USA > Illinois > Ford County > Historical Atlas of Ford County Illinois > Part 26
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45
. The Hurst family is among the earliest settlers of Ly- man Township. Joseph and Mary Hurst came to this country from England in 1847, settling in New Jersey, where Mr. Hurst died in 1849. Mrs. Mary Hurst came West, and settled on Section 80, this township. She died in 1875. Holes and Hannah (maiden ladies) now own and live on the old homestead. One of the children, Ann, is living in Gloucester, N. J. The rest of the children are in this State.
William Hurst was born in 1888, and came to Ford County in 1855. He is a farmer, and now resides on Section 30. He married Mary, daughter of James Roberts.
Joseph Hurst was born July 8, 1884, in Edgerton, England. Coming to this Western country, he settled in Bureau County, where he lived for several years, and married Miss Harriett Har- vey, by whom he had ten children. Coming to Lyman Town- ship in 1858, he bought two sections of land from the Illinois Central Railroad Company, but poor crops and hard times came, and Mr. Hurst became very poor. His main dependence was a shot-gun, which was taken from him on execution ; the officer re
Digitized by
76
FORD COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
penting the act, returned the gun. Mr. Hurst often speaks of this, to show the contrast with his present circumstances, now owning a fine farm of 320 acres, one mile from Roberts, under excellent cultivation.
Amos C. Maxon was born in the town of Lyme, State of Connecticut, in 1821. At the age of fourteen years, he went on board ship with Capt. Chadwick, making three voyages a year for seven years. He came to Ford County in 1858, settling on Section 14, where he now lives. He was married to Phobe E. Pierson, of Connecticut, in 1851, and six children have been born to them. Mr. Maxon was one of the colony that came to this county from Connecticut.
M. Cassingham, M. D., was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, in 1841. In 1845, he came to Kendall County, Ill., liv- ing there several years. He moved to Grundy County, and later to Ford County, settling at Roberts in 1871. He gradu- ated from the Rush Medical College, Chicago, in 1874. He was united in marriage in 1862 to Miss Ellen Cullen, of Canada. To them have been born four children.
Since Dr. Cussingham settled in Roberts, he has been very successful in his practice, and has won the respect and confidence of all. He is a hard worker, and is at present doing as much or more than at any other time in his life.
Ora W. Cassingham was born in Grundy County, Ill., in 1854. He is a brother of Dr. Cassingham, and came to Roberts to engage in the drug business with his brother in 1881. For several years he had followed the map publishing business, meet- ing with good success. September 26, 1883, he married Elmira, daughter of Lycurgus Burns, of Roberts.
Charles O. Hayes is a native of Clinton County, N. Y. In 1855, he came to Kendall County, Ill., where he lived until 1861, then moved to McLean County. He came to Roberts and opened the Glencoe Hotel in 1881. He keeps a good hotel and obtains his share of the traveling public. He was married, in 1859, to Lusina Alford, of Clinton County, N. Y. They have four children.
Chris Anderson is a native of Scotland. He bought a farm in this county in 1865; he farmed until 1872; then went into partnership with J. A. Moutelius and George Campbell. In 1874, Mr. Moutelius sold out to the other partners who continued do- ing a general merchandise and grain business at Roberts. In 1876, George Campbell went to Piper City and engaged in the banking business, and Mr. Anderson remained in Roberts. In 1881, he bought out the banking business of J. B. Meserve and has been connected with this and the tile works since. He was married to Mary Martin, of Marshall County, Ill., and they have seven children, all girls.
William B. Flora was born in Campbell County, Ky., in 1844. In 1868, be settled in Iroquois County, Ill .; he opened a store in this place in 1872, and, in company with Mr. Newman, is doing a good mercantile business. In 1874, he married Mary Jane Newman, of Kentucky. They have four children.
E. B. Beighle was born in Butler County, Penn., February 14, 1886, and came to his present home in Section 3, Lyman Township, in November, 1869.
William Hough Bond and James Bond were born in Manches- ter, England. William was born February 4, 1841, and James, February 11, 1844. William came to Lyman Township in 1866, and is & brick-maker by trade, but has been engaged in farming since living in this county. James is a veterinary sur- geon and farmer. They both have excellent farms.
Charles Ringeisen was born in Germany July 25, 1844; he came to Ford County in 1881, and is now one of the active Ger- man farmers of Lyman Township.
Arthur Swanick was born in the county of Mayo, Ireland, September 16, 1832; he came to New York State in 1855, to Illinois in 1862, and to this township in 1872; he has eighty acres of land in Section 6.
