USA > Illinois > Ford County > Historical Atlas of Ford County Illinois > Part 28
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S. P. BUSHNELL, President of the First National Bank, organized May 5, 1888, Paxton, Ill., was born in Oneida County, N. Y., March 24, 1827, son of. Rev. Calvin and Polly (Williams) Bushnell, former a native of Saybrook, Conn., latter reared in that State. She died at Rossville, Vermilion Co., Ill., at the age of nearly ninety years. Rev. Calvin Bushnell came West in 1886, and located in Kendall County, Ill. He died at Lisbon, Ill., in 1862, aged eighty years. Our subject came West to Kendall County, Ill., with his parents, and here he obtained but
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a common school education. He was married, April 28, 1850, to Adeline MeEwen, who bore him three children, two now liv- ing-Emily J., wife of Dr. S. M. Wylie, residing in Paxton, and A. S., assistant cashier of the First National Bank, Paxton. One child died in infancy. Mr. Bushnell has been engaged in various enterprises, from time to time, with marked degree of success, having accumulated s competency, and is at present in active business, dealing in grain ; he owns several valuable tracts of excellent farm land in Central Illinois. Our subject is cer- tainly one of the exemplary citizens of Paxton, and one of Ford County's most successful business men.
RENSSELAER BOWKER, contractor and builder, Gibson, son of Cubing and Abigal (Rider) Bowker, was born April 6, 1829, in Shefford, Shefford Co., Canada East. On the 28d of April, 1855, he was united in marriage with Mary Batchelder Spaulding. They have seven children-Albert Rensselaer, born September 6, 1859; Chellis Irwin, November 1, 1860, in Mem- phis, Tenn ; Ella Spaulding. March 20, 1868; Lucy Elvira, June 16, 1864 ; Ernest S., July 12, 1865; William Short, Oc- tober 21, 1866 ; Abby Spaulding, April 14, 1869. Mr. Bowker resides on Section 26, having come to this county in 1869.
JAMES PORTER BUTTON (deceased) was born in Jefferson County, Ky., Jan. 29, 1822. Came to Ford County in 1852. Mr. Button was married to Miss Sarah R. Hock, in Fountain County, Ind., February 8, 1845. They have had a family of eight children, seven of whom are now living. Mr. Button en- tered land in Section 25, Town 23, Range 10, in the township which now bears his name. The present home farm was pur- chased of Joseph Coonts, who was an early settler of this county. Mr. Button filled many positions of trust with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents. He was the Treasurer of Ford County at the time of his death, which occurred at Paxton March 22, 1866. Sarah R., his widow, is a daughter of Jacob Hock, an early pioncer of Fountain County, Ind. W. J. Button, the second son, has bought out the heirs of the old homestead, comprising 820 acres, where his mother still resides.
GEORGE CAMPBELL, banker, Piper City, was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1844. He received his education at the High School in Glasgow, and at the age of thirteen years began work in the cashier's office of the North British Railway Com- pany, where he remained two and a half years, being promoted to the Passenger Superintendent's Department, and afterward to be Superintendent of freight trains on the system, which position he held until 1872, when he left Scotland and came to America, settling in Piper City. He engaged in business with Chris. An- derson, at Roberts, until 1878, when he succeeded to the bank- ing business of Meesrs. Montelius & Son, in Piper City, which he still continues to run with excellent success. Mr. Campbell was married to Miss Jeanie Anderson in 1866.
OBADIAH H. CAMPBELL is a son of James Campbell, . native of New Jersey, who moved to. Northumberland County, Penn., when about fifteen years old, where he died at an advanced age. Our subject was born in Pennsylvania December 17, 1811. In 1855, he came to Indiana, where he lived one year, and in the spring of 1856, he purchased the property of the heirs of Joshua Trickel, at Trickel's Grove, Button Township, Ford Co., Ill. He is one of the oldest living settlers of this county, and owns and resides on .one of the first settled places in the county or Eastern Illinois. Mrs. Campbell was a native of Pennsylva -. nia, where she was born in 1817. She died February 2, 1867. They had a family of, nine children, eight now living.
LYMAN D. V. CASTLE, livery, Kempton, a son of Londo and Emeline Castle, was born in Camden, Oneida County, N. Y., March 4, 1855. On April 25, 1878, he was united in mar- riage with Ads W. Brown, at Sannemin, Livingston Co., Ill. They have two children-Iva Adella and Judson. Mr. Castle settled here in November, 1882.
