Historical encyclopedia of Illinois, Volume 2, Part 86

Author: Dyson, Howard F., 1870- History of Schuyler County. 4n
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1126

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Charles T. Pershing stayed on the old home farm in Pennsylvania until he reached the age of 22 years, receiving his edu ction in the dis- triet schools of Westmoreland County. Then - he commenced working by the month. continuing this until 1853, when he made a trip to Rock Island County. Ill., in quest of information con- corning the prospects afforded by that locality. Returning to Pennsylvania. he remained in his native Stato until his marriage. Shortly after this event, he started west with his with. jour- neying by way of the Ohio and Mississippi Rt vers as far as Warsaw. Hancock County, IL .. where he worked one season. In the fall of 1955 he

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HISTORY OF SCHUYLER COUNTY.

moved to Schuyler County, Il., buying thirty- four acres of land in Sertion 7, Littleton Town- ship, which was partially covered with brush. Fifteen acres of it had been cleared. and on this portion had been built a log cabin. From time to time he made additions to his original purchase, until he became the owner of 350 acres of land, all lying in Littleton Township, except 40 acres. This place he gradually improved, putting up substantial and convenient buildings, and developing the property into one of the tin- est farms in this part of Central Illinois. Be- sides general farming his attention has been de- voted to raising cattle and hogs, and in both undertakings, profitable results have been the re- ward of his labors. Finally he abandoned active exertions, and in recent years has spent his time in restful leisure on his farm. Mr. Pershing was a soldier in the great struggle for the preserva- tion of the Union, having enlisted in Company 1, Sixty-second Regiment. Ilinois Volunteer Infan- try, in February, 1862. Ilis army service was largely confined to guard duty in Tennessee and Mississippi, and at various points throughout the South. On December 27, 1862, he was taken prisoner, and after being paroled, was sent to St. Louis, Mo., where he was honorably dis- charged, on account of disability in May. 1863.

The marriage of Mr. Pershing took place Feb- ruary 18. 1855, in Westmoreland County, Pa .. on which date Mary A. Poorman, a woman of most excellent traits of character, became his wife. Mrs. Pershing is a native of the last mentioned county, and a daughter of Jacob and Catherine ( Kuntz) Poorman. This union re- sulted in two children, namely : Vincent R .. born April 10, 1856; and Jacob P., born Febru- ary 8, 1858. Neither has ever married, and both dwell under the parental roof.

In politics. Mr. Pershing has been identified with the Republican party since its organization. Ile is one of the oldest members of the Grand Army of the Republic. Ile and his worthy wite are communicants of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he has officiated as trustee and superintendent of the Sunday school. Both are held in profound respect by a host of friends throughout Schuyler County.

PICKINPAUGH, John .- The improved farm lying on Section 4, Camden Township, Schuyler County. IN .. comprises 245 acres, and is the property of John Pickinpaugh. who purchased forty acres in 1867 and since then has enlarged his possessions to their prosent area. The fam- Ily of which he is a member came from Germany and he represents the third generation in Amer- ica. Ilis father. Peter, was a native of Vir- ginia, who moved to Ohio in early life. entered land in what is now Noble County, taking out the patent from the Government and remaining on the property until his death in ISSI, at the age of eighty-one. The money paid for the en- try of land he earned by splitting rails at twenty- five cents per hundred. A man of robust phy- sique and sturdy constitution, he retained his

strength to hale old age, and when he was ser- euty-nine he split a hundred rails one afternoon besides doing his regular chores the same even- ing. His wife, who passed away thirty years prior to. bis demise, bore the maiden name of ane Phillips and was born in Ohio, of Irish ancestry.