Patrick McQuillen is a native of Ireland, who came to Ford County in 1868, and settled in Section 32, Lyman Township.
John Hummel was born in Germany August 7, 1884. He emigrated to America and settled in Illinois in 1854; he settled in Lyman Township in 1869, and has been engaged in farming since.
George E. Reynolds, farmer, P. O. Roberts, was born in Knox County, Ill., November 12, 1859. He moved to Lyman Township in the spring of 1881, and has been engaged in agri- cultural pursuits since.
Samuel Shute was born in Gloucester County, N. J., October 19, 1821. He moved to his present home in 1868. He owns 820 acres of fine land in this township.
John Roberts was born March 23, 1835, in Sussex County, England. He came to this county in 1859, and settled on Section 32, Lyman Township. He was one of the earliest settlers of the township.
Nicholas Hummel was born in Germany September 18, 1836. He lives on Section 5, where he has a good farm.
I. C. Newman is a native of Madison County, Ohio. He came to Illinois in 1852, and to this township in 1867. He owns farm in Section 8, where he is engaged in farming and stock- raising.
Robert H. Gresham was born in Christian County, Ky., Sep- tember 6, 1848. He came to this State in 1850, and to Ford County in 1882. His business is a farmer, P. O. Roberts.
John Crawford, farmer and stock-raiser, was born in Albany County, N. Y., in 1841. He came to the State of Illinois in 1865, and to Ford County in 1871. He owns a good farm in Section 2, Lyman Township.
H. M. Wilcox was born in Stockbridge, Oneida County, N. Y. He left that State and came to Illinois in 1868. He owns
. large farm, and carries on the dairy business. His post office . is at Thawville, Iroquois County, III.
John Cook was born in Germany in 1848. He emigrated to America in 1867, and settled in Illinois in 1879. He lives on his fine farm in Section 13.
B. F. Iler, farmer, P. O. Roberts, was born 1848, in Tus- carawas County, Ohio. He settled in Lyman Township in 1874. Charles Fellwock is's German, who came to this country in 1861 to better his condition. He settled in Ford County, in 1867. He owns a good farm on Section 35.
George Minch, farmer, P. O. Roberts, was born in Tazewell County, Ill., in 1847, where he lived till 1881, when he moved to Wall Township, where he owns the northeast quarter of Section 3. He owns 240 acres in Section 22, this township, where he resides. He was married in 1869, and has five children.
F. W. Halling, traveling salesman, was born in Tolland County, Conn., January 13, 1854, came to Illinois in April, 1866.
Prince Tobey, born in New York State in 1820, came to Ford County, Ill., in 1865, P. O. Kearney Junction, Buffalo Co., Neb.
PEACH ORCHARD TOWNSHIP.
September 15, 1868, = petition was presented the Board of Supervisors, asking their aid in creating a new township out of the township of Dix, composed and described as the east two- thirds of the north half of Town 24 north, and the south half of Town 25 north, in Range 8 east, "and on motion of Supervisor Davis it was ordered by the board that said territory be and is hereby set off in accordance with the prayer of said petition ; and it is further ordered that the territory set off shall be known and designated as the township of Peach Orchard."
In 1855, Joshua T. Nicholson planted 1,000 peach trees on the southwest quarter of Section 21, Town 25 north, Range 8 east. This large orchard was cultivated for about twelve years, when the trees died and were never replaced. This is how the township came to be named Peach Orchard.
William B. Holmes, Joshua T. Nicholson, Elick Nicholson, Alexander Nicholson and David Spencer, were the early settlers of the township until the fall of 1867, when the township was rapidly settled up. Among those coming were John Iehl, the Hunt family, G. and J. Dixon, John Wilson, Joshua Umbarger, John Conniff, W. B. Knight, George and William Foster, G. and O. Defriese, A. Hellman, Joseph Fletcher, John and William Boundy, Robert Ashley, P. Brady, William Underwood, Michael Schilts, Ed McKanna, Henry Rowcliff, George and T. Arends, Charles Gardner, Isaac C. Day, T. D. Thompson, William Fra- zius, William Lackey, George Phillips, Lot Robb, T. and J. Mc- Laughlin and John Thackery.
The first school building in this township was the " Grand Prairie " (No 8), although & year or so before this was built, an old building was moved into the township from Wall, and used for school purposes ; it was called the "Black College." The first teacher was Robert Hutchinson.
The first marriage in this township occurred in 1857, the con- tracting parties being Elick Nicholson and Miss Margaret Scott. Charles Rodenhour was the first person that died. He was buried on Section 8 in the fall of 1858.
