USA > Illinois > Biographical and memorial edition of the Historical encyclopedia of Illinois > Part 31
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tive citizens, gaining prominence in trade circles, yet at all times was mindful of the obligations which devolved upon him in his relation to his family, his fellow-men and his city.
Mr. Underwood was first married March 16, 1857, to Misss Hannah M. Ryder, of Chatham, Mass., and to this union four daughters were born : Anna, who is now Mrs. James Viles, of Lake Forest ; Bertha, who is the wife of E. F. Rob- bins, and resides in Pasadena, Cal. : Helen, who died June 25, 1013, and Florence, of Lake For -. est, Ill. On November 2, 1876, Mr. Underwood wedded Mrs. Augusta E. Wallace, who was the widow of William Wallace and bore the maiden name of Angusta Elvira Kimball. She is a sis- ter of the late Edward A. Kimball and a daugh- ter of Lovell and Elvira (St. John) Kimball. Through her father she is a descendant of the Brewster and Bradford families so prominent in the early history of Massachusetts, of whom a more extended mention will be found in the biography of her brother, Edward A. Kimball, elsewhere in this work. Mrs. Underwood re- sides in Lake Forest and is well-known in social circles of that place. The death of Mr. Under-
wood, which occurred August 28, 1897. removed from Chicago one of its most worthy citizens. He passed away in the same house where he was born on Cape Cod and the burial was in Oakwood Cemetery of Chicago. The record which Mr. Underwood left is one that excited for him admiration during his life and has caused his memory to be cherished by all who knew him. Throughout his business career Mr. T'nderwood hore a reputation for unassailable integrity and straightforward dealing. He made it a point always to satisfy his customers. In bis passing Chicago chronicled the death of one whose name had long been honored in trade circles, whose life-work had brought help and happiness to many and whose influence was ever on the side of progress and improvement. He was loyal in his citizenship and held friend- ship inviolable, and his memory is cherished not only by those whom he met socially but by those who knew him in a business way and those who benefited by his benevolences. In manner always dignified and courteous, his spirit was kindly and his heart responded to every need of his fellowmen.
HENRY AUGUSTINE.
To have lived so as to have gained the respect and admiration of his fellow-men in every walk of life was the fortune of Captain Henry Au- gustine, whose tragic death, March 8, 1913, the whole citizenship of Normal mourned. A bor- ticulturist and nurseryman whose achievements had gained him wide distinction, a gallant soldier during the dark days when Secession reared its threatening head, and a philanthropist whose charities were great and continued, he was a type of the ideal citizenship of which Illinois is so proud, and it is but fitting to place his name among those of the men whose activities have forwarded the development of the great Prairie State. Captain Augustine was born in Lancas- ter County, Pa., July 25, 1840. He came of German parentage, his father being a native of Wurttemberg, who located in Lancaster County when a youth. The family moved later to Canton, Ill., when he was seventeen years old, and he was engaged in farming there at the outbreak of the Civil war. He at once en- listed in Company A, Fifty-fifth Illinois Volun- teer Infantry, as sergeant, and August 1, 1862, he was commissioned second lieutenant, being later promoted to a first lieutenancy and in 1864 was made captain of Company A. He
later returned to his home and recruited a new company, of the Fifty-first Regiment, which he commanded as captain, and in that captaincy served until November, 1865, when he received his honorable discharge. In all his military service he participated in thirty-two hard-fought engagements aud was under the enemy's fire 196 days. One of his chief features of service was his acting as Judge Advocate of a military court for six months. During his active service in the army, Captain Augustine lost two broth- ers, Michael and J. M. Augustine, on the bat- tlefield, who were buried where they fell, but whose bodies were afterward brought back by Captain Augustine to their oldl home at Canton. One was killed at Missionary Ridge and the other at Kenesaw Mountain.
