USA > Illinois > Brown County > Biographical review of Cass, Schuyler and Brown Counties, Illinois: Containing biographical sketches of pioneers and leading citizens > Part 63
USA > Illinois > Cass County > Biographical review of Cass, Schuyler and Brown Counties, Illinois: Containing biographical sketches of pioneers and leading citizens > Part 63
USA > Illinois > Schuyler County > Biographical review of Cass, Schuyler and Brown Counties, Illinois: Containing biographical sketches of pioneers and leading citizens > Part 63
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EORGE W. CAMPBELL was born in Richland county, Ohio, October 30, 1827. He was the son of Peter L. Campbell, a native of Virginia. He was of Scotch ancestry, and his father and he re- moved from Virginia to the Northwest Ter- ritory about 1797. As the Indians at that . time were hostile, he returned to Virginia and resided there for a short time, but in 1800 he concluded that he was much more likely to gain a fortune in the new West than in the old East, so lie returned to his western
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home and settled on the west bank of the Ohio river, and remained there a few years. He then wandered to Richland, and from there to Crawford county. Mr. Peter Camp- bell learned the trade of tanner, and followed it till 1843, and then came to Illinois in the fall of 1844. He was accompanied by his wife and eight of his twelve children. They made the entire journey overland with teams. He settled in what is now Bainbridge town- ship, where he had previously bought a tract of land in section 4, the northwest quarter. Like all the land of that date, there were no improvements, and they resided with another family for a short time after their arrival. The following year he built a cabin on liis own land, where he lived to the day of his death. He made many improvements on the farm and erected tasteful buildings. His death occurred August 19, 1881. His wife's name before lier marriage was Agnes Jones, and she was born in Virginia, July 6, 1801. She was the daughter of Oliver Jones. Mr. Campbell was a Democrat in politics, and served as County Assessor for two years, and several terms as Justice of the Peace of the township, and County Treasurer. He was a strict Predestinarian Baptist, of which de- nomination he was an Elder.
The subject of this sketch was seventeen years old when he canie to Illinois. He did not come until the following year after his parents came. He came with a team. Coming here as he did when there were so few settlers, and about the only inhabitants were the wild game, he had a good opportunity to watch the growth of the country, as he has been a resident of this township ever since. He has occupied the farm he now resides upon since 1870. He married, January 20, 1853, Laura A. Neill, the danghter of James Neill. She was born in Weatherfield township, Trumbull
county, Ohio. Her father was a native of Tyrone, Ireland. His first wife was a native of the same county, and he and she died there. After her death he came to America, bringing his only child with him, and settled in Trumbull county, and bought timber land and erected the log house in which Mrs. Campbell was born. Here he lived until 1846, and then moved to Illinois, accom- panied by his five children, and settled in Rushville. Here he bought land and pur- siled the occupation of farning until his death in 1864. The maiden name of his second wife was Mary Stewart, daughter of Archibald Stewart, a native of Ireland, and of Scotch ancestry. She was a native of Ohio, and died in Trumbull county about 1843.
Mr. and Mrs. Campbell have ten children living, namely: James N., Agnes M., C. Stewart, Edward L., Mary W., Lewis E., Jonathan, Milton, Amy L., Della K .; L. Jen- nic and Lucy M. died in infancy.
Mr. Campbell is a Democrat and cast his first vote for Lewis Cass. He has served twelve years as Justice of the Peace, and seven years as Assessor. He also served several terms as Supervisor, and one term as Sheriff.
AMES GROVER, farmer of Mt. Ster- ling township, was born in 1841. He is the son of Henry P. Grover (see this book). James attended the pioneer school, and afterward taught in a log honse where the furniture was of the most primitive kind, -seats made of rough slabs, with wooden pegs for legs. He worked for his father until twenty-one, and then rented some land from him for two years. He then bought
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some land in Mt. Sterling township, and there built a log house, 16 x 18 fect. The log house gave place in time to neat buildings of all kinds, and he resided here until 1882, when he traded with his father for the old home- stead. His present farm contains 160 acres, highly improved, with farm buildings that compare favorably with any in the township.
He married, August 13, 1863, Miss Mar- garet C. Putnam, of Brown county, Illinois. She is the daugliter of William and Marthia Putnam. Mr. and Mrs. Grover have three bright, intelligent children,-Minnie, Arthur and Oscar H. Mr. Grover and wife are members of the Primitive Baptist Church. Mr. Grover is a stanch Democrat in politics.
