USA > Illinois > Ford County > Historical Atlas of Ford County Illinois > Part 25
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Jesse Todd was born in Indiana in 1834, where he lived sev- enteen years. He then moved to Vermilion County, Ill. Soon after, he came with his father to Dix Township, where he has since resided. He married Miss Rosanna Hagin March 18, 1858, in Urbana, Champaign County, Ill. The fruit of this union is eight children. In the many years he has lived in this State, he has never been further from home than Chicago. He has been Road Commissioner and School Director for nine years.
John M. Miner came to Illinois in 1858, and settled in Homer Township, Champaign County. He moved into Ford County in 1868 and was superintendent of the great Sullivant farm for several years. He has been Town Collector, Town Treasurer and School Director for many years. Mr. Miner is a very popular man in this part of the county, having the confi- dence of all, by his strict attention to business. He has an ex- cellent farm and beautiful home in Section 19.
Andrew M. Spoedie, farmer, P. O. Gibson City, resides on the east half of the southeast quarter of Section 17. He is a son of Matthew Speedie, who lives on Section 8.
Samuel W. Wade has a well-improved farm of eighty acres, and comfortable and commodious buildings on Section 4, Dix Township. He resides in Elliott.
G. W. Preston owns the east half of the northwest quarter of Section 8, in this township. He is . thrifty, industrious farmer, and a good citizen.
Dennis Hagaman is a Justice of the Peace, and dealer in agri- cultural implements in Elliott. He has a family of five chil- dren.
J. C. Thornton was born in Virginia, in 1885. He was mar- ried to Miss Anna M. Johnson in 1868. They have five children. He moved to Ford. County in 1864. Here he has held various town officers, being at present Treasurer of the schools and Presi- dent of the Townsyip Sunday School Association.
Matthew Speed . farmer, came from Scotland in 1850, set- tled first in Fall Mver, Mass., where he pursued his trade of millwright for sixteen years. He came to Diz in 1866. He was married, June, 1847, to Isabella Colston, of Scotland. They have five children. Mr. Speedie has a nice farm and a pleasant home.
Henry Harrison Atwood was marilou, February 28, 1862, to Miss L. M. Daniels, of Woodbury, Vt. They have five children. He was born in Lamoille County, Vt., in 1886, and came West in 1850, locating in Ohio. He came to Dix Township in 1866, and now owns a farm of 480 acres. He makes a specialty of raising fine stock.
Samuel Elliott was born in Holmes County, Ohio, in 1887 ; lived there thirty-five years, then came to Diz Township. In 1860, he was united in marriage to Miss Anna Crawford of Co- shocton County, Ohio, and the fruit of this union has been five children, four of whom are now living. Mr. Elliott was instru- mental in laying out the village in this township that bears his name.
John W. Edwards, hardware merchant of Elliott, was born in Morganfield, Ky., in 1842. In 1868, he moved to La Salle County, Ill. ; from there he went to Marshall County. He came to Dix Township in 1877. He married Miss Chrisss L. Long, of Marshall County, in 1866. He has three children. .
Aaron C. Bullington, the present St gervisor of Dix Township, was born in Quincy, Ill., in 1844. His parents moved to' Jefferson County, Mo., soon after he was born, living there several years ; they came to Woodford County, Ill. In 1862, the subject of this sketch enlisted in the Eighty-sixth Ilinois Infantry, and served in the war for three years. Mr. Bullington has been twice married, first in 1869 to Miss Mary C. Leonard, by whom he had two children. For his second wife he married Atlanta V. Blake of this township, this union has been blessed by three chil- dren. Mr. Bullington settled in this township in 1876, and has taken a prominent part in all public enterprises. In 1882, was elected Supervisor. Mr. Bullington is a carpenter by trade, and 18 at present dealing in agricultural implements.
J. E. Hagin, farmer, P. O. Elliott, came to Ford County in an aarly day. He was born in Cape May County, N. J., in 1886: In 1859, he married Miss Barbara E. Crothers. She died several
years after, and for his second wife he married Miss Ellen Myers. Hagin Brothers have a fine, large farm in Section 18.
John Hollen, importer and breeder of fine horses, lives on Section 8. One of the principal business interests of this State, and one in which persistent efforts, sound judgment and ability of a high order are requisite to ultimate success, is that of fine stock-raising. His favorite horse, "Scotland's Glory," is a bright bay, imported by himself in the winter of 1879, at a cost of $1,800. He owns " Capt. Connaught," which name was given him by the records on the French books of the pedigree of blooded horses. Mr. Hollen devotes much of his time to the improve- ment of his stock.