The family of Peter Pickinpaugh consisted of seven sons and three daughters, namely : Jacob W .. who was born in 1529 and for years has been a leading business man at Plano, la. ; Mary, a resident of Sharon, Noble County, Ohio, where her husband, John Wiley, died; John, who was born in what is now Noble ( thon Morgan) County, Ohio, February 13, 1833: George, who enlisted in the One Hundred and Sixteenth Ohio Infantry during the Civil War, and died at Shepherdstown, W. Va., prior to the ex- piration of his term of service; Hannah, who married Walter Leonard, of Pennsylvania, and is now deceased ; Enoch, who died at eight years of age: William, dereased : Jonathan R., who died at Louisville, Ky., while with an Ohio regiment in the service of the Union: Mar- garet. deceased, formerly the wife of Henry Foster, of Noble County, Ohio; and Adam Flet- cher, who occupies the old homestead in that county.

It was not possible for John Pickinpaugh to enjoy first-class educational advantages. for schools were few in his boy hood and methods of instruction were crude; yet he has acquired a broad fund of information through his own et- forts. At the age of nineteen he bought his time from his father, paying for the same with $200. to be taken out of his share of the estate. llis tirst work was the mastering of the carpenter's trade, in which work he was paid 621 cents per day. Later he was employed to cut wood for 20 cents per cord, and by diligent application was able to cut three cords a day, but he never re- ceived any pay for this Inbor. In one day ho split 1,000 three-foot clapboards and shaved 200. receiving for the day's work 6216 cents.

A visit to the west in 1853 brought Mr. Pick- inpaugh nothing but the fever and ague. so he returned home the following year. However. he was not satisfied to remain and the year 15 found him in Illinois, where he settled in Schuy ler County. In 1856 he bought a sawmill, in the operation of which he rapidly accumulated money. The first mill was sold in 1857 and he bought a mill at Pleasantview. Ill., for which he paid $1,000. This he continued to operate until the outbreak of the Civil War. when he enlisted in Company D, One Hundred and FR- teenth Illinois Infantry. and accompanying the regiment to the front, remained in active serv- ice until the elose of the war in 1865. Meat- while he had been transferred to the Fourl' Battalion, thence to the United States Engineers. where he remained for one year, and under fr commission of tool sergeant had charge of ! ! the tools.

Upon receiving an honorable discharge from! the army at Chattanooga. Tenn., Mr. Pickit-

& Edwina Yarbrough

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HISTORY OF SCHUYLER COUNTY.

pangh returned to Pleasantview, 111., and found that his mill had been destroyed and the ma- chinery sold for old iron. The only part which be could find was one belt and this he sold, but never received pay for the same. Forced to start anew'in the world, in 1867 he moved to Camden Township and operated a sawmill, also buying forty acres of farm land, to which he added from time to time until he now owns 245 acres in one body. His first marriage took place November 12. 1857, and united him with Rachel Gragg, who died October 11, 1877. Five chil- dren were born of that union, namely : Millard ; Marion, a farmer in Camden Township; Minerva Jane, who died in 1887; Annie E., who is mar- ried and lives at Rushville, Schuyler County ; and George T., who manages the home farm and also operates a sawmill. On March 10. 1880, John Pickimpangh married Mrs. Mary J. Rog- ers) Lorge, who died August 15, 1898. The first and second wives were both earnest Chris- tian women. devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and beloved by a large cirele of friends. For years Mr. Pickinpangh has been identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church, for ten years officiated as an exhorter, and long served as a class leader and Sunday School teacher. His conversion took place during fam- lly prayers, subsequent to a visit to Ohio, where he had been impressed with a feeling that it was his duty to become a worker for Christ, On his return home he had taken the Bible and read a chapter, after which he knelt in prayer, and while seeking light from above his whole being was stirred by a realization of Christ's love; he arose a converted man, and ever since he has labored to bring others to the experience which has been to him a source of uplifting joy. The cause of prohibition bas had a stanch friend in him and his assistance has been given to the work. Ever since the organization of the Grand Army post at Camden he has been a prominent member, and has filled the position of Chaplain.

