USA > Illinois > Winnebago County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Winnebago County, Volume II > Part 121
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SNOW, Hiram. With the passing of an hon- ored citizen any community suffers a severe loss and it is not possible to fill his place iu every way. This is especially true in the case of the late Hiram Suow, of Rockford, who was one of the respected, esteemed and successful men of Winnebago County. He was born in Ver- mont, February 17, 1830, a sou of Ira and Re- becca Snow, and died at Rockford, May 17, 1903.
Brought to Chicago in 1838, by his parents, IIiram Snow was educated in that city, and later
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took up government land at Arlington Heights, Ill., there doing gardening until 1881, when he sold his property and moved to Rockford. He bought 100 acres just about two miles north of the city in Rockford Township. This farm was in a run down condition, but he built it up and specialized in the raising of cucumbers and from them manufactured pickles for the market. He was a man of business enterprise and in time he founded a pickle factory, the only one at Rockford, which is still conducted by his son, Junius C. Snow.
On November 12, 1856, Hiram Snow was mar- ried to Naoma Perry, born in New York state, a daughter of Hiram and Margaret (Coleman) Perry of Vermont. Mrs. Snow died February 27, 1889. Mr. and Mrs. Snow had the following children : Fred, who died in infancy ; Anna J., who is Mrs. Joseph Schelling of Guilford Town- ship; Clara J., who lives at Rockford ; Emily A., who is Mrs. George W. Marsh, of Guilford Township ; Margaret, who is Mrs. E. L. Budlong, `of Chicago ; Hiram, who died in 1893; Mabel N., who lives with Clara J., is a public school teacher, the young ladies having lived in their present home since 1902, it being the residence purchased by their father; June, who married C. J. Householder of Guilford Township, died April 6, 1912; and Junius C., who operates the pickle factory. He married Mabel G. Carinan. Mr. Snow was married (second) to Mrs. Emma Coleman, widow of Fred Danley. There were no children born to this marriage. Mr. Snow was a Republican, and for a time served as tax col- lector in Cook County. During his early life he joined the Masonic order at Palatine, Ill. A man of kind impulses and industrious habits, he not only was successful in his undertakings, but made many friends who held him in high esteem throughout life.
SNOW, Junius C., proprietor of the Rockford Pickle Works, owns and operates one of the old established concerns of this city, and is a man of unusual business acumen. He was born in Cook County, Ill., June 29, 1876, a son of Hiram Snow, and a grandson of Ira Snow. Hiram Snow was born in Vermont. He was brought to Chicago by his parents when there were but 8,000 people in the future metropolis. There his father, Ira Snow, operated a hotel for some time, but later moved into the country regions of Cook County, where the family were resid- ing at the time of the great Chicago fire. The Snows were acquainted with a number of the pioneers of Chicago, and Junius C. Snow remem- bers many interesting stories his father and grandfather used to relate regarding some of these men who later became distinguished in the history of their city.
The Snow family came to Rockford in 1881, and Junius C. was reared in this city and edu- cated in its public schools and was graduated from the high school in 1894. His father, dur- ing 1881 had founded the Rockford Pickle Works, and took his son into the concern, and the latter has devoted his entire life to this
line of endeavor. Hiram Snow was well quali- fied to found this kind of a business, as he had conducted a similar one at Arlington Heights, Ill., prior to locating at Rockford. The Rock- ford plant now occupies three floors, 40x50 feet, and one floor 18x50 feet. The salting shed is 80x110 feet, one story in height. Mr. Snow has 105 acres of land which he devotes to the raising of cucumbers which are pickled for the wholesale trade only, in quart jars, kegs and barrels, the product being taken principally by Rockford houses. Employment is given to four or five men the year round, and in the summer from fifty to sixty hands are employed. Since the death of his father, on May 17, 1903, Junius C. Snow has conducted the business alone. His mother died in 1889, and the father later married a second time, his widow sur- viving him.
On December 12, 1900, Junius C. Snow was married to Mabel Grace Carman, a daughter of Philip and Mary (Pell') Carman, and they have three sons, namely : Hiram Philip, Ken- neth Carman, and Harry Junius. Mr. Snow belongs to Rockford Lodge No. 102, A. F. & A. M. He is a man of serious purpose and high ideals, and under his able management his busi- ness shows a steady and healthy increase with each succeeding year.