C. Riarson was born in Norway in 1832, emigrating to America in 1857. He settled first in La Salle County, then came to Ford County, locating on Section 28, where he now lives. In 1861, he was married to. Miss Knutson, a native of Norway. They have eight children living.
Henry Shields was born in Ireland in 1885. He came to America and settled in New York State in 1844. He came to Ford County about sixteen years ago. He was married to Miss Almira Sharp in January, 1865. He was again married, to Ann Elisa Spencer, in 1875. He had four children by his first wife, and one by his present wife.
Joseph Richmond is the leading druggist of Elliott. He has . good trade, and lives in a pleasant home place, surrounded by = family of three children, all girls.
A. T. Blake was born in Virginia March 28, 1824. His parents moved to Ohio, where he lived until twenty-two years old, helping his father in cultivating hops. In 1847, he left Ohio and moved to Wayne County, Ill., where he lived on a farm for seven years; then went to Logan County and farmed for sixteen years; then settled in Ford County, where he has since resided. He was Postmaster at East Bend for eleven years; keeper of the poor house for six years; Road Commissioner for nine years, and held various other trusts in the gift of the people. In 1847, he married Cynths Statts. They have had six children.
John Keesey was born in Maryland in 1814, where he lived for seven years; then emigrated to Ohio, where he lived about thirty years. He then came to Ford County, first settling in Patton Township, where he lived on a farm for eighteen years; then moved to Elliott and opened a meat market. He has been twice married-first in Ohio in April, 1837, to Saloma Crise. They had ten children. In 1880, Mr. Keesey was married to Mrs. Jane Culbertson.
John Shilts, P. O. Melvin, is a native of Wertemberg, Ger- many, came to the United States in 1858, and to this county in 1868. Residence on Section 24.
WALL TOWNSHIP.
Wall Township was organised out of the original town- ship of Patton in 1867. It is bounded on the north by Lyman Township; cast by Iroquois County; south by Patton Township, and west by the townships of Dix and Peach Orchard. It was named after Abraham Wall, the first settler who came to this township from Marshall County, Ill., in 1854. Among other early settlers were Fred Dienelt, James Simpson, Christian Sny- der, Samuel Bell, William Noel, William Kenward, J. Bonsel, Paul Cooley, John Travis, Levi Miller, Agrippa Wells, Seth Lytle, William Liggett, James Barnes, John Morris, Jobn Richard- son, John Bayne, Edgar Sharp.
The first town meeting was held at the Stringtown School- house District No. 2, when the following were elected the first township officers: William Liggett, Supervisor ; Steven Fry, Town Clerk; John Morris, Assessor; John Richardson and John Morris, Justices of the Peace.
The first, schoolhouse erected in Wall was the Noel School- house, and William Noel's wife was the first teacher. The String- town Schoolhouse was the next one built, and Miss Rmms Si- mons, daughter of the first County Clerk, taught the school for two years. James Barnes' son Walter was the first child born in the township. There is no church in this township. Religious services are held every two weeks in the Centre Schoolhouse, by & Methodist minister from Lods. There is no village or port office in the township. It contains only a small per cent of un- improved land, and its inhabitants are mostly well-to-do farmers.
Supervisors-William Liggett, 1868; William Noel, 1869; James D. Kilgore, 1870; William Noel, 1871; Levi Miller, 1872; Edward Baboock, 1878; William Noel, 1874; William Kenward, 1875; John F. Kenney, 1877; Edward Baboock, 1879; John F. Kenney, 1880; James H. Snelling, 1881; William Kenney, 1882, still in office.
Among the leading farmers of is township may be noted the following :
John F. Kenney was born in Washington County, Penn., in 1885. He came to this township from Putnam County in 1872. settling on Section 14. He married Miss Mary E. Phelps, of Putnam County, in 1860. Mr. Kenney is one of the many men who came to this country from the East without capital. That Mr. Kenney has been successful is evinced by his fine farma of 860 acres. Mr. Kenney may be classed among the progressive farm- ers of this county.
William Kenward is a native of Sussex County, Eng., and came to Illinois in 1851. He has been twice married, first to Elisabeth McConaty, a native of Lake County, Ill., who died in 1871. In 1878, he married Rhoda Snelling, a native of Harri- son County, Ohio. Mr. Kenward came here poor, but by hard work, economy and strict integrity has to-day a fine farm of 282
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FORD COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
acre. He is a man of exemplary habits, reliable, and worthy of | ing in 1867, "to create a new town out of that part of Diz, to be the confidence of the people.