At the close of the Civil war, Captain Au- gustine returned to Canton, where for three years he engaged in a drug business, but, owing to failing health, gave up his store and em- barked in a nursery and farming business near Pontiac, Ill. In 1576 he removed to Normal, Ill., and established the nursery business which has since continued under his name. It was one of the earliest nurseries in this part of the country and became widely known throughout
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the West. Captain Augustine not only followed the routine work of promoting his nursery sales, but was also interested in a scientific way in introducing and propagating new varieties of fruit. His ability and prominence as a fruit grower was recognized at the World's Colum- blan Exposition, in 1593, by his being made superintendent of the Ilinois fruit exhibit, which under his able direction was one of the finest at the exposition. He also served as pres- ident of the National Nurserymen's Association und was for many years and up to the time of Il- death an officer in the Illinois State Hor- Urultural Society. Captain Augustine was prominent also in church and philanthropic af- fairs. He was an officer and leading member of the Methodist church for many years, and was for a long period superintendent of the Sunday school of this denomination, while for fourteen years he was superintendent of the Sunday school at the Soldiers' Orphans' Home, and had served as president of the State Sun- day School Association. He was also promi- nently identified with the Grand Army of the Republic.
On March 17, 1969. Captain Augustine was married to Miss Margaret E. Gapen, and to this union there was born one son : Archie M., who for some years was associated with his father in the nursery business, being a man well known in that field of endeavor, and presi- dont of the Horticultural Society of Central Illinois. Two orphan girls, Ora and Myrtle, through the philanthropy of the deceased and his wife, were given a home and they remained until Ora became the wife of Wesley M. Owen, and Myrtle succumbed to a lingering illness, April 20, 1906, she having been the idol of her foster father. Captain and Mrs. Augustine also opened their home to many other orphan chil- dren who were cared for and comforted until a permanent abode could be secured for them.
Captain Augustine was one of the charter members of the Children's Home Finding So- ciety, which was organized in his private office. This organization has now developed into na- tional importance, with branch state societies in every state in the Union. The society's work con- sists in taking children without homes and plac- ing them in private homes where they are well
cared for and educated, and it has located some- thing more than 40,000 children in this way. Captain Augustine was a charter member of the board of directors and the only charter member at the time of his death. He was actively en- gaged in this grand work right up to the last day.
Captain Augustine is survived by his widow and son, A. M. Augustine of Normal, Ill., and two brothers and four sisters: John, of Pon- tiac, Il .; Dr. Samuel, of San Rafael, Cal. ; Mrs. Susan Durham and Mrs. George Bentley, both of Normal; Mrs. B. W. Benedict of Kanka- kee, Ill .; and Mrs. Mary Carson, of Clarinda, Ia. The deceased was a man known to count- less numbers who had been associated with him and been strengthened by his teachings. Never was he so in harmony with his environment as when assisting a young man. Living near the Illinois State Normal University, the Captain would seek the acquaintance of students and encourage them in their work. A lover of for- estry and engaged in horticulture, no man has cared for or planted more trees in Central Illi- nois than he. In his publie work he was ever in demand with the Sunday school and on public occasions, and so his loss was felt everywhere. A few days before his death, in conversation with a business man at Normal, Captain Au- gustine's thoughts turned toward the end of life and he said : "I am quite ready to go and have no fear as to the future." His confidence we are quite sure was well grounded and his life was an eloquent evidence of his abiding faith in the Great Head of the Church.
"The Gates of Life swing either way."
On Saturday afternoon, at 2:40 o'clock, March S, 1913, Captain Augustine left his office, and while crossing the Chicago & Alton track was struck by the fast limited train, the approach of which was unknown and unseen as a coal- drag with a pusher engine, obscured the view. The noise and confusion incident with the passing train made the situation such that the deceased could not comprehend the danger until the in- stant of contact and death. The fact of the sad accident soon spread, and the acquaintance of the Captain being so extended, there was mourning and sadness throughout a wide area.
WILLIAM KNAPP.
The large and varied interests which have engrossed the time and talents of William Knapp have brought him to the very forefront
among the progressive business men of Rock- ford, Ill., with which city he has been most prominently identified for more than a quarter
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of a century. Almost from the start of his career, he has been interested in land dealing, and today the firm of Kuapp, Barnes & Com- pany, of which he is the directing head, is one of the most widely known realty firms in Winnebago County. Mr. Knapp's extensive con- nections have necessarily made him an ex- tremely busy man, yet he has never found himself too actively employed in his own affairs to neglect the interests of his city. Essentially a business man, he has not been content to play only a passive part in municipal affairs, but has brought his fine abilities to bear in official capacities, thus contributing in no small degree to the general welfare. A review of his career will show that it has been one marked by con- stant advancement, well-directed effort and a sharply-defined appreciation of the duties of citizenship.