DWARD BERTHOLF has been so closely identified with the early politi- cal history of Schuyler county that this volume would not be complete without an extended review of his career, which began liere May 1, 1836. He is a native of Orange county, New York, born April 9, 1816, a son of John and Elizabeth (Perry) Bertholf, na- tives of New York and New Jersey respect- ively. The family is descended from the Hollanders, wlio emigrated in colonial days to New York. The father was a farmer by occupation, and resided all his life in the Empire State. They had a family of thir- teen children, twelve of whom grew to ma- turity; ten married and reared families. Ed- ward grew to manhood amid the scenes of farm life, and attended the common schools; at the age of sixteen he began to teacli school; and followed this profession until he was twenty. At that age he removed to Illinois and located at Rushville, Schuyler county, his older brother, Henry B., having ,settled
herc previously; here he taught a school and assisted his brother, who was Judge of tlie probate court, deputy Clerk and county Re- corder; he was thus introduced into court- house work, and lias since passed one-half of his time in various offices. In 1848 lie was appointed Treasurer of the school fund, and held the office until 1869; he continued teach- ing, served as deputy for other offices, clerked and kept books for the merchants of Rush- ville. In 1848 he was also elected Justice of the Peace, and retained the office for more than twenty years; he finally resigned both this and the office of school trustee. In 1847-'48 he was deputy Sheriff and Collector of Taxes; he was elected deputy Clerk in 1855, and six month later, on the death of the Clerk, Nathan Moon, he was appointed to the office of county Clerk. In 1860 he was elected Sheriff and served one term; two years later Thomas J. Kinney, went into the war, and he took charge of the office of Cir- cuit Clerk, which Mr. Kinney had previously filled, and continued to transact the business during the remainder of the term; he was then deputy County Clerk. and is still in the office of Circuit Clerk during court.
Mr. Bertholf was married in November, 1838, to Mary E. Jackson, a daughter of Levi and Lydia (Wilcoxen) Jackson; nine chil- dren have been born to them; one died in infancy and the eldest, William H., died at the age of twenty-one years; Horace is a resi- dent of Cherokee county, Kansas; Frank E. is a citizen of Rushville; Fred L. is a farmer of this county; John Jesse is also a farmer; Emily Ann married Thomas W. Moon; Har- riet E .; Mary E. is the wife of E. W. Bick- ford of Plymouth, Illinois.
In his political convictions Mr. Bertholf adhered to the principles of the Whig party until 1856, and since that time has been a
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Democrat. He is a member of the Method- ist Episcopal Church, and has been a liberal supporter of the society. In 1862 he pur- chased the farm on which his father settled, and owned this land until Marclı, 1891. He has never been connected with any civic society except the Sons of Temperance. Levi Jack son, father of Mrs. Bertholf, was a native of Connecticut, and was there reared and mar- ried; he removed from that State to Ohio, and thence in 1836, to Schuyler county, Illi- nois; he died in July, 1868; his wife died in 1839; they reared a family of four daughters and three sons. Mr. Jackson was a shoe- maker by trade, but followed farming from the time he settled in Ohio until his death. He was inarried a second time, bnt had no children by this union. Politically he affili- ated with the Republican party.
TEPHEN BRANNAN, deceased, hav- ing died at his home in Beardstown, Illinois, September 16, 1875, was born in Queen's county, Ireland, about seventy-two years ago. He camne of pure Irish ancestry. His mother had died in her native country, when in middle life. Her name was Anoralı Brannan. His father later came to this country, joined his son in Cass county, and after leaving lived here twelve years, died at his home, aged eighty-four. He and his wife were all their lives Roman Catholics.
Mr. Brannan came to Cass county a poor man in 1849. He had given up a farmer's life in Ireland and wlien twenty-three years of age went to England, spent three years in Liverpool and in 1849 reached the United States. He had been nine weeks in the city
of New York before he came on to Beardstown and here the scenes of his active life began. He was a hard-working farmer and stock- raiser and became prominent as such in the county. He was successful in accumulating land, having worked around for seven years; he then purchased and began to farm for him- self. He first bought eighty acres, which be- fore his death he had increased to 380, and 340 of it is still in the family. This land is in Indian precinct.