PIERSON, Azel .- No house within the boun- daries of Birmingham Township is richer in memories than that in Section 19, which has been occupied by Azel Pierson ever since his set- tlement on his present farm during January of the bleak winter of IS54. Continuously since then has this now retired farmer watched and participated in the changes which have marked the march of time; has promoted with intelli- gence and unabating interest the agricultural, educational, political, religious and social prog- ress of the community, and has set a standard of character and work which must be regarded as typical of the best possible achievements in the quiet of pastoral pursuits.

Born on a farm near Cedarville, Cumberland Connty. N. J .. January 22, 1817. Mr. Pierson is a son of Daniel and Naomi (Nixon ) Pierson. both natives of Cedarville and farmers by oceu- patlon. In Cedarville were educated the four- teen children of this worthy compde, but of this number several were destined to complete their

training in Illinois, to which the family jour- Heyed from Cedarville during the spring of 1833, reaching the then small hamlet of Jacksonville on the first day of July. In Cedarville Mr. Pier- son had been the classmate and friend of Newton Bateman. the latter destined to till a large place in the educational and literary annals of Illi- nois, and who, for many years, was the honored l'resident of Knox College, at Galesburg. Mr. Bateman was born in Fairfield, Essex County, N. J., in 1822, and be, with the rest of his father's family, accompanied the Pierson family in their overland journey to Jacksonville, IN. Daniel Pierson, who by profession was a physician, en- gaging in muffling and farming there until his removal to Augusta, Hancock County, in 1851. llere he died in 1856, and his wife died in Kan- sas at the home of one of her sons. Of the fourteen children but three survive, Azel ; Ruth, widow of Cyrus Palmer, the latter killed by the bursting of a gun in Knoxville; and Naomi N., wife of Edward B. Tanner, of Illinois,

The change from the New Jersey home to Illinois was the ouly vital break in the monotony of the youth of Azel Pierson. He was studious and industrious, and learned much from the crude cond tions and meager opportunities by which he was surrounded. Ile knew how to both make and save money. and September 8, 1911, established a home of his own by marrying Harriet Catlin, born near Hartford, Con., and a danghter of David and Louise ( Goodwin) Cat- lin. Mrs. Pierson came with her parents to Augusta, Il1 .. in July, 1837. She is the mother of seven children, five of whom died in infancy. The survivors are Elizabeth, born November 10, 1.SIS, wife of Rev. Frank Mitchell, of Missouri, and mother of two children, Margaret and Ho- mer; and Henry, born November 22, 1860.

For three years after his marriage Mr. Pier- son continued to live in Augusta, and as before stated, in January, 1854, moved to his present farm. The place was sadly deficient in improve- ments, and only a portion had been cleared. so that much of the 200 acres owe their clearing and cultivation to his woll directed industry. lle has seen many orchards set out by the set- llers outlive their usefulness and be grubbed np, has witnessed the rise of giant forest trees from insignificant saplings, and his place has upon it many kinds of ornamental, shade and fruit trees, which, but for his forethought, never had rustled their leaves in the summer wind. Constant im- provement has been the watchword of his per- sonal and working lite, and in consequence he bas a home that meets the requirements of taste, comfort and prosperity. Over this excellent and valuable domain the owner personally held super- vision until after his eighty-second birthday, and when ninety-one years have passed over his head, he still is in possession of his faculties, admired for the splendid simplicity and normality of his lite, and the high ethies which he has applied to all of his intercourse with his fellow men. For the past twelve years he has noted a failure of his eyesight, and each Monday afternoon he

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HISTORY OF SCHUYLER COUNTY.

drives two miles to Augusta, where Mirs, Holmes, a gifted and faithful friend. reads him extracts from current literature.