Frod Dienelt, born in Brunswick, Germany, in 1828. In 1848, he went to sea, sailing around the world before he was seventeen years old, and there are few places in either hemisphere he has not visited. He came to Ford County in 1858, being the second settler in this township. He has been twice married, first to Mary Kaminsky, of Germany, she died in 1872, and the fol- lowing year he married Mattie Wells. Mr. Dienelt has the largest and most valuable library of any person-excepting pro- fessional men-in the county, and passes much of his time in reading scientific works and studying astronomy. He has a fine farm of 130 acres.
Levi Miller was born in Berks County, Penn., in 1831. He moved to Illinois from Ohio in 1854, and to Wall Township from La Salle County in 1864. In 1852, he was united in marriage to Maria Werts, of Preble County, Ohio, and the result of the union has been ten children. Mr. Miller is a carpenter by trade, but has pursued farming mostly while in this State. He laid out the road districts in Wall Township, and has always been honored by the voters of the town to some position of trust.
William Kenney, the present Supervisor of the township, was born in Washington County, Penn. He came to this township in 1875. He was married in 1850 to Mary McVane, of his native place, and six children have been born to them. Mr. Kenney is a whole souled man, ready to help with his influence any enterprise likely to further the interests of his county.
Richard Trigger was born in Devonshire, England, in 1832. Ile came to America in 1859, settling in Peoria County. He came to Ford County in 1869, purchasing the north half of Sec- tion 11. He was married to Elizabeth A. Stoves, of England, in 1855. They have, nine children. Mr. Trigger has been Highway Commissioner for a number of years.
Saunders McCormick was born in La Salle County, Ill., 1886. He taught in the public schools of his native county for several years. He spent two years in the gold mines of the Western Territories, and also was book-keeper for a cotton merchant in Texas. He came to Ford County in 1868, settling on the northwest quarter of Section 9, where he still lives. He has been Justice of the Peace for many. years.
William A. Campbell was born in Northumberland County, Penn., in 1843. He moved to Fountain County, Ind., where he resided a short time; then came to Ford County, settling in Trickel's Grove, Button Township. He was married to Eliza- beth C. Irwin in 1838, and four children have been the fruit of that union. Mr. Campbell now lives on the southwest quarter of Section 35, Wall Township. His father, O. H. Campbell, was one of the early settlers of Ford County.
Robert M. Karr was born in Coshocton County, Ohio, in 1884. In 1869, he came to Ford County. He has a fine farm of 320 acres and = pleasant home on Section 84. He was married in 1858, and has a family of five children. He enlisted in the One Hun- dred and Forty-third hundred-day service and served one year.
Worth McCormick was born in La Salle County, III., in 1858, living there till nine years of age, then came to Drummer Township, where he lived until he moved to Wall Township. In 1877, he married Miss Samantha English, of Pickaway County, Ohio. They live in a nice home on Section 5.
John Hamlon is a native of Albany, N. Y. He came to Chicago in 1848, and was bound out to & farmer in Kendall County for eleven years. He was united in marriage to Mary Baxter in 1861. . He owns 280 acres of fine farming land and a pleasant home. He has been Road Commissioner and School Director for several years.
Charles Spellmeyer was born in Prussia, in 1831. He emi- grated to the United States in 1853, settling in Putnam County. He moved to this township in 1875, settling on Section 16, where he has 820 acres of land under fine cultivation. He was married in 1857 to Louisa Kottkamp, by whom he has seven children- George, Mary, Henry, Frank, Charlie, Millie and Lillie. His residence and buildings are among the best in the township.
George Minch, farmer, P. O. Roberts, was born in Tax- well County, Ill., 1847, where he lived until 1881, when he moved to this township. He owns the northeast quarter of Sec- tion 8, and 240 acres in Section 22, Lyman Township, where he now resides. He was married in 1869 and has five children.
Charles Phillips is of English extraction, being born in Lan- cashire, England, in 1814. He came to Philadelphia when quite young, where he remained a short time, then moved to the State of Delaware. In 1854, he came to Putnam County, Ill., where he lived for eighteen years, then came to Ford County, where he has since resided. He was married in 1848, and is the father of four children.
Edgar G. Sharp was born in New York in 1888. In 1855, he went to Wisconsin, living there three years, then came to Wall Township, settling on Section 30. He was married in 1858 and has a family of eight children. He owns & good farm of 160 acres.
James H. Snelling is a native of Illinois. He came to Ford County in 1877, and settled on Section 11. Mr. Snelling was teacher of penmanship for many years, he being one of the finest penman in this part of the State. He has filled the office of Supervisor one year, and has been elected to many other offices.
SULLIVANT TOWNSHIP.