REMEMBRANCE CLARK, Paxton, is a native of New Hampshire. He was born in Stafford County in 1810, and brought up on a farm among the. Granite Hills. In 1884, he went to Frankfort, Me., where he remained until 1847; then set- tled in Bangor, Me., being engaged in mercantile business. In 1860, he came to Illinois, settling in Paxton. He built a house that year, on the east side of Market street. He opened a store in this house, which he kept up for several years, and in 1867 built the largest brick business house in Paxton, known as Clark's block. Here he opened his store which he, in company with his son-in-law, Mr. R. Crusen, carried on with good-success, until he sold out to Mr. Cruzen, who is now engaged in the hardware trade. Mr. Clark was married, in 1884, to Henrietta A. Dur- gin, a native of New Hampshire. They have been blessed with six children, two of whom are now living-Elisa Ann, wife of R. Cruzen, and Mary, wife of H. R. Daggett, of Petoskey, Mich. The business career of Mr. Clark has been that of an exemplary man, and although retired, on account of declining years, with an abundance of this world's goods, he bids fair to enjoy many years more the position of honor and respect which is universally given him and his excellent wife by the people of this place.
MILTON H. CLOUD, Paxton, the present Master in Chancery, was born in Hamilton County, Ohio, 1842. His father, Vivian Cloud, was born in Dearborn County, Ind., in 1812. He was married to Sarah D. Gibson, a native of Penn- sylvania, in 1888. The result of this union was a family of twelve children. After his marriage he resided in Hamilton County until 1850, when he came to Illinois and settled in Taze- well. County. He remained here until 1868, then went to El Paso where he now resides. The subject of our sketch was edu- cated at the academy in Washington, Ill., and afterward at Eureka College. He commenced the study of law in the Chi-
cago Law School, and in the winter , of 1866-67 read law in the ofice of R. T. & J. J. Cassell, at Metamora, Ill., and was admit- ted to the bar at Ottawa in April, 1867. He began the practice of his profession at El Paso, where he remained for two years, then came to this place, where he has since resided. He was elected City Attorney for one term, and by appointment of the County Court was County Attorney in 1872, until the election of a State's Attorney; he is now Master in Chancery. In Octo- ber, 1871, he was united in marriage with Alice Polhemus, of El Paso. The result of this marriage has been two children, both girls. In 1862, he enlisted in the Eighty-sixth Illinois In- fantry, and was in the army until wounded at the charge at Ken- esaw Mountain in June, 1864, when he was honorably discharged and returned home. Mr. Cloud is considered a good and success- ful lawyer, possessing a lucrative practice and a fair share of the business in this and.adjoining counties.
P. A. COAL, publisher and proprietor of the Gibson En- terprise and Sibley Index, was born in Washington, Washing- ton Co., Penn., November 28, 1854. He is a son of Dr. W. P. T. and Mary (Williams) Coal. His father was a native of Hor- nellsville, Steuben Co., N. Y., and his mother of Kentucky. Mr. Coal came in 1859, with his parents, to Fremont, Ill. He never attended the public school, but at the age of about eight years entered the high school at Fremont, on a first-grade certificate, and subsequently attended the State Normal Univer- sity, and began teaching school before he was fourteen years of age. Our subject has taught in McLean, Champaign and Ford Counties for over eleven years. He engaged in the newspaper business at Sibley, Ill., in December, 1879, publishing the Sib- ley Index, which he still continues to edit. In June, 1888, he moved to Gibson, and started the Gibson Enterprise, which is one of the most flourishing papers in the county. Mr. Coal was married, December 28, 1879, to Sadie Black, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Dungan, and a native of Indiana. Since the above was written, the Sibley Index has passed into the hands of M. T. Hyer.
HON. J. H. COLLIER, Gibson, was born in Oneida County, State of New York, in 1844. Joseph Collier, father of the sub- ject of our sketch, was a native of England, and when a youth of nine years came to America with his parents, who settled in New York State. He removed to Lake County, Ill., in 1855, and is at present making his home with his son, Hon. J. H. Collier, in Gibson. Our subject kept s general store in Huntley, McHenry Co., Ill., for several years, and in 1862, at the age of eighteen, he enlisted and served in the army for the Union until 1866, and rose through all the grades of rank to that of Captain of his company. In 1871, Mr. Collier came to Ford County, settling at Gibson, which was then a small village, and embarked in the hardware and agricultural implement business, the first in that line in the town: During his residence here the people have called Mr. Collier from private to public life, and that his services have been entirely acceptable his many re-elections will testify. He has served from Town Clerk through the various offices to Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. He has been
elected from this district to the Thirtieth, Thirty-second and Thirty-third General Assemblies, occupying during the Thirty- second, positions as Chairman of Committee on Labor and Manu- facture, and on Committees on Fees, Salaries, Penitentiaries, Militia and Senatorial Apportionment. He has the credit among his constituents and brother members of being one of the best workers for the State and National good. Our subject has re- cently erected two very fine business rooms in the Opera Block, Gibson, one occupied by himself in the hardware trade, on the same spot where he first began business in 1871. The first wife of Mr. Collier died in 1872; their only child died one week be- fore the mother. He married for his second wife, in May, 1875, Miss Hattie MoClure, daughter of B. H. MeClure, one of Drum- mer Township's best known citizens. The result of this union has been two children. Mr. Collier is one of our best citizens, and has at all times been strictly identified with the general busi- ness and social interests of Gibson.