He was married, in Beardstown, to Eliza- beth A. Riley, who was born in Londonderry, Ireland, August 7, 1835. She was tlie daughter of John and Margaret (Kenan) Riley, natives of Dublin, Ireland. Mr. Riley and his wife had both come to England when young people, were married in Ashton, England, and there Mr. Riley followed for a time the trade of a baker and was so engaged throughout England until 1836, when he came to the United States and located in Beardstown. Four years later his wife and children came over on the same ship with Mr. Brannan of this notice. Mr. Riley ob- tained land in Indian precinct, about 650 acres, and it was upon this place that Jolin Riley and wife labored, successfully, and died about the age of fifty- five years, having been all their lives good Roman Catholics. Mrs. Brannan was her parent's only child. She has kept the property together and is a good manager. They had thirteen children, four of whom are dead. Nicholas is now a farmer on the old homestead; John Jr., is also a farmer at the saine place; R. Edward is a partner with his brother in farming; Mary A., at present housekeeper for licr brothers on the farm; Nora is at home with her mother ; Thomas is a clerk for Werner & Stoneagle; Lizzie is at home, while William and Stephen work for their brothers on the farm.
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Mr. Brannan was a good neighbor, a kind father and husband and a consistent ınember of the Roman Catholic Church.
LIAS CLARK, a prosperous retired farmer and an esteemed pioneer citizen of Cooperstown, Illinois, was born in Virginia in 1808.
His parents were Josiah and Jane (Adams) Clark, both natives of the Old Dominion. The latter was a daughter of John Adams, a native of Maryland, who removed to Vir- ginia in an early day, but who later re- turned to his native State. By this marriage there were ten children, six sons and four daughters. The devoted wife and mother died in middle life, and was buried on the old farm in Virginia. The father afterward married again, his second wife being Lucy Menifee, a native of Pennsylvania, who be- longed to a large and prominent family of that State. By this marriage there were also ten children, eight sons and two daugh- ters, most of whom are still living and reside in Ohio.
The subject of this sketch spent his boy- hood on the home farm in Virginia, and liad but few educational advantages, having at- tended the subscription schools but for a short time. He was trained to drive four and five horses by one line, riding one of the wheel horses, and in this manner made many long trips to Washington, District of Columbia, Fredericksburgh and Falmouth, on the Potomac. He made one trip to Balti- inore, a distance of 100 miles, with ten bar- rels of flour, and returned with merchandise. He counts these as among his happiest days, when, in company with other teamsters, he would camp out in his wagon at night.
In 1835, he and his father and family mnoved from Virginia to Ohio with a covered wagon and a team of horses, the party num- bering thirteen persons. His father and family settled on eighty acres of timbered land, the timber being mostly chestnut and dogwood. Here they resided until the venerable man died. He was well into the nineties at the time of his death, about 1850.
In the fall of 1851, Mr. Clark sold his Ohio farm and removed to Illinois, which was then the frontier of civilization. He was ac- companied by his wife and eight children, six sons and two daughters. The long jour-' ney was made overland with two lumber wagons and two double teams of horses, and was rendered exceedingly tedious on ac- count of bad weather and miserable roads, in addition to which his children were taken sick with the ague. He inquired on the way for a healthy location, and was directed ta Adams county, Illinois. Before reaching there he rented a house east of Mt. Sterling, where he and his family remained until the following spring. He thien rented the farms of two brothers, Henry and Mike Huffman, who were going to California. He was to reap the wheat, which was then half grown, and this helped him to a good start, as he realized therefrom 250 bushels as 'his share. This was a windfall to him, as he had little or no means, and it secured for him bread and seed for the following year. One of his sons worked in a tanyard and earned the the price of two cows, which then cost $10. His other son took a job of clearing timber from some land, and drew the wood to market. Thus all put their shoulder to the wheel until brighter days dawned upon them.
Mr. Clark afterward rented an old farm of 160 acres, which was a part of his present place. He lived there two years, when he
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built a good brick house on his own farm, his house having an excellent cellar under the whole of it. He paid $1,000 for 160 acres, and most of it was wild and covered with brush. He now bas 140 acres of this under good cultivation, while twenty acres are of timber, which is planted with blue grass, which makes good pasture. He has fertilized his land with clover, and grows about forty acres each of corn and wheat, realizing as high as forty bnshels of wheat to an acre, and sixty and seventy bushels of corn. He has ceased, for some years, from active labors on his place, although still en- joying fair health.