This township was organised September 9, 1867. It origi- nally formed a part of Dix Township, and upon a petition being presented to the Board of Supervisors at their September meet-
known as Sullivant," they granted the petition, and Sullivant Township was formed. This township is six miles north and south and nine miles east and west. The land is the highest in the State between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River, as will be seen by the map, showing that many streams have their source in this part of the State. The soil is of a good quality.
The history of this township can be nothing else but the his- tory of a farm, for that is what it was. Most of the land in this township was entered or purchased by Michael L. Sulli- vant during 1854, who improved the land and operated it as an immense corn farm up to 1876, when he disposed of it to Mr. Hiram Sibley, of Rochester, N. Y. This was undoubtedly the largest corn farm in the world under one man's management. He was a leading man in the township, and lived in a beautiful grove called " Burr Oaks," near the center of the township. Since Mr. Sibley took possession of the farm he has rented out most of the land, and for the accommodation of his renters has erected substantial dwelling houses on nearly every quarter sec- tion.
There are eight schoolhouses in the township, all situated on Mr. Sibley's land. They are good, substantial buildings, fitted up with improved furniture.
SIBLEY.
This beautiful village, originally named Burr Oaks, is situated on the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railroad. The original town of Burr Oaks was surveyed and laid out by John R. Lewis, in February, 1877, for M. L. Sullivant, in the northwest quarter of Section 32. In 1880, Sibley's Addition was laid off, and the name changed to Sibley, to conform with the railroad station and post office. But few buildings had been erected here previous to 1878, when Mr. Sibley organized a system of improvements, and a number of dwelling houses were erected, & hotel, the largest and best in the county, a large seed barn, flax mill, stores, offices and numerous other buildings. A large, commodious grain elevator was erected by Mr. Sullivant.
The beautiful schoolhouse, which is the pride of the town, was erected in 1882, at a cost of $6,000.
There are two church societies here. The Methodists, who have erected a neat, attractive church edifice, and the Swedish Lutheran society.
The general business of the town is carried on by three gro- cery stores, two dry goods stores, one hardware and one drug store, three blacksmith and one wagon shop, one tin shop, one harness maker, one lumber yard and one elevator. The public hall is nicely furnished. Although a town of but few years' growth, the enterprise of its people is shown by the graded streets, good sidewalks, a park, and hundreds of trees that have been set out.
J. H. White, proprietor of the Sibley Elevator, is a native of Warren County, Ohio, came to this county in 1876.
LYMAN TOWNSHIP.
At a meeting of the Board of Supervisors held September 9, 1867, a petition was presented them for the purpose of having a new township erected out of that part of the township of Bren- ton described as Town 25 north, Range 9 east, of the Third Principal Meridian. The board, finding that the petitioners had complied with the requirements of the law, granted the petition. The township took its name, or was named after its first resident settler, Samuel Lyman, who settled in the northeast corner of the township, on Section 2, in the year 1856. The township is bounded on the north by Brenton Township, on the east by Iro- quois County, south by Wall Township, and on the west by Peach Orchard Township and the county of Livingston. The first town meeting was held in School District No. 2 on the 7th day of April, and at this meeting the following township officers were elected : Samuel Woodward, Supervisor ; A. M. Haling, Town Clerk ; Daniel Woodward, Collector ; A. V. Burcham, Assessor ; A. V. Burcham, James Roberts and P. S. Gose, Highway Commissioners ; Samuel Woodward and T. A. Ire- land, Justices of the Peace ; Daniel Woodward and Daniel Althen, Constables.
At the same meeting, they voted to divide the township into four road districts and nine school districts.
In 1857, a colony of Connecticut people settled in this town- ship, taking up 7,000 acres. The following men composed the colony: R. A. Hungerford, S. K. Marston, Dr. Babcock, B. Marston, Edmond Havens, William S. Rossey, William Bentley, Daniel Hutchinson, Enoch Morgan, Moses Morgan, Theophilus Morgan, A. C. Maxon, Henry Dennis, Robert Eggleston, Sam- uel Birdsley, I. N. Newton, N. C. Ball, James Bellick, W. S. Larkin, Lyman Peok, Reuben R. Pearson. The first child born in the township was Rosa Bushor. The first marriage celebrat- ed was in the spring of 1860. James Crow and Kate Birdsley were the contracting parties. The first death was Mrs. Henry Dennis, who was buried on the A. M. Peck farm, Section 4.
A blacksmith shop was built on Section 10 by Samuel Birds- ley at an early day.
The schoolhouse in district No. 9 was built in 1866, and Miss Anna Coswell was the first teacher.