For the past fifty-six years Mr. Pierson has been a member of the First Presbyterian Church, of Jacksonville, having joined the same in 1838, when the town was an infant community, with wild grass waving in the present comer (now a park) of the town, He has been an elder in the church many years, and always has been one of its slanchest and most dependable financial and general supporters. Ilis first presidential vote was cast for William Henry Harrison, and he has never swerved from the principles of the Republican party since the foundations of its po- litical structure were laid in the State by Paul Selby and other of his influential friends and co- workers. Although never seeking or desiring office. Mr. Pierson for thirty years was a member of the local School Board, his soje object being an interest in the education of the youth of the rising generation. The shadows gathered around his peaceful life December 7, isso, when his de- voted wife joined the great silent majority, but he bravely took up the threads of life thus ernelly severed, and became again the self-sacri- ficing, noble, dependable and altogether compan- ionable gentleman of the old school.

PIERSON, Henry Catlin .- On the old home- stead in Section 19, Birmingham Township. which has been the possession of his honored father. Azel Pierson, since 1854, Henry Catlin Pierson was born November 22, 1860. Reared to the hard work of the farm, educated in the coun- try schools, and at night school in Augusta, Han- cock County, Mr. Pierson early in life adjusted himself to the exactions of his calling, and in mature life represents the men of breadth and understanding who are potent factors in promot- ing every phase and possibility of the fundamen- tal calling of agriculture.

When MIr. Pierson had attained nineteen years of age he became the partner of his father in an extensive stock raising, feeding and selling en- terprise, operating under the firm name of Pier- son & Son. For many years this firm have been foremost in the breeding of Aberdeen-Angus Cat- tle, and average from twenty-five to fifty in their herd. in 1903 Mr. Pierson purchased the in- terest of his father in the stock and of his sis- ters in the fam. and now owns 400 acres in one body. All of this land is tillable, and it is di- vided into twenty-five and fifty acre pastures and fields, the stock being shifted from one field to another as occasion demands, thus affording op- portunity for the undisturbed growth of new pasture. During the winter season he feeds about a hundred head of eattle and thirty head of horses, and other kinds of stock come in for a share of his care and attention. About 200 acres of his land is devoted to raising general produce, and he is an extensive buyer of produce. in fact of every variety of produce raised on the farms of Schuyler County. He Is also engaged In baling straw and hay for dealers. llis farm

is a model of neatness and order, and an expres- sion of the highest tenets known to modern coun- try lite.

The marriage of Virginia Decker and Mr. Pierson occurred in Augusta, Ill .. October S. 1SS5. Mrs. Pierson being a daughter of Eli and Estella (Leach) Decker, pioneers of this part of Hlimois. To Mr. and Mrs. Pierson have - been born two sons, of whom James 1., born Septem- ber 15, 1886, is a graduate of the Augusta high- school, class of 19916. Roland D. the younger son. is a student in the Electrical Engineering Department of the University of flinois. Mir. Pierson has been a stanch supporter of Republi- count principles and issues ever since attaining his majority, and for years has been a Justice of the Peace of Schuyler County, With his wife he is a member of the Christian Church. Ile is a well read, progressive and substantial farmer, a promoter of genuine and constructive useful- hess, and an upholder of the best social, moral and agricultural ideals known to the twentieth century.