FRANC L. COOK, Paxton, son of Col. H. D. Cook, is the present State's Attorney, and one of the leading lawyers of Pax- ton. His father, Col. Cook, was born in Oneida County, N. Y., in, 1817, and was married to Johanna Hall, s native of that county, in 1840. They removed to McLean County, Ill., in 1858, and this has been their home, with the exception of some time passed in Woodford County. He was elected to the Legis- lature in 1860, and in 1862 entered the army as Captain in the Fourth Illinois Cavalry, and when mustered out bore the rank of Colonel. On his return from the army, he was re-elected to the Legislature, and shortly thereafter was appointed by the Governor Financial Agent for Illinois to settle claims of this State.against the General Government. In this position he procured the pay- ment of nearly all the amounts claimed, manifesting great business tact and ability. When the railroad and warehouse commis- sion was organized under act of the Legislature, Col. Cook was appointed by Gov. Beveridge, a member of this board, and at its organisation became the Chairman. This position he filled with honor to himself and satisfaction to the people until his death, which occurred in 1878. He lefta wife, two daughters and two sons. Mrs. Cook and one son, Prof. John Cook, reside at Normal. The daughters, Mrs. A. Sample and Mrs. F. W. Gore, reside in Paxton. This is also the residence of the subject of our sketch, who was born at the old home in Oneida County, N. Y., in 1842. He came to Illinois with the family, and was in the employ of the Illinois Central Railroad, as agent at Kappa, for four years. He was in the employ of this State at Washing- ton, from 1866 to 1870, collecting soldiers' claims; he also served as Clerk of Committee on Foreign Affairs, Gen. Banks,
Chairman, United States House of Representatives; and as Clerk of Committee on Territories, Senator Cullom, Chairman. Mr. Cook was in the census office of 1870, having in charge Tablo No. 3, and supervising the pay of Marshals. . He was educated at Eureka and Knox Colleges, and graduated from the Columbia Law College at Washington, and admitted to the bar in 1871. He began the practice of his profession in Paxton in 1872. Mr. Cook has served as City Attorney one term, and, as before stated, is the present State's Attorney of Ford County. In 1870, he was united in marriage with Miss Kate Anderson, of Blooming- ton. She is a. lady of excellent culture, as visitors to their pleas- ant home in Paxton can testify.
JOHN H. DUNGAN was among the first settlers of Ford County, having settled on the southwest quarter of Section 13, Town 28, Range 7, now Drummer Township. He owned at one time, in addition to the homestead, the southeast quarter of Sec- tion 14. Our subject is a son of John R. and Ellenor Dungan, natives of Kentucky, who settled in Jefferson County, Ind., in 1811, where they resided till death overtook them. John R. Dungan died at the age of sixty-five. His widow was aged eigh- ty-four at the time of her death. Our subject was born in Jef- ferson County, Ind., and educated at South Hanover. In 1842, he was united in marriage with Mary A. Fay, of Portage County, Ohio, daughter of Hon. Basset Fay, of Massachusetts. His home was in sight of that of the late Hon. J. A. Garfield, with whom he volunteered to go to the war, but physical disability prevented the enlistment. He was one of the delegates from Portage Coun- ty who nominated Garfield for the State Senate, his first public position. After being rejected as a soldier, Mr. Dungan con- cluded to remove to Ford County, Ill., and improve lands pur- chased by him in 1856. Thereupon in the fall of 1861, with his five motherless children, poor tools and little money, he located on the wild prairie. It was a hard life for the pioneer as for in- stance corn would be hauled to Paxton and sold for 10 cents a bashel, and cotton cloth purchased at 60 cents a yard, coffee, 40 to 60 cents a pound, and other necessaries in like proportion. On one occasion ten bushels of corn were traded for one bushel of wild gooseberries. Schools, churches, mills, etc. were few and far between. He contributed toward the building of the first mill and the first church at Paxton, and believes he has a little stock in nine other churches in the county. He has four chil- dren living,.all married. Two reside in Kansas, the others in Iowa, and all in comfortable circumstances. One son, the young- est, died and was buried in Gibson Cemetery. He has a fine brick residence, large frame barn, extensive orchard and grove, and farm well hedged ; he built the fourth house in the town of Gibson ; has been engaged in the grain and seed business for fifteen years. Mr. Dungan, by reason of his age, has retired from active business, and calmly awaits the time when the final summons comes, and his remains are laid away in the Gibson Cemetery, where he has selected the place and erected s monu- ment.