His first wife died, aged nearly seventy years, and is bnried on the farm. They had seven children, three of whom are living: Joseph W. died May 31, 1859, leaving a wife and three children; Elias died in Ohio, when an infant, in January, 1842; Jonah was stabbed at Cooperstown, Virginia, when twenty-one years of age, and died November 29, 1859; Moses was a volunteer in the Civil war, and died March 7, 1871, aged twenty- eight years; Martin, also a volunteer in the late war, passed through the conflict in safety to return home and meet with an ac- cident by which he lost a leg in a threshing machine. He is now farming on his father's land. This son and two daughters are the only living children. One daughter, Tabi- tha, now Mrs. George Kendrick, lives on a farm near Mt. Sterling, and has four chil- dren; Massy J., the other danghter, is the wife of George Hollis, a prosperous farmer, who lives in Gibson City, this State; they have eight sons.
Mr. Clark's present wife, with whom he has lived ten years, was the widow of Will- iam Lozden. Her inaiden name was Eliza Curlew, and she was born in Kentucky, in
1835, and was reared on the frontier in Missouri, when the aborigines were plenti- ful. She had seven children by her foriner marriage, four sons and three daughters.
Politically, Mr. Clark has been a Demo- crat until recently, and now votes independ- ently, regardless of politics. Religiously, his faith for twenty-five years has been that of the Methodist Church, to which he renders much valuable assistance.
These are a few of the most prominent events of an eminently busy and useful life, which is deservedly crowned with prosperity and the esteem of his fellow-inen.
AMES W. BLEYER was born near Franklin, Franklin township, Pennsyl- vania, June 17, 1860. His father, Sam- uel Bleyer, was born in Connecticut, and his father, Alex. Bleyer, was a native of the New England States. The ancestry of the family is Scoteli. Mr. Alex. Bleyer removed from Connecticut to Pennsylvania, and died in that State, and his son was reared in the State of his birth. Here he followed farming until he removed to Williamsport and re- mained a few years, and then returned to Franklin county, and still resides on a farm. The maiden nanie of his first wife was Bar- bara Kanc, and she was the mother of James. She was a native of Connecticut, and she died in Franklin county, Pennsyl- vania, in 1875. James was reared and edn- cated in his native State. He was fifteen years old when his mother died, and from that time he cared for himself. He had learned the printer's trade in the office of the Press at Chambersburg, at the age of four- teen, worked there one year, and with the exception of a few months has followed the
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trade ever since, and has set type in the principal offices east of the Mississippi river. In May, 1891, he bought the office and good will of the Brown County Republican, a weekly paper devoted to the interests of the Republican party.
He was married in 1890, to Hattie May. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of David and Alice May. Mr. Bleyer is a member of Cincinnatis Lodge, No. 287, K. of P., and of the National Tele- graph Union. He has always been a sound Republican.
ACOB HOWELL is one of the oldest settlers of the county now living in Bainbridge, he having been born in what is now Woodstock township, Schnyler county, Illinois, April 23, 1833. His father, John Howell, was a native of Guilford county, North Carolina, where he was reared and where he married. He emigrated to Illinois across conntry with teams, accompanied by his wife and five children, locating in what is now Woodstock township. It was a wild and checrless country, that in which the pioneer North Carolinian and his family settled. The cry of the wolves startled the children by night. Deer and turkeys haunted the big woods. Most of the land was owned by the Govern- ment. Neighbors lived far apart. Yet he went to work with a stout heart upon a tract of land, sixteen acres of which had been cleared. A log cabin stood upon the tract and there the subject of this sketch was born. The father resided there until his death, in August, 1833.
The maiden name of the inother of Jacob Howell was Sarah Manlove, daughter of
William Manlove, born in North Carolina. After the death of her husband she married a second time, a man named Steplien Frazer. She died on the home farm in 1842.
But an infant when his father died he was donbly an orphan when but nine years old. From that time onward the brave and per- severing lad was made to care for himself. He was able to attend the primitive school of his youth-the conventional log cabin with its splintered seats and puncheon floors, where, someliow, boys did inanage to pick up knowledge nearly, if not altogether, as good as that of the present date, when the pupils are given the advantages of culture, aesthetic furnishings and scientific appli- ances. He began work upon the farm at $5 per month, continuing to work out until 1853. In February of that year lic started out with others to make the overland journey with ox teams to California. . It was a peril- ous undertaking for this inexperienced lad of less than twenty. The only white settle- mient between the Missouri river and Cali- fornia was the Mormon one in Utah, which report declared was to be nearly as much to be dreaded as the hostile Indians who scoured the plains in search of victims. Reaching California he first engaged as cook for a threshing party, receiving $3 per day. A few weeks of this life sufficed and he under- took mining, which disagreed with him and he went to southern California, where he en- gaged in the raising of hogs. In 1859 he re- turned to Schnyler county, and bought the farm he now owns and occupics. Since that time he has devoted himself to agricultural pursuits.