SNYDER, Aubrey A. Forty-eight years of resi- dence have made Aubrey A. Snyder one of the best known citizens of Rockton, where, in spite of his seventy-three years, he remains actively engaged in business, apparently with the same undimmed faculties and energetic spirit that he possessed at the time of his advent here not long after his discharge from the Federal army, in which he had established an enviable record during the Civil war. Mr. Snyder was born at Springwater, Livingston County, N. Y., October 28, 1842, and is a son of Nelson S. and Polly C. (Ingoldsby) Snyder, the latter a resident of the same place, and the former a native of Scipio, N. Y. The father was a contractor and builder by occupation and passed his entire life in New York, where both he and the mother passed away.
Aubrey A. Snyder received only limited educa- tional advantages in his youth, and at the age of fourteen years left his home and went to Oakland County, Mich., where he secured employment on a farm and remained four years, and, for a short time operated an old-fashioned threshing machine. When the Civil war came on he cast all else aside in order to go to the front in de- fense of the flag of his country. On September 8, 1861, he enlisted in Company G, Thirteenth N. Y. Volunteer Infantry, which was assigned to Mc- Clellan's command, subsequently participating in numerous hard-fought engagements. These included the siege of Yorktown, West Point, Malvern Hill and Hanover Court House, and at Harrison's Landing Mr. Snyder was taken with typhoid fever and was removed to David's Island, in Long Island Sound, where he remained in the hospital until he recovered, when he took
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charge of the island guard. He received his honorable discharge April 1, 1863, and returned to his home, but the war again claimed him in the fall, and September 13, 1863, he enlisted in the Twenty-first N. Y. Cavalry, and wintered with that organization near Washington. In March, 1864, he went into the Shenandoah Val- ley, on scout duty, and remained in that service until the surrender of General Lee, when he and his comrades were sent to Colorado to put down an uprising of the Indians. Duriug his scouting period he also took part in the battles of Charleston, Winchester, Bunker Hill, Mount Jackson, Piedmont and Lyuchburg, at the last named place having his horse shot under him. He was forced to travel by foot through the mountains to the Kanawha River and then on to Parkersburg, W. Va. While on his second enlistment he was shipped back to Washington, and saw service on the Potomac River, and when General Lee surrendered he again went to Wash- iugton, then went to Parkersburg, W. Va., took a transport down the Ohio River to the Mississippi and up the Missouri to Fort Leavenworth, where Mr. Snyder was once more incapacitated with an attack of typhoid fever. His regiment left, but he recovered in time to accompany the Seventh W. Va. Cavalry, and at Fort Collins, Colo., joined his own command. During his service Mr. Snyder held tbe rank of sergeant, orderly ser- geant and sergeant-major, and was acting adju- tant of the regimeut, which rank he held at Fort Collins, Colo., and at the time of his final hon- orable discharge from the service, June 30, 1866, was lieutenant of cavalry. His war record was an excellent one, and at all times he bore himself in a brave and soldierly manner.
After the close of his military service Mr. Snyder agaiu returned to his home, but in Sep- tember, 1867, came to the West and located at Rockton, Ill., which has continued to be his home to the present time. Here he learned the trade of painting and decorating, and in 1868 started into business on his own account, remaining alone until 1913, when he admitted as partner, C. L. Stiles, who continues with him. They have a large and lucrative business which has been developed through the medium of honest workmanship and fidelity to contracts. A Re- publicau in his political views, he has been fre- quently called upon to serve in public office, and has been constable and township collector, dep- uty sheriff under Sheriff Frank F. Peats, super- visor seven years, couuty treasurer of Winne- bago County for a term of four years from November, 1894, and at present a member of the Rockton city board, where he is chairman of the finance committee and a member of other com- mittees. His public service has been character- ized by strict adherence to duty and an earnest desire to do things for his community and its people. Mr. Snyder is a member of Nevius Post No. 1, Grand Army of the Republic, while his wife was a member of the Women's Relief Corps. She was also connected with the Order of the Eastern Star,' and White Shrine, to which her husband belongs. Mr. Snyder is well known in
fraternal circles, belonging to Lodge No. 74, A. F. & A. M., and Chapter No. 190, R. A. M., both of Rockton; Crusader Commandery, K. T., of Rockford, and Tubela Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., also of Rockford.