William Knapp is a native of the Keystone State, born in MeKean County, April 23, 1839, a son of Abijah and Hannah (VanSlyke) Knapp. His early education was secured in the country schools, where he showed himself a close and industrious student, and this was supplemented by attendance at the academy at Olean, N. Y. He was fifteen years of age when he accom- panied his parents to Illinois, the family settling on a farm at Burritt, Winnebago County, and there the youth resided on the homestead, al- though devoting his energies to well-drilling, an employment in which he met with unusual suc- cess. In this line of endeavor he continued for some fifteen years, gradually building up a business that extended all over Winnebago and the adjoining counties, and in the meantime in- vested his earnings in land. which he purchased at small prices. With excellent judgment and foresight he chose those properties which rap- idly advanced in value, and in 1856 commenced to devote his entire time to the real estate busi- ness, which he found he could follow more profitably than his previous employment. Later he admitted his son, Charles HI. Knapp, to part- nership, this association continuing under the style of William and C. H. Knapp, until the admission of William H. Barnes to the concern,
when it became known as Knapp, Barnes & Company, the present style. The concern main- tains offices at the corner of State and Main streets, on the ground floor of the Second Na- tional Bank building, and, in additon to dealing strictly in real estate, buys and sells houses and farms, writes insurance with all the big com- panies, and makes a special feature of the loan- ing of money. The firm's motto, "Small margins and quick sales," expresses the policy of the business. As the head of this enterprise, Mr. Knapp has made it one of the leading establish- ments of its kind in the State. Ile is an excel- lent judge of land values and his long and varied experience make him one to whom to look for leadership and guidance. Other inter- ests have also claimed a part of his attention, and for some years he was a director in the Forest City Bank.
In political matters Mr. Knapp is a Repub- lican, and has been known as one of the stalwart party supporters in this part of the State. From 1879 to 18SS he was a member of the board of township supervisors, and in the latter year came to Rockford, where he was elected super- visor. With the exception of three years he has served continuously in that capacity to the present time, and during this period has been purchasing agent for the county. He has also served ten years as town clerk, and in 1895 was elected to the city council as alderman from the First Ward, an office in which he continued for two years. With his family, he belongs to the Centennial Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Knapp has also been prominent in fraternal circles of the city, being a member of the Masons and the Odd Fellows, in both of which he has numerous friends.
In 1864 Mr. Knapp was married to Miss Martha Scott, of Burritt. Ill., born there Octo- ber 27, 1843, daughter of James and Elizabeth (Fisher) Scott, farming people of near Mans- field, Ohio. One son has been born to this union, Charles H., of Rockford, a well-known business man, for some years associated with his father in his realty operations.
JOHN HOWARD BRYANT.
It is very seldom that the poet is a practical man or one who takes a prominent part in shap- ing the destinies of nations. Rather is he the gentle singer whose muse places him beyond the consideration of mundane affairs, and although
through his works he may influence in marked degree the lives of others, he seldom reaches them by personal contact. However, there are exceptions in all cases, and here and there are to be found men who are great along widely
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differentiating lines. Their capable hands have strength to hold firmly the reins of government, and also of peuning verse that will live after them. Their minds can at one and the same time grasp the problems of the day, and the beauties of nature. To such men each hour brings its culminating moments, its inner heart- felt triumphs with its comprebending knowledge of men and affairs. But life draws heavily upon the vitality and sympathies of these men whom nature has so favored, in the higher essence of emotion, and they pay many times over in nervous strain for the gifts with which they have been endowed. Princeton claims the memory of just such a man, and honors the name of John Howard Bryant as one of its most beloved celebrities.