POLLOCK, Joseph Walker, a very worthy and creditable representative of the agricultural ele- ment of Selmyler County, IN., is successfully pur- suing his wonted occupation in Section 5. Little- ton Township, the same locality in which he was born November 25, 1862. Mr. Pollock is a son of William and Sarah Margaret ( Walker) Pol- lock, natives of Indiana and Ohio, respectively. William Pollock was brought by his parents to Schuyler County when a little boy, in 1832, and his father and mother died within three months after the arrival of the family. Being thus left without parental care at a very tender age, he was brought up by a farmer named Campbell, living in Scotland Township, MeDonough County, Ill., with whom he remained until he was 21 years old. At that period he began work as a farm hand in the employ of Darius Runkle, one of the most extensive landholders in Central Illinois. In course of time he bought, from Samuel Dodds, who was very prominent among the early settlers, SO acres of unimproved land in Section 5. Littleton Township. This he im- proved, putting up all the necessary buildings. and conducting farming operations thereon umil 1896. In that year he abandoned active pursuits. and moved to Macomb, MeDonough County. where he spent his last years in retirement. dy- ing February 2, 1899, at the age of seventy-four years. His widow is still living in Macomb, mok- ing her home with her daughter. Mrs. Messmore. They had five sons and six daughters, of whom Joseph W. is the eighth in order of birth. L'our of the sons and two daughters now survive. namely: Cynthia (Mrs. A. A. Messmore), of Macomb. IN. : William A., a resident of Fanden. Ill .: Robert A .. who follows farming in Scotland Township, MeDonough County: Joseph W .. to whom this personal record pertains; Blanche. who is the wife of Nathaniel Buck, and resid ~ at New London, la .; and Arthur D .. who is e: - gaged in the practice of medicine in Rushvil ..

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Schuyler County. William Pollock was a man of upright character, enjoying the respect and confidence of all who knew him, and his be- reaved widow is the object of the warmest re- gard in her declining years.

Joseph W. Pollock was reared to farm life. and in early youth, received his education in the Flat-Iron district school. in the vicinity of the parentat home. After his marriage, he rented SO aeres of his father's land in Section 4. Little- ton Township, which he afterwards bought. lle also purchased from his father. in 1898, 80 acres in Section 5. in the same township, on which the latter had put up all the buildings and completed the improvements. Mr. Pollock has thoroughly tiled the farm, and rebuilt the baru and out- buildings, His property is in excellent condi- tion, and all implements are kept in perfect or- der, and in their proper places, when not in us .. Hle is a very diligent and systematic farmer, and his labors have been attended with profitable re- sults.

Mr. Pollock was married February 14, 1884. to Emma Bell Merriweather, who was born in the neighborhood of Doddsville. MeDonough County. 111., July 18, 1852. Mrs. Pollock. a woman of most amiable traits of character, is a daughter of George and Mary Ellen ( Inff) Merriweather, her father being a native of In- diana, and her mother. of Illinois, born in Ful- ton County. The paternal grandparents, James and Mollie ( Bell) Merriweather, were natives of Louisville, Ky,, and those on the maternal side were born in Fulton County, Ill., namely : Abijah and Mary (McClaren) Huff. Three chil- dren have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Pollock, as follows: Roland C .. born November 18, 18-1: Florence Mildred, born September 2, 1886; and William Frederick, born October 15, 1501. The eldest. Roland C., resides on Grand- father Merriweather's farm in Industry Town- ship, MeDonough County. He was married on June 20, 1907, to Florence Rexroat, a daughter of T. C. Rexroat, of Bethel Township, Schuyler County. Florence M. and William F. are at home with their parents.

- In politics, Mr. Pollock has always been iden- tified with the Republican party, although never taking an active part in political contests, and being without the slightest desire for public office. Ilis interest in civic affairs is, however, Intelligent and earnest.

PRATT, Harry, the present Deputy Sheriff of Schuyler County, Ill., is a young man of charae- ter and many sided worth, and one whose pri- · vate as well as ollicial life will stand the test of the closest scrutiny. He is a product of the farming contingent of this part of the State, and was born in Huntsville Township, Schuyler County, February 11. 1571. In his youth Mr. Pratt had the advantage of a pleasant home at- mosphere, and of parental appreciation and en- couragement when his work was well done. His father was Leonard J. Pratt, son of Leonard Pratt, both of Ohio, and the former of whom was

