Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Kendall County, Volume I, Part 44

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 702

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HAMILTON, William Stephen, pioneer - son of Alexander Hamilton, first United States Secre- tary of the Treasury-was born in New York City, August 4, 1797; spent three years (1814-17), at West Point; came west and located at an early day at Springfield, Ill. ; was a deputy surveyor of public lands, elected Representative from Sanga- mon County, in the Fourthi General Assembly (1824-26); in 1827 removed to the Lead Mine region and engaged in mining at "Hamilton's Diggings" (now Wiota) in southwest Wisconsin, and occasionally practiced law at Galena; was a member of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature of 1842-43, emigrated to California in 1849, and died in Sacramento, Oct. 9, 1850, where, some twenty years later, a monument was erected to his memory. Colonel Hamilton was an aid-de- camp of Governor Coles, who sent him forward to ineet General La Fayette on his way from New Orleans, on occasion of La Fayette's visit to Illi- nois in 1825.

HAMILTON COUNTY, situated in the south- eastern part of the State; has an area of 440 square miles, and population (1910) of 18,227 --- named for Alexander Hamilton. It was organ- ized in 1821, with McLeansboro as the county- seat. The surface of the county is rolling and the fertile soil well watered and drained by numerous creeks, flowing east and south into the Wabash, which constitutes its southeastern

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boundary. Coal crops out at various points in the southwestern portion. Originally Hamilton County was a dense forest, and timber is still abundant and saw-mills numerous. Among the hard woods found are black and white oak, black walnut, ash and hickory. The softer woods are in unusual variety. Corn and tobacco are the principal crops, although considerable fruit is cultivated, besides oats, winter wheat and pota- toes. Sorghum is also extensively produced. Among the pioneer settlers was a Mr. Auxier (for whom a water course was named), in 1815; Adam Crouch, the Biggerstaffs and T. Stelle, in 1818, and W. T. Golson and Louis Baxter, in 1821. The most important town is McLeansboro, whose population in 1890 was 1,355.

HAMMOND, Charles Goodrich, Railway Mana- ger, was born at Bolton, Conn., June 4, 1804, spent his youth in Chenango County, N. Y., where he became Principal of the Whitesboro Seminary (in which he was partially educated), and entered mercantile life at Canandaigua; in 1834 removed to Michigan, where he held various offices, including member of the Legisla- ture and Auditor; in 1852 completed the con- struction of the Michigan Central Railroad (the first line from the East) to Chicago, and took up his residence in that city. In 1855 he became Superintendent of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, but soon resigned to take a trip to Europe for the benefit of his health. Returning from Europe in 1869, he accepted the Superintendency of the Union Pacific Railroad, but was compelled to resign by failing health, later becoming Vice-President of the Pullman Palace Car Company. He was Treasurer of the Chicago Relief & Aid Society after the fire of 1871, and one of the founders of the Chicago Theological Seminary (Congregational); also President, for several years, of the Chicago Home for the Friend- less. Died, April 15, 1884.

HAMPSHIRE, a village of Kane County, on the Omaha Division of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, 51 miles west-northwest from Chicago. There are brick and tile works, a large canning factory, pickle factory, and machine shop; dairy and stock interests are large. The place has a bank, electric lights and water-works, and a weekly paper. Pop. (1910), 697.

HANCOCK COUNTY, on the western border of the State, bounded on the west by the Mississippi River; was organized in 1825 and named for John Hancock; has an area of 780 square ir iles; popu- lation (1910) 30,638. Its early settlers were chiefly from the Middle and Southern States,

among them being I. J. Waggen, for nearly sixty years a resident of Montebello Township. Black Hawk, the famous Indian Chief, is reputed to have been born within the limits of Camp Creek Township, in this county. Fort Edwards was erected on the present site of Warsaw, soon after the War of 1812, but was shortly afterwards evac- uated. Abraham Lincoln, a cousin of the Presi- dent of that name, was one of the early settlers. Among the earliest were John Day, Abraham Brewer, Jacob Compton, D. F. Parker, the Dixons, Mendenhalls, Logans, and Luther Whitney. James White, George Y. Cutler and Henry Nich- ols were the first Commissioners. In 1839 the Mormons crossed the Mississippi, after being expelled from Missouri, and founded the city of Nauvoo in this county. (See Mormons, Nauvoo.) Carthage and Appanoose were surveyed and laid out in 1835 and 1836. A ferry across the Missis- sippi was established at Montebello (near the present site of Hamilton) in 1829, and another, two years later, near the site of old Fort Edwards. The county is crossed by six lines of railway, has a fine public school system, numerous thriving towns, and is among the wealthy counties of the State.