JOHN C. DUNHAM, Paxton, was born in Tolland County, Conn., July, 1881, son of Rev. E. and R. (Herris) Dunham, natives of Tolland County, and both children of Revolutionary sires. Mr. Dunham received a New England school and academic education. At the age of twenty-two years, he went to Canada, where he practiced dentistry and obtained a medical education. From Canada he came to Loda, Iroquois Co., Ill., in 1861, and here continued the practice of dentistry for several years, and in 1875 started in the newspaper business, publishing the Loda Register, at Loda. Our subject had several adventures in the newspaper line during his earlier years. Mr. Dunham is at present pub- lishing the Eastern Illinois Register, at Paxton, Ill., in conneo- tion with the Loda Register. He was twice married; first, to Miss Harriett McBurney, a native of Peterboro, Canada. She died in 1878, and in 1880 Mr. Dunham was again married, on this occasion to Elisabeth G. Knapp, a native of Memphis, Tenn.
MERTON DUNLAP, Paxton, was born at Leyden, Cook Co., Ill., October 18, 1845, and has always lived in this State. He is a son of Hon. M. L. and. Emeline (Pierce) Dunlap, natives of New York State, but who came to Illinois in 1886. "Our sub- ject's father was a well-known and successful fruit grower and nurseryman. For twenty-two years he was the agricultural cor- respondent of the, Chicago Tribune, over the nom de plume of " Rural," and for many years editor of the Ilinois Farmer. He held many offices of trust, and was a member of the State Legis- lature when his county (Cook) had but four members. The fam- ily removed to Champaign County in 1857, where the father died in 1875. The mother still lives at the old homestead at Savoy, with which is connected one of the largest orchards in the State. Merton received his early education in the public schools, subso- quently attending the Illinois College at Jacksonville. He has a practical knowledge of the German language, having spoken it from childhood. On attaining his majority, he became a member of the nursery firm of M. L. Dunlap & Sons, Champaign County, where he continued until 1872, when he removed to Patton Township, Ford County, and there engaged in the same business. In 1878, the question of excessive charges by the railroads agi- tated the farmers and business men of the State. Mr. Dunlap took an active interest in this -issue, becoming Secretary of the Patton Township Farmers' Club, and also Secretary of the Ford County Farmers' Association. In August of that year, he was, to his great surprise, and without any solicitation on his part, nominated for County Clerk. There were several candidates be- fore the convention for that office, and no one having a majority, Mr. Dunlap, who was Secretary of the convention, was taken up and nominated almost unanimously. He was elected in the fol- lowing November. At his second and third nominations, he had
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no opposition in his own party, and at his third election his po- litical opponents made no nominations against him, and placed his name upon their tickets. This indorsement by the people, without regard to party, was a recognition of Mr. Dunlap's ability and fidelity as a public officer. During a service of ten years in his position as County Clerk, he has collected and paid into the county treasury fees amounting to more than $7,000 above the allowance for salary. In 1880, the Board of Supervisors, recog- nizing the increase of the business of his office, and as a matter of justice, voted to him the sum of $500 per year as clerk hire for the two remaining years of that term. His salary having been. as usual, fixed previous to his election, Mr. Dunlap declined to accept this extra allowance, but continued to pay his assistants out of his own salary. This action on his part the more firmly settled the public confidence already so strongly manifested in him. Immediately following his second election, expecting to retire from public office at the close of that term, Mr. Dunlap be- gan the study of law with Alfred Sample, Esq., employing all his spare hours at night in pursuit of his studies. In 1880, he was examined and admitted to the practice of the law by the Su- preme Court of this State, standing fourth in a class of thirty, three. Feeling that his entire services are due the people so long as he occupies his present official position, he has declined to make any effort to build up a law practice. Mr. Dunlap is a Methodist, having attended that church from youth, and for many years has been Superintendent of the Paxton Methodist Episco- pal Sunday School. He is a member and Secretary of the Pax- ton School Board. His tastes are of a literary character, and his library, where he spends nearly all of his leisure time, is quite large and very carefully selected. His chief pleasure is to be at home with his family." He married, September 26, 1867, Miss Mattie L. Beecher, a native of Connecticut, but more re- cently a resident of Champaign County, Ill. They have had three children-Harry, Edith and Cora. Edith, & bright child and of amiable disposition, died in 1881. Harry graduated, June, 1884, from the Paxton High School, where Cors is still & pupil. Naturally obliging and accommodating, s true gentleman in all his relations with the public, putting forth every effort for the proper discharge of his official duties, Merton Dunlap is deserv- edly one of the most popular men ever called upon to devote his time and talents to the public welfare.