On the 29th of May, 1857, Miss Fanny A. Holmes, daughter of Squire Holmes, was born, the first child in Peach Orchard. She is now the wife of Paul Keostner, and lives on the same farm where she was born.
This township has a railroad running diagonally across it, orig- inally known as the Gilman, Clinton & Springfield, now the Springfield Division of the Ilinois Central. The township took $28,000 of stock, issuing bonds therefor for twenty years, draw- ing ten per cent interest. The road was completed in 1871, and trains were running that winter.
D. K. Pearson, of Chicago, owned the east tier of sections in this township, and one day in November, 1866, he came down here and sold the entire tier of sections ; the average price paid was $8.50 per acre. Melvin, named after the President of the Gilman, Clinton & Springfield Railroad, is the only village in the township. It was surveyed and laid out at the request of Enoch Hunt, and includes about sixty-five acres. It is situated on the south half of the northwest quarter of Section 1, and contains a fine school building, four churches, two elevators, one lumber yard, six dry goods and grocery stores, one agricultural ware- house, two blacksmith shops, one wagon shop, a drug store, a hardware and furniture store and a hotel.
T. D. Thompson was the first station agent, and built the first house in the village.
John Lyer was the first Postmaster, and opened the first gen- eral store in the village.
The Supervisors have been : James Dixon, 1868; William B. Holmes, 1870; T. D. Thompson, 1871; Thomas F. Kingsley, 1872; William B. Holmes, 1875; John S. Hunt, 1878; Jere Mathis, 1880; John Iehl, 1881, still in office.
The following is a brief mention of the early settlers and lead- ing citizens of Peach Orchard Township :
William B. Holmes was born in England in 1820. He em- igrated to America in 1849, landing in New York. He came to Fond du Lac County, Wis., where he remained about three years. He then moved to Georgetown, Vermilion Co., Ill., and worked at the carpenter's trade for several years, then moved to what is now Peach Orchard Township in April, 1855, settling on the farm he now owns. He built the first house, and turned the first furrow in this township. In 1860, the Prince of Wales' suite -Capt. Carter, Hon. C. A. Ellis, now Duke of Rutland, and a
German connected with the Royal family-with their servants, were in this part of the country hunting, and spent several days with Mr. Holmes. He was married, December 26, 1844, to Miss Eliza Wren, of Yorkshire, England. Mr. Holmes had held the office of Supervisor, Assessor and Justice of the Peace.
Thomas D. Thompson was bornf in Belmont County, Ohio, in 1847, where he resided until 1864. He then moved to Illinois, and in 1868 settled in Ford County, and was the first station agent at Melvin. He now is engaged in the grocery and dry goods business and is Postmaster of Melvin. Mr. Thompson has always taken a lively interest in the building-up of the churches and schools of this place.
Enoch S. Hunt was born in Marshall County, Ill., in 1833. He moved to La Salle County in 1847, and lived there until 1868, when he moved to Ford County, settling on the same farm where he now lives. In 1854, he was married to Miss Mary Griffen. Mr. Hunt was instrumental in starting the village of Melvin and in securing the railroad across the township. He has a fine farm and excellent buildings, only a short distance from the village, where he resides.
William S. Larkin was born in Rhode Island March 5, 1826. He came to Ford County from Connecticut, in 1857, settling in Lyman Township. He is now in business with his son-in-law in Melvin. They are running a creamery, shipping their butter to New Orleans.
Edward S. Jenkins was born in Chester County, Penn., July 4, 1842. He moved to Marshall County, Ill., in 1849, where he lived on a farm until the breaking-out of the war. Ile en- listed in the Ninth Illinois Infantry, remaining in the service until the war closed, when he was honorably discharged and re- turned to his farm. IIe married Miss Sarah Robinson, of Canada, and moved to Peach Orchard Township. After farming for several years, he moved to Melvin and opened a meat market, and is still engaged in this business.
Augustus P. Gould was born in Kendall County, Ill., October 5, 1848, he lived there until 1858, when he moved to Dwight, Livingston County, farming, attending school, and clerking in & store, until eighteen years passed away, when he moved to Melvin, Ford Co., Ill., and built and opened a store of general merchan- dise, which business he is at present engaged in. He was married, October 16, 1878, to Maggie E. Wolverton, of Pontiac. They have been blessed with three children.
Edward G. Collins, born in Herkimer County, N. Y., Sep- tember 22. 1851. His parents died when he was a young man. After learning the harness maker's trade, and being anxious to establish himself in business, came West, and settled in Melvin, where he has carried on his business with success. In 1876, he was married to Martha M. Shute. This union has been blessed with two children.