HANDY, Moses Purnell, journalist, was born at Warsaw, Mo., April 14, 1847; before he was one year old was taken back to Maryland, his parents' native State. He was educated at Ports- mouth, Va., and was a student at the Virginia Collegiate Institute at the breaking out of the Civil War, when he joined the Confederate army at the age of seventeen. When the war ended Handy found himself penniless. He was school- teacher and book-canvasser by turns, meantime writing some for a New York paper. Later he became a clerk in the office of "The Christian Observer" in Richmond. In 1867, by some clever reporting for "The Richmond Dispatch," he was able to secure a regular position on the local staff of that paper, quickly gaining a reputation as a successful reporter, and, in 1869, becoming city editor. From this time until 1887 his promotion was rapid, being employed at different times upon many of the most prominent and influential papers in the East, including "The New York Tribune," "Richmond Enquirer," and, in Phila- delphia, upon "The Times," "The Press" and "Daily News." In 1893, at the request of Director- General Davis of the World's Columbian Exposi- tion, Mr. Handy accepted the position of Chief of the Department of Publicity and Promotion, pre- ferring this to the Consul-Generalship to Egypt, tendered him about the same time by President

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Harrison. Later, as a member of the National Commission to Europe, he did much to arouse the interest of foreign countries in the Exposition. For some time after the World's Fair, he was associate editor of "The Chicago Times-Herald." In 1897, having been appointed by President Mckinley United States Commissioner to the Paris Exposition of 1900, he visited Paris. Upon his return to this country he found himself in very poor health, and went Soutlı in a vain attempt to regain his lost strength and vigor, but died, at Augusta, Ga., Jan. 8, 1898.

HANKS, Dennis, pioneer, born in Hardin County, Ky., May 15, 1799; was a cousin of the mother of Abraham Lincoln and, although ten years the senior of the latter, was his intimate friend in boyhood. Being of a sportive disposi- tion, he often led the future President in boyish pranks. About 1818, he joined the Lincoln house- hold in Spencer County, Ind., and finally married Sarah Johnston, the step-sister of Mr. Lincoln, the families removing to Macon County, Ill., together, in 1830. A year or so later, Mr. Hanks removed to Coles County, where he remained until some three years before his death, when he went to reside with a daughter at Paris, Edgar County. It has been claimed that he first taught the youthful Abraham to read and write, and this has secured for him the title of Mr. Lincoln's teacher. He has also been credited with having once saved Lincoln from death by drowning while crossing a swollen stream. Austin Gollaher, a school- and play-mate of Lincoln's, has also made the same claim for himself-the two stories pre- sumably referring to the same event After the riot at Charleston, Ill., in March, 1863, in which several persons were killed, Hanks made a visit to President Lincoln in Washington in the inter- est of some of the arrested rioters, and, although they were not immediately released, the fact that they were ordered returned to Charleston for trial and finally escaped punishment, has been attributed to Hanks' influence with the President. He died at Paris, Edgar County, Oct. 31. 1892, in the 94th year of his age, as the result of injuries received from being run over by a buggy while returning from an Emancipation-Day celebra- tion, near that city, on the 22d day of September previous.

HANKS, John, pioneer, a cousin of the mother of Abraham Lincoln, was born near Bardstown, Ky., Feb. 9, 1802; joined the Lincolns in Spencer County, Ind., in 1822, and made his home with them two years; engaged in flat-boating, making numerous trips to New Orleans, in one of them

being accompanied by Abraham Lincoln, then about 19 years of age, who then had his feelings aroused against slavery by his first sight of a slave-mart. In 1828 Mr. Hanks removed to Macon County, Ill., locating about four miles west of Decatur, and it was partly through his influence that the Lincolns were induced to emi- grate to the same locality in 1830. Hanks had cut enough logs to build the Lincolns a house when they arrived, and these were hauled by Abraham Lincoln to the site of the house, which was erected on the north bank of the Sangamon River, near the present site of Harristown. Dur- ing the following sumner he and Abraham Lin- coln worked together splitting rails to fence a portion of the land taken up by the elder Lincoln -some of these rails being the ones displayed during the campaign of 1860. In 1831 Hanks and Lincoln worked together in the construction of a flat-boat on the Sangamon River, near Spring- field, for a man named Offutt, which Lincoln took to New Orleans-Hanks only going as far as St. Louis, when he returned home. In 1832, Hanks served as a soldier of the Mexican War in the company commanded by Capt. I. C. Pugh, afterwards Colonel of the Forty-first Illinois Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. He followed the occupation of a farmer until 1850, when he went to California, where he spent three years, returning in 1853. In 1861 he enlisted as a soldier in the Twenty-first Illinois Volunteer Infantry (afterwards commanded by General Grant), but being already 59 years of age, was placed by Grant in charge of the baggage-train, in which capacity he remained two years, serving in Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi. While Grant was with the regiment, Hanks had charge of the staff team. Being disabled by rheumatism, he was finally discharged at Winchester, Tenn. He made three trips to California after the war. Died, July 1, 1891.