GEORGE S. EGGLESTON, lumber dealer, Gibson, son of Abram and Sally (Hoskins) Eggleston, was born in St. Law- rence County, N. Y., May 25, 1838. In 1867, in Brooklyn, N. Y., he was united in marriage with Josephine Gerald, of Randolph, Mass. They have had five children-Warren N. (died in Gibson in 1882), Elbert Lynn, Myron Lee, Forrest C. and Wyvil Walker.
MATTHEW ELLIOTT (deceased) was born March 4, 1799, in the District of Columbia. When about twenty-one years old, he came West to Ohio, where he remained until the spring of 1850; then came to Ford County, Ill. (then Vermilion), and en- tered land in the southeast quarter of Section 25, and moved his family here from Ohio in the spring of 1852. He purchased the home place of Benjamin Stites, who entered the land and made the first improvements where Franklin Holloway now lives, in Button Township. Mr. Elliott died August 23, 1881. They have a family of five children. W. H. H. Elliott owns and re- sides on the old home place. Mrs. Annie Elliott, widow of Mat- thew Elliott, and mother of W. H. H., is still living at the ripe old age of seventy-four, and makes her home in Champaign City,
JOSEPH P. GRAHAM, Roberts, is the youngest and only surviving son of A. B. and Louisa (Cole) Graham. He was born in Franklin County, Ohio, August 13, 1859. He moved with his parents to Warren County, Ill., in 1866, and to Ford County in 1867, settling on Section 20. Here the subject of this sketch and his father own s finely improved farm of. 200 acres, pleasantly situated two miles from Roberts. Two years ago they erected their handsome residence (a sketch of which is shown in this work), the finest house in Lyman Township, beau- tifally located on a natural elevation commanding an extensive view of the surrounding country. Mr. Graham is Town Clerk of Lyman, and in all his business transactions has ever proven himself honorable and trustworthy, and one of the active and progressive farmers of this county.
DAVID W. GREEN, farmer, P. O. Gibson City, is a, son of David and Sarah (Skeed) Green; born in Ross County, Ohio, August 1, 1827. His parents settled in this county Octo- ber 5, 1870, and he came seven days later. On August 15, 1851, be was united in marriage with Augusta Hynes in Ross County, Ohio. They have thirteen children-Herbert, Melvina, Julia, John, Victoria, George, Anna, Lincoln, Emma, Ella, Wilbert, Emmitt, Josie.
HENRY C. HALL, grain dealer, Paxton, was born in Fount- ain County, Ind., October 10, 1841, son of. James D. and Eliza (Wisman) Hall, former a native of Ross County, Ohio, latter of Virginia. At the age of three years, our subjeqt moved with his parents to Warren County, where they remained four years; then came to Ford County, Ill., settling at Henderson's Grove, in Button Township. Henry C. was educated in the public schools, and in the winter of 1860 began teaching school in the Campbell District, teaching in this and the Blanchard District until 1868. In 1861, he moved to Paxton, where he now resides, and in 1865 went into partnership with his father, under the firm name of J. D. & H. C. Hall. They bought grain and stock, shipping to Chicago. In 1871, Mr. Hall went into partnership with D. H. Snyder, of Gibson. They had the honor of shipping the first car of grain from that place to Chicago, also the first to ship over the L. E. & W. to Toledo. Hall & Snyder also shipped large
quantities of stock. In July, 1874, they sent forty car loads of cattle and hogs from Gibson to Chicago. Mr. Snyder withdrew from the firm in 1881, and Mr. T. Ross is now in company with Mr. Hall. They have the only elevator in Gibson. Our subject was mar- ried, October 10, 1872, to Mary H. Pierpont, daughter of Leon- ard Pierpont, and a native of Litchfield County, Conn. They have three children, all girls. Mr. Hall has held the office of Town Clerk three years, Township Treasurer eighteen years, and City Alderman four years. He is one of the prominent and re- liable business men of Paxton.
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