont, where their home continued to be until 1842. As he grew up he attended schools in his native village, also in Brattleboro. Vermont, a select school in Davenport and the academy and college at Mount Palatine, Illinois. He is a good Greek and Latin scholar. The expenses of his advanced education he de- frayed from his own earnings. He began studying law at Mount Palatine
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about 1852, and several years later was admitted to the bar, first in Iowa and in 1859 in Illinois. He began practicing in Putnam county, and after a few years came to LaSalle county and followed his profession in Men- dota for a time: then he moved to South Ottawa, and finally, in 1860, he came to Tonica. where he has followed the law ever since. His many interesting experiences in the practice of his profession, as well as in many other phases of life, would fill a volume. Politically Mr. Gunn was originally an old-line Whig, one among the many thousands who became Republi- cans on the establishment of that party. In 1856 he addressed the public in favor of the election of John C. Fremont to the presidency of the United States. For four years he served as town clerk of Eden township. In 1868 he was elected supervisor, and he satisfactorily filled the responsibilities of that office till 1871. In 1883 he was again elected, and by re-election he continued to hold the office until 1898. For four consecutive years he was chairman of the board. For fifteen or sixteen years he was police magistrate in Tonica.
In social affiliations he was for some years an active Odd Fellow, and in 1870 he was a delegate to the state grand lodge, and also to the grand encampment: but he has not been in affiliation with the order for some time. His son Bert is a member of Tonica Lodge, No. 364, A. F. & A. M., and is at present the secretary of the lodge.
Mr. Gunn's marriage was celebrated in 1858, when he wedded Miss Cornelia L. Fisher, a daughter of Rev. Otis Fisher, a Baptist minister. Her mother was Lydia (Osgood) Fisher. By this marriage were four sons and four daughters, namely: Cyrus H., Mabel. Walter F., Edwin, Cora, Nellie, Bert and Mae L. Mabel and Edwin died in infancy; Cora became the wife of George A. McFerson and is now deceased: Nellie died in 1895, in her twenty-second year: Cyrus H. married Emma Knapp and is a farmer in Vermilion township: Walter F. married Hattie Van Tassel and lives in Putnam county on a farm; they have four children-Sallie, Fred Henry, Luna and Flossie; and Bert, the youngest son, is single and is a lawyer in partnership with his father. He completed his legal course of study before he was of age and was admitted to the bar in February, 1898. He is the present village attorney of Tonica. He and his sister Mae L. make their home with their parents.
JOHN J. WINTER.
One of the reliable citizens and substantial business men of Garfield, LaSalle county, is the gentleman of whom this sketch is penned. He has ever been sincerely interested in the growth and prosperity of this town
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and county, and is entitled to great credit for the public spirit which he has manifested at all times. A review of his life will prove of interest to his numerous friends and cannot fail to be an inspiration to the rising genera- tion-to those especially who are starting out to fight the battle of life empty-handed as he did a few years ago.
He is of German extraction and comes of two sterling Pennsylvania families. His paternai great-grandfather was a hero of the American war for independence; and his grandfather. John Jacob Winter, was a native of Germany, but at an early age became a resident of the Keystone state. Later he removed to Ohio and spent the declining years of his life on a farm in Licking county. He died when in his sixty-third year, respected and admired by all who knew him. For a number of years he had been a minister of the gospel, being identified with the United Brethren church. To himself and wife, whose maiden name was Catherine Miller, five sons and a daughter were born.
One of the sons, Daniel Winter, was the father of our subject. Born in Pennsylvania, he went to Ohio with his family in 1837, and in 1875 came to Illinois. For a wife he first chose Sarah Simmons, a native of the Keystone state, and after her death, in 1835, he wedded Susanna Ann Beabout. Three sons and one daughter were born of the first union. The daughter is now deceased, and the sons are Nicholas C., of Villisca, Iowa; David S., of Ot- tawa, Illinois; and John J. Mrs. Susanna Winter departed this life February 13. 1875, after which event the father made his home with our subject until the summons to the silent land came to him, January 12, 1877, when he was in his seventy-second year.
John J. Winter was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania. Septem- ber 19, 1832, and at the age of five years he removed to Licking county, Ohio, with his father and family, where, when old enough, he began at- tending the common schools. Later he pursued his studies in the local academy, after which he engaged in teaching, and was thus occupied for three terms in the Buckeye state. In 1855 he came to LaSalle county, Illinois, and for four years thereafter he taught school during the winters and worked upon farms near Ottawa in the summer. At length he con- cluded that he did not wish to devote his entire life to either of these voca- tions, and he determined to enter the commercial world. Thus for nine years we find him steadily and industriously engaged in employment as a traveling salesman for a Dayton (Illinois) woolen factory, and then for three years he was head salesman for the Cushman Manufacturing Company, of Ottawa, Illinois.
Having had this necessary business experience, Mr. Winter came to Garfield and started a lumber yard, which he managed successfully for three
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years. Since 1876 he has given his entire attention to the carrying on of a general merchandising establishment at Garfield, save when he has been officiating as the postmaster of the place. He was first honored with this responsible position during the administration of President Hayes, and con- tinued to serve until President Cleveland's election made it necessary for him to resign the duties of the office to the Democratic appointee. Need- less to say, he is a stalwart Republican, and though he has never sought public office he has frequently been called upon to serve the people, as when 'he was elected the town clerk for one year and a justice of the peace for four years. Fraternally he belongs to Camp No. 4127, Modern Woodmen of America.
On the Ist of April. 1855. Mr. Winter wedded Martha Maria, a daugh- ter of William and Jane (Millikin) Parkinson, who were natives of England and Pennsylvania respectively. Her father was brought to America by his parents in 1801, when he was three years old. His father, John Park- inson, also of English birth, was a farmer and kept a dairy farm in New York state for a period, then removing to Licking county. Ohio, where he died when well along in years. He had four sons and two daughters. William Parkinson removed from Ohio to Illinois in the spring of 1856 and settled in LaSalle county, on a farm adjacent to Ottawa. He died as the result of a fall from a wagon, November 15, 1860, when he was in his sixty-third year. His widow, who survived him until November, 1878, was seventy-eight years and four months old at the time of her death. Both were earnest members of the United Brethren church. The father of Mrs. Parkinson, James Millikin, who was born in the Keystone state, was of Scotch descent. He was a carpenter by trade and followed that calling until shortly before his death, which event occurred in his native state when he was advanced in years. Mrs. Mary Millikin, the maternal grandmother of Mrs. Winter, was a native of Ireland. She was a very remarkable old lady, noted for many things, among others that when she was ninety-four years old she was able to walk a mile or two without excessive fatigue, and still operated her spinning-wheel much as in the days of her prime. She died in 1856, when five months past the ninety-fifth anniversary of her birth. Mrs. Winter was one of the five surviving members of a family which originally comprised five daughters and four sons. Her sister, Mar- garet A., is the wife of Clark Downey, of Wenona, Illinois: Catherine R. is Mrs. William Trumbo, of Shafter, Missouri; and Sarah E. is the widow of Aaron Martin, of Wenona: while William H. Parkinson resides near the same town. Mrs. Martha M. Winter died January 15. 1900, on the sixty- eighth anniversary of her birth.
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