On November 18, 1869, Mr. Snyder was mar- ried to Miss Cora L. Stiles, who was born at Rockton, Ill., and died July 17, 1915. She was a daughter of Erastus L. and Marantha ( Capron) Stiles, the former born at Gibson, Pa., and the latter at Hartford, Pa. Mr. Stiles was born August 8, 1820, a son of George and Elizabeth (Lincolu) Stiles. Miss Lincoln was a relative of Abraham Lincoln. Erastus L. Stiles and his wife came to Illinois soon after their marriage, locating at Pecatonica, where Mr. Stiles engaged in shoemaking. In 1856 he was appointed the first agent at Rockton for the Racine & Missis- sippi Railroad, now the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul. It was in Rockton that both Mr. and Mrs. Stiles passed their declining years and died. Mr. and Mrs. Snyder had the following children : Alma F., who is the wife of George Scott, of Rockford; Murray S., a resident of Chicago; Cora Alta, who died at the age of two years; Minnie Lee, who married Ward S. Gregory, of Guilford Township, Winnebago County ; Roy N., who died at the age of sixteen years ; aud Luetta, deceased, who was the wife of David Guilfoil, a conductor on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, who, with his two daughters lives at the home of Mr. Snyder, at Rockton.
SODERGREN, George, is a man whose associa- tion with the Rockford Frame & Fixture Com- pany, botlı as a stockholder and as silverer, gives it added solidity, for he is recognized as an expert in his line, as well as a man of keen business judgment and unquestioned integrity. He was born at Rockford, June 28, 1877, and here educated. His first connection with the business world was established through a real estate office, and he maintained it for some time, and then went with the Rockford Mitten & Hosiery Company, leaving it for the Nelson Knitting Company, and in 1902 he entered the employ of his present company as a silverer. Mr. Sodergren has charge of the making of mirrors and probably there is no man in the business who excels him and few are his equals. In 1914 Mr. Sodergren bought stock in the company, thus proving his faith in the future of the concern and its value as an investment.
Mr. Sodergren is unmarried, and resides with his mother at No. 919 Second avenue. He belongs to the order of Moose. In politics he is independent, preferring to form his own opin- ions, and gives his support to his individual choice, rather than be guided entirely by party lines. . Industrious and thrifty, Mr. Sodergren has forged to the front in his line and stands very well with his associates.
SOHNER, Edward, a prosperous retired farmer of Owen Township, whose success as an agricul- turalist has been due to intelligent effort on his part, coupled with natural ability for his work,
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was born in Germany, April 28, 1834, being a son of Joseph and Mary ( Hartman) Sohner, natives of Germany who never left their native land. The father gave his country military service, and after it was completed, he settled down as a farmer. His death occurred in 1872 when he was seventy-two years old.
Edward Sohner spent his boyhood in Germany, where he attended the public schools, but when he was seventeen years old he came to the United States, and lived in New York City for a short time. He then came to Owen Township, Winnebago County, Ill., arriving here in 1855, and until 1859 he worked among the farmers by the month. In the latter year he bought sixty- five acres of land iu Owen Township, aud added to it until he owned 155 acres, on which he lived uutil 1900 when he rented his property, retired and moved to Rockford, where he bought a comfortable residence at No. 1303 School street which continues to be his home. He started iu life without meaus, aud has earned all he pos- sesses. In the early days he was recognized as the best man with a grain cradle in Owen Town- ship, and his services were in great demand for a number of years. He worked a good deal for Calvin Haskell, who appreciated him.
Mr. Sohner was married in 1860 to Rosina Wieland, born in Germany, September S, 1838, daughter of Henry and Mary ( Shrine) Wielaud, and they have five children as follows: Laura McNeilage, Harriet Halley. Frank, Mary Smith and George. There are nineteen graudchildren in the family. Mr. Sohner is a Republican. The Methodist Church holds his membership and he enjoys his connection with it, giving his warm support to its good work.
SPAFFORD, Amos Catlin. Winnebago County owes much to the efforts of its earlier settlers who united natural ability with a farsightedness that enabled them to look forward into the future and laid the foundations for a civiliza- tion of which the ordinary person in those times never dreamed. Among these representative citizens of another day must be mentioned the late Amos Catlin Spafford of Rockford, business man, banker and public spirited citizen. He
was born at Adams. N. Y., September 14, 1824, a son of Dr. John and Lucy (Moore) Spafford.