John Howard Bryant was born at Cumming- ton, Mass., July 22. 1807, youngest son of Dr. Peter and Sarah (Snell) Bryant, and brother of William Cullen Bryant. He came of May- flower stock on both sides of the family, his father having been of the fourth generation from Stephen and Abigail (Shaw) Bryant, of Plymouth, Mass. Dr. Peter Bryant was a phy- sician of note, who died at the age of fifty-three years, having had five sons and two daughters. For some time he served in the Massachusetts State Assembly, and was a zealous Federalist. The Unitarian religious belief appealed to him, and he was one of the first in western Massa- chusetts to embrace it openly. Mrs. Bryant was a woman of remarkable characteristics, and it is doubtless from her that her two distinguished sons drew much of what was best and highest in their natures. For more than half a century she kept a diary, in which she recorded the daily happenings of her family, a deeply inter- esting family document.
John Howard Bryant was only thirteen years old when he lost his father, and as his mother was left with but limted means, the children had to rely in part upon themselves for educa- tional and other advantages. Mr. Bryant at- tended a select school kept by Rev. Roswell Hawks during 1826-7, and taught school in 1828 and 1829 at Williamsburg. In the meanwhile he attended the Rensselaer school at Troy, N. Y .. and later studied higher mathematics and Latin at Williamsburg. Returning to the Cummington farm, he began writing for the Boston Philan- thropist. In 1830, he took the census of that part of Hampshire County, lying west of the Connecticut River. In the following winter, he taught the Plainfield school. It was fortunate,
perhaps, that Mr. Bryant's attention was then turned toward Illinois, for in the broader fiell of western life his talents were developed as they might never have been in the East. In 1831 he set out to join his brother, Arthur Bryant, who was at Jacksonville, Ill., the trip consuming five weeks, and an outlay of $60, a large sum under the circumstances. For a year following his arrival, Mr. Bryant alternated between clerking and farming, and then, with another brother, Cyrus, who had by this time joined Arthur and John II., set forth for Princeton, where the brothers secured a tract of land and a cabin and began their life as Illinois land- owners and farmers.
In the spring of 1834, Mr. Bryant built a log cabin on the site where later he erected a spa- cious mansion. While it was small and crude in construction, it was open to all wayfarers, and was noted for its hospitality throughout that part of the state. It also served as one of the stations of the Underground Railroad, and in it Mr. Bryant's sons, Henry and Elijah, were born. The tract owned by Mr. Bryant com- prised 560 acres, 320 of which he entered from the goverment, and 240 of which he acquired through purchase. From 1834, Mr. Bryant for a period of sixty years, held various offices, and was instrumental in securing mach legislation. He played an important part in the organization of Stark and Bureau counties, working in con- junction with Senator Stephen A. Douglas. In 1840, he took the census for Bureau County. In the meanwhile Mr. Bryant became a man of much activity, had farmed, made brick, built bridges, and edited a newspaper, proving of consequence in many ways. He always took an active part in the political discussions of his day and educational matters had in him a warm friend. He worked hard to secure the estab- lishment of the Princeton High school, selling the bonds, and acting as the first president of its board of directors, continuing in office for a number of years. Until 1844 he was a Demo- erat, but then joined the Liberty party, and still later the Free Soil party, by whom he was nominated for Congress, but was defeated. With the organization of the Republican party, Mr. Bryant found his political home, and sup- ported its candidates ardently and effectively, being a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1860, held at Chicago, that nomi- nated Abraham Lincoln for president. In 1862. he was appointed by President Lincoln collector of Internal Revenue for the Fifth District of
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Illinois, and administrated the affairs of that responsible oflice during the stressful years that followed as only an able and loyal man could. His advocacy of Hon. Owen Lovejoy, the ardent Abolitionist, made him many enemies, but he held firm to his principles, and never flinched or neglected a duty. During the Civil war, Mr. Bryant was very active in gathering supplies and raising troops, and drew heavily upon his own resources to meet deficiencies.
In his religious views, Mr. Bryant was very liberal, and in 1894 had the honor of being a member and made vice president of the Congress of Liberal Religious Societies, that convened at Chicago. As a poet, Mr. Bryant ranked high, and while he looked up to and deeply reverenced his distinguished brother. William Cullen Bryant, he did not imitate him, as a reading of his own poems clearly proves. Perhaps those which reflect the inner man more clearly than any others are those entitled, "The Little Cloud," and "The Valley Brook."