HANNIBAL & NAPLES RAILROAD. (See Wabash Railroad.)

HANON, Martin, pioneer, was born near Nash- ville, Tenn., April, 1799; came with his father to Gallatin County, Illinois Territory, in 1812, and, in 1818, to what is now a portion of Christian County, being the first white settler in that region. Died, near Sharpsburg, Christian County, April 5, 1879.

HANOVER, a village in Jo Daviess County, on Apple River, 14 miles south-southeast of Galena. It has a woolen factory, besides five churches and a graded school. The Township (also called Han-

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over) extends to the Mississippi, and has a popu- lation of about 1,700. Population of the village (1890), 743; (1900), 785; (1910), 650.

HARDIN, the county-seat of Calhoun County, situated in Hardin Township, on the west bank of the Illinois River, some 30 miles northwest of Alton; is in an agricultural and fruit-growing region; has churches, a graded school and two newspaper offices. Pop. (1890), 311; (1900), 494; (1910), 654.

HARDIN, John J., lawyer, Congressman and soldier, was born at Frankfort, Ky., Jan. 6, 1810. After graduating from Transylvania University and being admitted to the bar, he began practice at Jacksonville, Ill., in 1830; for several years he was Prosecuting Attorney of Morgan County, later being elected to the lower house of the Legislature, where he served from 1836 to '42. The latter year he was elected to Congress, his term expiring in 1845. During the later period of his professional career at Jacksonville he was the partner of David A. Smith, a prominent law- yer of that city, and had Richard Yates for a pupil. At the outbreak of the Mexican War he was commissioned Colonel of the First Illinois Volunteers (June 30, 1846) and was killed on the second day of the battle of Buena Vista (Feb. 27, 1847) while leading the final charge. His remains were brought to Jacksonville and buried with distinguished honors in the cemetery there, his former pupil, Richard Yates, delivering the fu- neral oration .- Gen. Martin D. (Hardin), soldier, son of the preceding, was born in Jacksonville, Ill., June 26, 1837; graduated at West Point Military Academy, in 1859, and entered the service as brevet Second Lieutenant of the Third Artillery, a few months later becoming full Second Lieu- tenant, and, in May, 1861, First Lieutenant. Being assigned to the command of volunteer troops, he passed through various grades until May, 1864, when he was brevetted Colonel of Volunteers for meritorious conduct at North River, Va., became Brigadier-General of Volun- teers, July 2, 1864, was brevetted Brigadier- General of the regular army in March, 1865, for service during the war, and was finally mus- tered out of the volunteer service in January, 1866. He continued in the regular service, how- ever, until December 15, 1870, when he was retired with the rank of Brigadier-General. General Hardin lost an arm and suffered other wounds during the war. His home is in Chicago. -Ellen Hardin (Walworth), author, daughter of Col. John J. Hardin, was born in Jacksonville, Ill., Oct. 20, 1832, and educated at the Female Seminary in that place; was married about 1854

to Mansfield Tracy Walworth (son of Chancellor R. H. Walworth of New York). Her husband became an author of considerable repute, chiefly in the line of fiction, but was assassinated in 1873 by a son who was acquitted of the charge of murder on the ground of insanity. Mrs. Walworth is a leader of the Daughters of the Revolution, and has given much attention, of late years, to literary pursuits. Among her works are accounts of the Burgoyne Campaign and of the battle of Buena Vista-the latter contributed to "The Magazine of American History"; a "Life of Col. John J. Hardin and History of the Hardin Family," besides a number of patriotic and miscellaneous poems and essays. She served for several years as a member of the Board of Education, and was for six years principal of a young ladies' school at Saratoga Springs, N. Y.

HARDIN COUNTY, situated on the southeast border of the State, and bounded on the east and south by the Ohio River. It has an area of 180 square miles, and was named for a county in Kentucky. The surface is broken by ridges and deep gorges, or ravines, and well timbered with oak, hickory, elm, maple, locust and cotton- wood. Corn, wheat and oats are the staple agricultural products. The minerals found are iron, coal and lead, besides carboniferous lime- stone of the Keokuk group. Elizabethtown is the county-seat. Population (1880), 6,024; (1890), 7,234; (1900), 7,448; (1910), 7,015.