John S. Hunt came to the place where he now lives in the fall of 1867. He has a splendid farm of about 600 acres. He was first Collector of the township, also served two terms as Super- visor and was School Director for many years ; is one of the trust- ees of the Methodist Church, to which he contributed largely. He always takes an active part in all the affairs of school, church or township.
John Ichl was born in the Province of Alsace, France, in 1839. When eleven years old, he, with his parents, came to America and settled in Lake County, Ill., and engaged in farm- ing. When he became of age, he started in life for himself, go- ing to Marshall County, Ill., and working on a farm. In 1867, he bought the northwest quarter of Section 28 in Peach Orchard, and farmed it until 1873, when he bought out the grain elevator in Melvin, and has carried on the grain business with success since. In 1871, he married Miss Mary Arends. They have had four children, two now living. In 1881, Mr. Iehl was elected Supervisor of the township, which office he still continues to hold.
W. T. Gash was born in England June 3, 1837, where he lived until he was twenty-one years old, then came to America and began farming in Henry County, Ill. In 1869, he came to Peach Orchard and located in Section 23, where he still resides. In 1874, he married Miss Sarah A. Bevins. They have three children.
Josiah Umbarger is a native of Pennsylvania; he was born in 1834, and at the age of ten years came West with his parents to Putnam County, III. In 1860, he married Miss Jane Allen. Mr. Umbarger has a fine farm of 240 acres, with substantial im- provements.
Gerhard Defries was born in Germany in 1827. At the age of twenty-seven years he came to America and lauded in New Orleans. He bought his present farm in Peach Orchard in the spring of 1868. In 1857, he was married to Miss Hissky Hil- mers. They have a family of eight children.
Henry Rowcliffe was born in England in 1843; he settled in Ford County in 1869, and still lives on his farm in Section 88. In 1859, he was united in marriage to Martha Dunn, of En- gland. For his second wife he married Sarah Bell. They have five children.
William Cooper was born in England in 1880. He came to America in 1862. He is a tailor by trade. He came to Peach Orchard Township from Fairbury, Ill., and went to farming. In 1855, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Cole. They have a family of seven children.
William Boundy was born in England October 80, 1882. He emigrated to America in 1857, first settling in New York State. He came to Peach Orchard Township from Peoria Coun- ty, Ill., in 1871. He was married to Elizabeth Hill, of England, March 27, 1858. They have six children.
William Foster, farmer, was born in Rochester County, N. Y., in 1838; he came West and settled in Ford County in 1865;
Digitized by Google
77
he was married in 1859 to Miss Sarah Gill, and four children have been born to them ; he has a good farm in Section 38.
John Karsten is a native of Germany, where he worked on & farm for twenty-four years. He came to America in 1866, and settled in Marshall County, Ill. In 1876, he came to Peach Or- chard Township. In 1867, he was married to Sophia Hose. They have four children. He owns 200 acres of land with good improvements.
A. Backholz is a native of Germany, who came to this country in 1852, working at various places for a number of years. He finally settled on his present farm in Section 1 in 1867. He was married in 1855 to Miss Caroline Fante, and the fruit of this union has been a family of eight children. . He now owns 720 acres of land in this township, with excellent improvementa.
Henry Spellmeyer was born in Germany, 1840; he emi- grated to America with his sister in 1858, first settling in Mar- shall County ; then, in 1868, came to Peach Orchard Township. In 1868, he married Miss Louisa Steinman. They have five children.
John Thackary was born in England, 1834, where he lived till 1865; then came to this country and settled in Putnam County, Ill., where he lived for several years. He then came to Ford County and located in this township. March, 1865, he married Catharine Phillips, and six children have been born to them. Mr. Thackary now owns 480 acres of good land in Peach Orchard.
William D. Spencer is the son of David W. Spencer, who was born in Vermont in 1811, and came to Vermilion Coun- ty, Ill., in 1841, and bought 400 acres of land, which he worked several years, then moved to Georgetown, same county, and engaged in stock-raising, which he followed for a time. In the spring of 1855, settled in Peach Orchard; he died in 1857. Our subject was born in 1855 in Georgetown, Vermilion County, Ill., and came with his parents to this township. He was mar- ried to Miss Emma J. Terry, of St. Louis, They have three children. Mr. Spencer is preparing himself for the ministry.
Thomas Mclaughlin was born in the North of Ireland in 1829; emigrated to America in 1848, when he settled on a farm in La Salle County, Ill .; lived there for six years, then came to this township. He now owns the southeast quarter of Section 36, one-half mile from Melvin.