The first teacher ww School District No. 4 was Effie Mazson. In District 5, William W. Graham was first teacher, and Mrs. S. K. Marston in Schott No. 1.
The village of Rerts is situated on the Springfield Branch of the Illinois Centrs Railroad. It was located and surveyed during the fall of 1877, by F. A. Roberts, after whom the town
was named. Dr. Cassingham and E. A. Bushor were the first families to reside in the village.
Roberts has among its business houses, four dry goods and five grocery stores, one bank, one hotel, the " Glencoe," two liveries, one drug store, two blacksmith shops, two grain elevat- ors, one lumber yard, a tile factory, two meat markets, one hard- ware and furniture store, three churches-Congregational, Meth- odist, and German Methodist, and two schoolhouses.
In 1878, the village suffered a severe loss by fire, but with true American enterprise the injured firms rebuilt, and now the town is one of the most flourishing in the county.
The number of car loads of grain, stock and merchandise shipped the past year, was corn, 196 ; hogs, 65; cattle, 12 ; flax seed, 31, oats, 24.
. The Methodist Church was first started by a Mr. Pierce, a Welshman, who lived near Oliver's Grove; and preached all over this section of the country in private houses and schoolhouses, at an early day. The first preacher sent here by the conference, was a Mr. Henry in 1871. He preached in the Graham School- house. A Sunday school was organized, with Mr. Van Steen- burg, Superintendent. Meetings were held in the schoolhouse in Roberts the following year, and until the hall was built in 1875 services were held in the hall until the new Methodist Epis- copal Church was dedicated, January 22, 1882, by G. W. Que, Presiding Elder.
The Congregational Church was organized in 1875, under the name of the " First Congregational Church of Roberts." A Congregational Church organization existed in this township as early as 1867; in 1875, two separate bodies grew out of the old one, one locating in Thawville, Iroquois County, and the other at Roberts.
Services were held in the schoolhouse and town hall until 1879, when steps were taken to erect a house of worship, which was completed and dedicated during the summer of 1880. The church has at present sixty-one members, and is in a prosperous condition.
A German Evangelical Church is located on northeast quarter, Section 34, surrounded and supported by a thriving German settlement.
The following have been the Supervisors of the township : Samuel Woodward, 1868; A. M. Haling, 1869; Peter S. Gose, 1870; O. D. Sackett, 1872; H. B. Ferguson, 1874; A. V. Burcham, 1875 ; Joseph Hurst, 1876 ; William B. Flora, 1877 ; Joseph Hurst, 1879 ; Lycurgus Burns, 1882, still in office.
. The following sketches are of early settlers, and some of the prominent citizens of Lyman Township.
Samuel Lyman, the first settler was born in Southampton, Mass., July 16, 1811, andmoved to Ford County, Ill., in 1856; he bought 280 acres on Section 2, where he lived until 1869. He moved to Onarga, Iroquois County, and lived there until his wife died. He then came to Paxton, and made his home with his son, Samuel B. Lyman, or "Bart " as he was familiarly called, who was Sheriff of Ford County for eight years.
James Roberts, farmer, was born in Sussex County, England, 1816. His father died when he was eight years old, leaving James to shift for himself, and earn a penny at anything he could do. In 1843, he married Elizabeth Gilbert, of England, by whom he has three children. Mr. Roberts came to this country in 1851, and to Lyman Township, Section 32, in 1858. He owns 200 acres of fine farming land, has s comfortable home where he resides.
Albert M. Haling was born in Hartford County, Conn., Sep- tember 80, 1820. He came to Lyman Township in 1866, par- chasing- 1,200 acres of land in Fractional Section 8, at $8 per acre. He made a re-survey of the section, calling it "Haling's Subdivision." He sold it in 1870, and bought 480 sores in Sections 10 and 11, where he erected the finest house in the town- ship, which now belongs to J. L. Shorthose. Mr. Haling was married to Lucy A. Groves, of Ellington, Conn., by whom he had five children, viz., E. S., Frank W., Kate A., Clarence A. and Lucy A., all born in Connecticut. Mr. Haling was first Town Clerk and second Supervisor of the township, and in 1874 . was elected Representative of the Eighteenth Congressional Dis- trict of Illinois.
E. S. Haling, farmer, was born in Hartford County, Conn. October 4, 1850, came here with his father in April, 1866.
Edward Van Steenbergh is one of the most extensive farmers of this township. Born in Ulster County, N. Y., in 1814, he came to this township in 1871, settling on Section 28. He owns s splendid farm of 640 acres, and annually ships largo quantities of hay to Chicago.
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