HARDING, Abner Clark, soldier and Member of Congress, born in East Hampton, Middlesex County, Conn., Feb. 10, 1807; was educated chiefly at Hamilton Academy, N. Y., and, after practic- ing law for a time, in Oneida County, removed to Illinois, resuming practice and managing several farms for twenty-five years. He was also a mem- ber of the State Constitutional Convention of 1847 from Warren County, and of the lower branch of the Sixteentli General Assembly (1848-50). Between 1850 and 1860 he was engaged in railroad enterprises. In 1862 he enlisted as a private in the Eighty-third Illinois Volunteer Infantry, was commissioned Colonel and, in less than a year, was promoted to Brigadier-General. In 1864 he was elected to Congress and re-elected in 1866. He did much for the development of the western part of the State in the construction of railroads, the Peoria & Oquawka (now a part of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy) being one of the lines constructed by him. He left a fortune of about $2,000,000, and, before his death, en- dowed a professorship in Monmouth College. Died, July 19, 1874.

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HARGRAVE, Willis, pioneer, came from Ken- tucky to Illinois in 1816, settling near Carmi in White County ; served in the Third Territorial Legislature (1817-18) and in the First General Assembly of the State (1818-20). His business- life in Illinois was devoted to farming and salt- manufacture.

HARLAN, James, statesman, was born in Clark County, Ill., August 25, 1820; graduated at Asbury University, Ind .; was State Superintendent of Public Instruction in Iowa (1847), President of Iowa Wesleyan University (1853), United States Senator (1855-65), Secretary of the Interior (1865-66), but re-elected to the Senate the latter year, and, in 1869, chosen President of Iowa Uni- versity. He was also a member of the Peace Conference of 1861, and a delegate to the Phila- delphia Loyalists' Convention of 1866; in 1873, after leaving the Senate, was editor of "The Washington Chronicle," and, from 1882 to 1885, presiding Judge of the Court of Commissioners of the Alabama Claims. A daughter of ex-Senator Harlan married Hon. Robert. T. Lincoln, son of President Lincoln, and (1889-93) United States Minister to England. Mr. Harlan's home is at Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Died, Oct. 5, 1899.

HARLAN, Justin, jurist, was born in Ohio about 1801 and, at the age of 25, settled in Clark County, Ill. ; served in the Black Hawk War of 1832 and, in 1835, was appointed a Justice of the Circuit Court; was a Delegate to the Constitu- tional Convention of 1847 and the following year was elected to the Circuit bench under the new Constitution, being re-elected in 1855. In 1862 he was appointed by President Lincoln Indian Agent, continuing in office until 1865; in 1872 was elected County Judge of Clark County. Died, while on a visit in Kentucky, in March, 1879.

HARLOW, George H., ex-Secretary of State, born at Sackett's Harbor, N. Y., in 1830, removed to Tazewell County, Ill., in 1854, and engaged in business as a commission merchant; also served a term as Mayor of Pekin. For many years he took a prominent part in the history of the State. Early in the '60's he was one of seven to organize, at Pekin, the "Union League of America," a patriotic secret organization sworn to preserve the Union, working in harmony with the war party and against the "Sons of Liberty." In 1862 he enlisted, and was about to go to the front, when Governor Yates requested him to remain at home and continue his effective work in the Union League, saying that he could accomplish more for the cause in this way than in the field.

Accordingly Mr. Harlow continued to labor as an organizer, and the League became a powerful factor in State politics. In 1865 he was made First Assistant Secretary of the State Senate, but soon after became Governor Oglesby's private secretary. For a time he also served as Inspector- General on the Governor's staff, and had charge of the troops as they were mustered out. During a portion of Mr. Rummel's terin (1869-73) as Secre- tary of State, he served as Assistant Secretary, and, in 1872, was elected as successor to Secretary Rummel and re-elected in 1876. While in Spring- field he acted as correspondent for several news- papers, and, for a year, was city editor of "The Illinois State Journal." In 1881 he took up his residence in Chicago, where he was engaged at different periods in the commission and real estate business, but has been retired of late years on account of ill health. Died May 16, 1900.