George F. Forney, farmer, P. O. Melvin, was born in Put- nam County, Ill., 1845. At the age of twenty-two years, he married Eliza S. Allen, of Pennsylvania. They have four chil- dren. Ho settled in Peach Orchard Township in 1870; he was Town Clerk for three years.
Peter Conniff was born in Ireland; at the age of six years, he came to America with his mother and settled on a farm in New Jersey. He remained in that State about twenty years, then came to Henry County, Ill. He settled in this township in 1857, and still lives on the same farm he first purchased. In 1861, he enlisted in the Fourth New Jersey Regiment, and was in the service until the war closed.
David Thompson was born in Belmont County, Ohio, in 1841. In 1863, he enlisted in the Seventh Illinois Volunteers. He settled in Ford County in 1869, on the place he now owns in Section 23. He married Margaret C. Frazer in 1865.
James Dixon, farmer, P. O. Melvin, is a native of Manchester, England, where he was born, 1886. In 1861, he enlisted in the Seventeenth Illinois Volunteers, and remained in the service until 1868, when he was honorably discharged and returned to Marshall County, Ill. In 1867, he settled in Ford County, and has lived here since. In 1865, he married Miss Jane E. Hunt. They have seven children.
Patrick Goggins is a native of the "Emerald Isle." He came to America in 1846, and first settled in La Salle County, Ill. After living there twelve years, he moved to Ford County. He married Miss Catharine Clark in 1868, and three children have been born to them.
W. J. Hunt is a native of Marshall County, Ill., where he was born 1841. He remained there twenty-one years, working on his father's farm, then moved to La Salle County, Ill. In 1861, he enlisted in the One Hundred and Fourth Illinois Regiment, and was in the service several years; then returned to his old home in La Salle County, where he remained until 1872, when he moved to Peach Orchard Township, and has since resided here. John M. Thompson was born in Noble County, Ohio, April, 1887. He lived there several years, then settled in Belmont County, and taught school for four years; also attended the academy at Belmont. In 1864, he settled in Grundy County, Ill., staid there a short time, then moved to Marshall County, and after living there three years he went to Woodford County and bought a farm and worked it for four years, then sold out and came to Peach Orchard Township in the fall of 1872, and engaged in general merchandising; he soon sold out to his brother and engaged in the sale of agricultural implements and lumber. In 1861, he was married to Miss Jane Day, of Bel- mont County, Ohio. They have two children. Mr. Thompson takes a deep interest in the church and schools of Melvin.
PELLA TOWNSHIP.
The territory now organized into Pella Township, originally formed a part of Stockton, and from 1861, when Brenton was organized, up to 1870, it formed a part of that township.
This township was the youngest of the sisterhood of townships in Ford County, and was unfavorably located for early settle- ments, on account of its being mostly s low, level prairie, and exceedingly wet, except in the driest times of the year. The
FORD COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
Vermilion swamps extend across the northern part of the township, the South Fork of the North Vermilion River, a slow, sluggish stream, flows across the center, and various marshes and sloughs are scattered over the township, and much of the land was long regarded as irreclaimable. But of late years many Irish families have moved in and bought the wet lands, and at once began the work of ditching and tile draining, and such other changes made as warrants the belief that Pella will soon rank as one of the best townships in the county.
The first settler of this township was Robert Hall, who bought land in Sections 16 and 28; he came in 1857. The next settler was Henry Atwood, who settled on southwest quarter of Section 22. Henry Mitchinson came the same year and settled on the north west quarter of Section 22. Lyne Starling, a cousin of M. L. Sullivant, of Sullivant Township, settled on Section 35.
The first man to locate in Pella after the war was John Bales; the same year James McCarty and James Taggart came. In 1868, Edward Doran. The McTier family, Robert Wells, An- drew Hickman, Hugh Rice, Abraham Fadden, M. C. Kice, Dan- jel Marble, William Andrews and Owen Murtaugh, settled in this township, and about the same time Charles Yates, James Sheldon. The Reed boys-Charles-Arby-Thomas-Butler and Ed, Thomas Correll, J. S. Ruff, Patrick McNoughton, Andrew Stuart, William Michael and John Ward. Lyne Starling, who came from New York, built the house in Section 85, known as the " Old Brenton House." This house was built of the best material and in a very substantial manner. The building of this large house and the extensive preparations for farming on a large scale by Mr. Starling were quite an encouragement to the set- tlors. The Starling property was all of. Sections 1 and 8, east half of 17 and northwest quarter of 5 in Brenton and 31, 88 and 35 in Pella.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.