In June, 1833, John Howard Bryant married Hattie Wiswall, and the bridal pair journeyed
from the vicinity of Jacksonville. Ill., where their wedding ceremony was performed, to the land claim of Mr. Bryant at Princeton. They made the trip according to the facilities of the time, traveling by wagon to the Illinois River, by boat to Peoria, and from thence on horseback to their destination. During the many years of married life which they enjoyed, Mrs. Bryant proved an ideal helpmate for her distinguished husband, and a devoted mother. This pair cele- brated their golden wedding anniversary, Mrs. Bryant living until 1SSS, dying aged eighty years. Mr. Bryant survived her until January 14. 1902. Together they bore the loss of their sou, Ilenry W., in 1854, when he was but nine- teen years old, but Mr. Bryant was called upon to bear alone the death of his other son, Elijah, in 1802, when he was fifty-seven years old.
No more appropriate ending to this brief review can be given than the fraternal tribute paid him by William Cullen Bryant, who de- clared that his brother John was "the best man I know."
ROBERT B. LATHAM.
If, as has been said, it is an honor for a man to plant a tree or erect a house, how much more to build a town. Lincoln, Ill., stands today a testimonial of the energy and indom- itable perseverance of Robert B. Latham, the founder, not only in its material sense, but also in the development of its intellectual. moral and charitable projects.
Of English ancestry, who came to Virginia at an early day and there became identified with the building up of the national government, his father, James Latham, was born October 21, 1768, in Virginia, and was there married June 21, 1792, to Mary (Polly) Briggs, who was also a Virginian, born February 3. 1772. After their marriage the young couple moved to Union County, Ky., where they lived until their ten children were born. In 1818 the state of Illi- nois was admitted to the Union, and one year later the Latham family came to the new com- monwealth. Being possessed of the courageous spirit of the pioneer, James Latham penetrated into the wilderness where no white man had yet made permanent settlement, and erected the first cabin north of the Sangamon River. When the land was opened for entry he took up nearly all of what is now Elkhart Grove. In 1821 Sangamon County was organized, em-
bracing a number of counties since cut off from the original. The first to hold the office of pro- bate judge of that county was James Latham, who was elected by both branches of the Gen- eral Assembly. His commission, signed by Gov. Shadrach Bond, is still in possession of the family.
In 1824, having been appointed by President John Q. Adams, Indian Agent, Judge Latham moved to Fort Clark, then not much more than a trading post and giving but few indications of one day developing into the present thriving city of Peoria. In this position he became ac- quainted with all the more prominent Indian chiefs, Black Hawk, Shaubena, Senachwine, Black Partridge and others who came frequently to his cabin to receive their annuities. No man had a greater influence and no one was more highly esteemed and feared by them. He pos- sessed the respect of the chiefs and the admira- tion of the warriors.
Some idea of the mode of conveyance and lack of transportation facilities at that time can be formed from perusing his letters written to President John Q. Adams from Peoria. He says in one of them, "I have written a letter and expect to have a chance to send it to Chicago in four or five weeks"; he afterwards added a
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postscript saying: "As no opportunity bas offered during the past five weeks, I shall send this by messenger."
Judge Latham survived but two years after locating at Fort Clark, and when he died left his family and a large circle of friends to lament hls loss. He was buried at Elkhart Grove. It has been said of him-"he was a sturdy pioneer, possessed of great powers of endurance, of more than ordinary grasp of mind, highly educated, a man of influence among men of all conditions. Ile well deserved the honors conferred upon him by his fellow citizens and the chief execu- tive of the nation."
The youngest of ten children, Robert Briggs Latham, was born in Kentucky, June 21, 1818, the year before the removal of his father's family to Illinois. His playmates were the Indian boys and one of his earliest remem- brances was the almost daily wolf-hunt. He learned his letters sitting upon the knees of Erastus Wright, a man of remarkable ability, who was employed as tutor in the family of Judge Latham. At Fort Clark he attended the subscription school and upon the death of his father, in 1826, he returned to Kentucky with his sister, Mrs. Grant Blackwell, and there attended school. After coming back to Elkhart he attended schools at Stout's Grove and Fancy Creek, but when sixteen years of age went to Springfield to enter the Springfield High school. It was during this four years' course of study that he met Abraham Lincoln, and then was laid the foundation for that intimate friendship which continued unbroken until the assassina- tion of President Lincoln.
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