HARPER, William H., legislator and commis- sion merchant, born in Tippecanoe County, Ind., May 4, 1845; was brought by his parents in boy- hood to Woodford County, Ill., and served in the One Hundred and Forty-fifth Illinois Volunteers; took a course in a commercial college and engaged in the stock and grain-shipping business in Wood- ford County until 1868, when he entered upon the commission business in Chicago. From 1872 to '75 he served, by appointment of the Governor, as Chief of the Grain Inspection Department of the city of Chicago; in 1882 was elected to the Thirty-third General Assembly and re-elected in 1884. During his first term in the Legislature, Mr. Harper introduced and secured the passage of the "High License Law." For a time he was in grain commission trade, but later was President of the Grand Pacific Hotel Co. Died Sept. 22, 1909.

HARPER, William Rainey, clergyman and educator, was born at New Concord, Ohio, July 26, 1856; graduated at Muskingum College at the age of 14, delivering the Hebrew oration, this being one of the principal commencement honors in that institution. After three years' private study he took a post-graduate course in philology at Yale, receiving the degree of Ph.D., at the age of 19. For several years he was engaged in teaching, at Macon, Tenn., and Denison Uni- versity, Ohio, meanwhile continuing his philo- logical studies and devoting special attention to Hebrew. In 1879 he accepted the chair of Hebrew in the Baptist Union Theological Semi- nary at Morgan Park, a suburb of Chicago. Here he laid the foundation of the "inductive method" of Hebraic study, which rapidly grew in favor. The school by correspondence was known as the

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"American Institute of Hebrew," and increased so rapidly that, by 1885, it had enrolled 800 stu- dents, from all parts of the world, many leading professors co-operating. In 1886 he accepted the professorship of Semitic Language and Literature at Yale University, having in the previous year become Principal of the Chautauqua College of Liberal Arts, and, in 1891, Principal of the entire Chautauqua system. During the winters of 1889-91, Dr. Harper delivered courses of lec- tures on the Bible in various cities and before several universities and colleges, having been, in 1889, made Woolsey Professor of Biblical Literature at Yale, although still filling his former chair. In 1891 he accepted an invitation to the Presidency of the then incipient new Chi- cago University, which has rapidly increased in wealth, extent and influence. (See University of Chicago.) For some years he was a member of the Chicago Board of Education; was author of numerous philological text-books, relating chiefly to Hebrew, but applying the "inductive method" to the study of Latin and Greek, and sought to im- prove the study of English along the same lines. In addition, he edited two scientific periodicals and published numerous monographs. Died of cancer of the stomach, Jan. 10, 1906.

HARRIS, Thomas L., lawyer, soldier and Mem- ber of Congress, was born at Norwich, Conn., Oct. 29, 1816; graduated at Trinity College, Hart- ford, in 1841, studied law with Gov. Isaac Toucey, and was admitted to the bar in Virginia in 1842, the same year removing to Petersburg, Menard County, Ill. Here, in 1845, he was elected School Commissioner, in 1846 raised a company for the Mexican War, joined the Fourth Regiment (Col. E. D. Baker's) and was elected Major. He was present at the capture of Vera Cruz and the battle of Cerro Gordo, after the wounding of General Shields at the latter, taking command of the regiment in place of Colonel Baker, who had assumed command of the brigade. During his absence in the army (1846) he was chosen to the State Senate; in 1848 was elected to the Thirty-first Congress, but was defeated by Richard Yates in 1850; was re-elected in 1854, '56, and '58, but died Nov. 24, 1858, a few days after his fourth election and before completing his preceding term.

HARRIS, William Logan, Methodist Episcopal Bishop, born near Mansfield, Ohio, Nov. 14, 1817; was educated at Norwalk Seminary, licensed to preach in 1836 and soon after admitted to the Michigan Conference, being transferred to the Ohio Conference in 1840. In 1845-46 he was a

tutor in the Ohio Wesleyan University; then, after two years' pastoral work and some three years as Principal of Baldwin Seminary, in 1851 returned to the Wesleyan, filling the position first of Principal of the Academic Department and then a professorship; was Secretary of the General Conferences (1856-72) and, during 1860-72, Secretary of the Church Missionary Society; in 1872 was elected Bishop, and visited the Methodist Mission stations in China, Japan and Europe; joined the Illinois Conference in 1874, remaining until his death, which occurred in New York, Sept. 2, 1887. Bishop Harris was a recognized au- thority on Methodist Church law, and published a small work entitled "Powers of the General Conference" (1859), and, in connection with Judge William J. Henry, of this State, a treatise on "Ecclesiastical Law," having special refer- ence to the Methodist Church.

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Kendall County, Volume I, Part 44

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913 Publication date: 1914 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 702

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 702