In the following year, 1860, he was united in marriage to Rachel Parker, who has borne him four children: Emina, Addie, John and Fred. Mrs. Howell was born in Bainbridge
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township, and is a daughter of John and Emily Parker, who are natives of North Carolina and pioneer settlers of Schuyler county.
Mr. and Mrs. Howell are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Howell is a Republican in politics.
AVID THRON, an old resident and well-to-do farmer, now living at his old home on section 27, township 17, range 12, was born in Baden, near Heidelberg, Germany, Junc 3, 1823. He was only twelve years old when his father, Michael, died, at the age of forty-four. For eleven years he had been a soldier in the Spanish provinces, and had seen much hardship and had many unpleasant experiences. He is remembered as a brave German soldier. His wife, who survived him, came to the United States shortly after the death of her husband, bring- ing with her five children, two having come before. She sailed from Bremen and came via New Orleans, being fifty-six days on the water. The family, including the mother and seven children, settled in Cass county, except one who died in New Orleans. The mother died at the home of our subject in 1880, aged eighty-four. She had spent her last years with him. She had been a good woman all her life, and she and her husband were consistent members of the German Lu- theran Church.
David , came to this county in 1844, and began life as a laborer in Beardstown. He then decided to become a farmer, after hav- ing worked and saved his money for nine years. He rented one year and then bought the farm where he now lives. His first pur- chase was of eighty acres, and he afterward 85
entered forty acres of Congress land, adjoin- ing his first purchase. He afterward im- proved this and added to it until he owned 200 acres. He disposed of part of his land to August Hausmeyer, and expects to retire and move into Arenzville after the spring of 1893. He added buildings to his farm and made it comfortable in every way.
He was married in Beardstown to Maria A. Eradt, who was born in the same town and province as himself, coming to Amner- ica on the same vessel with him, and they were married soon after landing. Her par- ents came to this country a few years later and settled in Bellville, where they continued until the end of their lives. They are mem- bers of the Lutheran Church.
Mr. and Mrs. Thron are honored and re- spected meinbers of the Lutheran Church, and he is a Democrat in politics, and they are the parents of seven children. They cx- perienced a great grief in the loss of four of them in a few weeks, in the fall of 1863, of diptheria. Tlicir namnes were: Valentine, fifteen years old; Henry, thirteen years old; David, Jr., nine years old; and Anna M., seven years old. The living are: Michael, a workman on the Quincy Railroad, who mar- ried Elizabeth Garrick; Elizabeth, wife of Henry Kneke, a farmer in this county; and Louis, a farmer in Cass county, who married Dora Fellow. Mr. and Mrs. Thron are among the best of our German citizens, and arc highly respected by all who know them.
EORGE W. FRISBY, a prosperous farmer of Schuyler county, was one of the pioneers of this section, and is justly entitled to the following space in this his- tory. He was born near Watertown, Jeffer-
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son county, New York, June 21. 1821, a son of Sparrow Frisby, a native of the same State; tlie maternal grandfather emigrated to the United States from Wales; he resided in New York for some years, and then re- moved to Connectient, where he passed the last years of liis life. The father of George W. was but an infant when his mother died, and he was then taken into the family of Dr. Wesley Willoughby, of Herkimer county, New York, and there grew to mnature years. In the spring of 1837 he made a trip to Illi- nois in search of a permanent location; he came to Schuyler county, and selected a tract of land in what is now Woodstock township; he built a log house in the midst of the wilderness, and in the fall was joined by his family; after a few years he sold this place and removed to Rushville, where he worked at the trade of painting and paper-hanging; he was a resident of that place at the time of his death. The maiden name of the mother of our subject was Lydia Willoughby, a na- tive of Herkimer county, New York, and a daughter of James and Lydia (Cook) Wil- loughby, natives of Connecticut and pioneers of Herkimer county; the last years of her life were spent in Rushville. George W. was sixteen years old when he came to Illinois in the fall of 1837; the journey was made by . the most convenient route at the time; via teamn to Utica, tlience via the Erie canal to Buffalo, thence by steainer to Cleveland, thence by canal to Zanesville, thence by team to Portsmouth, thence via the Ohio, Missis- sippi and Illinois rivers to Schuyler county, landing at a point then known as Erie. Mr. Frisby had attended the schools in New York State quite regularly, and after coming to Schuyler county was a pupil one term in the primitive school of the frontier. He lived at home with his parents until he was twenty-
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