born April 29, 1813. Leonard J. Pratt was reared on a farm and educated in the subserip- tion schools, and when secession reared its gory head and brought about the calamity of the Civil War, he culisted in Company K. Second Reziment Ohlo Heavy Artillery, one of the first military organizations to depart for the comiict from the State of Ohio. The "Second" early in- vaded Kentucky and did valiant work at Fort Donelson and other seeles of carnage and dess- lation, and its members included none more brave than the father of the present county deputy sheriff. His term expired. le returned to les home in Ohio, but soon after came to Huntsville. Schuyler County, where, on June 25, ists, he was united in marriage to Celilia Angelica San- ford. Of this union there were fourteen chil- dren. four of whom died in infancy. Those living are as follows: Effie. Harry, Bisie. Clara, Cliu- ton, Cleveland. Nina. Pearl, Dwight and Iva. Mrs. Pratt died in 1892, at the age of thirty-nine years, and the second wife of Mr. Prat. was Mrs. Iverson. daughter of Dr. A. J. Mead. Leon- ard J. Pratt was a kind husband and father, and in his business and social relations, was the soul of honor, courtesy and consideration.

The entire life of Harry Pratt has been spent in the county in which he was born, and where he was educated in the public schools. His wage earning career began at the age of seventeen years, when be hired out by the month. on a farm. The yearning for a home of his own was one of the most persistent of his early inclina- tions, and December 24. 1599, he was united in matrimony to Jessie Clande Pierce, also a native of Huntsville Township, and daughter of Mil- lard Fillmore Pierce, and Blauch (MeKee) Fierce. The Pierce family is of early southern commection, and Mr. Pierce, son of William Pierce, is still a resident of Huntsville, he hav- ing come from the home of his forefathers in North Carolina, in early manhood. lle is a pros- perous and honored man, and was formerly iden- tified with the mercantile upbuilding of Hunts- ville Township.

From 1900 until 1904 Mr. Pratt worked on a farm in Huntsville Township, and during the latter year was employed as a clerk in a general store in the village of Huntsville. In the meali- time he had been active in Democratie polities, wielded a considerable influence in the local de- liberations of bis party, and in 1906 he was cho- sen Deputy Sheriff of Sehnyler County, a posi- tion which he has since maintained with distinct. credit. Mr. and Mrs. Pratt have two children, of whom Celilia Blanche was born August S. 1901: and Corinne Almeda. October 27. 1906. Mr. and Mrs. Pratt are members of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church in Huntsville, but since locating in Rushville in 1906, attend the church of that denomination in the latter city. Mr. Pratt is socially inclined, and is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. of Ilunts- ville, and the Modern Woodmen of America, of Rushville. He has achieved fair financial sue- cess, and is known as one of the county's capa-

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ble, promising and thoroughly dependable busi- ness men and politicians.

PURDY, Mrs. Elizabeth .- Seventy years and more have come and gone since Mrs. Purdy first came to Schuyler County, for it was in 1837 that she arrived in what is now Frederick Town- ship. Though only nine years of age, already had her childish eyes beheld much of the country and already had the responsibilities of life fallen upon her tender form. The children of the pio- neers had no care-tree existence. Theirs it was to aid the older people in planting a home in the primeval wilderness, and her reellections of childhood bring back memories of laborious tasks ; yet those were happy years and she recalls them now with unchanging delight. Born in West Virginia February 3, 12, she was a daughter of Alexander and Achsah (Bond) Farber. also natives of that State. The family migrated to Illinois in 1835 and took up land near Beards- town, Cass County, but two years later came to Schuyler County, where she grew to womanhood. The first home of the family was a claim com- prising the far now owned by Charles K. Strong. On that homestead Mrs. Furbee died in 1844. Six years later the father traveled over- land to California and began to prospect and mine, but ere success hud rewarded his efforts he died in the West in 1856. Of his six children only two are now living, namely: Elizabeth (Mrs. D'urdy ) and Evaline, widow of Joseph Beals and a resident of Los Angeles, Cal.

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois, Volume 2, Part 86

Author: Dyson, Howard F., 1870- History of Schuyler County. 4n Publication date: 1908 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1126

Author: Dyson, Howard F., 1870- History of Schuyler County. 4n
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1126