When he was fourteen years old Amos C. Spafford came to Winnebago County with his brother-in-law. Col. Jason Marsh, and located on Oak Grove farm. They arrived here in Sep- tember, 1839, having made the trip by steam boat, canal boat and stage coach. At Chicago they came up with Charles and Thomas Marsh, and the remainder of the trip was made in a lumber wagon. From 1839 to 1846, Mr. Spafford spent the time on the above mentioned farm. Produce was hauled to Chicago, the only market available. The farmers then received fifty cents a bushel for wheat; $1.50 per hundred weight for pork and other prices accordingly. For the four years succeeding 1846, Mr. Spafford was engaged in a mercantile business at Rockford, and in 1848, he with others built a sawmill and
with it made the first attempt to utilize the water power furnished by Rock River. Enthused by the accounts of fortunes to be gained in the gold fields of California, Mr. Spafford became an argonaut himself, leaving for Sacramento, Cal., on March 25, 1850, which was also his wedding day. For two years he was in the gold fields, and then returned to Rockford and the bride he had left behind him. In 1854 he established himself in a banking business at Rockford, under the firm name of Briggs, Spafford & Penfield. In 1864, he was oue of the men who organized the Third National Bank of Rockford and was made its president, and held that position until his death August 22, 1897. Mr. Spafford was a well educated man having attended the schools of Adams, Black River Institute at Watertown, N. Y., and for one year studied at Castletown, Vt. He furnished capital and helped to build the Kenosha & Rockford Railroad, and iu other ways demonstrated his public spirit. His advice was sought and he was honored by all who recog- nized his worth. The First Congregational Church of Rockford was built largely through his efforts.
On March 25, 1850, Mr. Spafford was married to Elizabeth Burns White. She was born at Peterboro, N. H., June 21, 1827, a daughter of Robert and Ruth (Burns) White, natives of New Hampshire. Mrs. Spafford came to Winne- bago County in 1845. She died May 22, 1898. She and her husband had the following children : Isabell, who married James Archibald, had one child, Elizabeth, and died July 14, 1901; Lucy Antoinette, who is Mrs. James M. Staggers of Los Angeles, Cal .; Jessie I., who resides on the home place; George C., who is president of the Third National Bank of Rockford. The family is one of the best known and most highly re- spected of the county.
SPAFFORD BROTHERS, page 659.
SPAFFORD, Charles Henry, deceased, was for many years one of the leading financiers of Winnebago County. He was born at Adams, Jefferson County, N. Y., January 5, 1818, and was the eldest sou of Dr. John and Lucy (Moore) Spafford, the former a prominent physician and surgeon of Adams, N. Y. The other children were : Harriet, who married Col. Jason Marsh, John, and Amos Catlin.
Charles Henry Spafford received a collegiate education at Castleton. Vt., where he prepared to follow the profession of law, but deciding to come West. the current of his life was changed. In 1839 Mr. Spafford came to Rockford in com- pany with a friend, Volney A. Marsh, making the trip by way of the canals and lakes to Chi- cago. Here they secured a conveyance which took them to Joliet, where they remained a short time, and then concluded to take a direct route to Rockford, which place Mr. Spafford decided to make his future home. He went back to his old home in New York a little later, returning to Rockford iu 1840 in company with his broth-
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ers, John and Catlin, and his brother-in-law, Jason Marsh.
The four young men purchased land which is now known as the Grove Farm, a mile and a quarter south of Rockford and beautifully sit- uated on the east side of Rock River, which they cultivated and were very successful. But Mr. Spafford was not a man to be held to any one line. He moved to Rockford and soon became interested in many valuable enterprises, and aided greatly in the development and upbuilding of the city. He was one of the promoters of the Rockford Female Seminary (now known as Rockford College) which was organized in 1848. He was elected the first secretary and clerk of the executive committee and was one of the first directors of that institution. At a critical time in the formation period Charles H. Spafford, Eleazer H. Potter and Dr. Dexter Clark mortgaged their homes, raising a sum large enough to insure the success of the college, which but for the self-sacrifice of these men would have ceased to exist. Mr. Spafford never lost his interest in this school, for which he had labored so faithfully in his younger days. He held many prominent positions within the gift of his fellow townsmen ; he was elected circuit clerk and re- corder, which office he held ten years, and was appointed postmaster under President Tyler, and later during President Grant's administration. He was always active in political affairs, at the same time being a careful and conscientious business man.
In the fifties Mr. Spafford was engaged in the banking business, the firm name being Spafford, Clark and Ellis. He was president and general manager of the Kenosha and Rockford Railroad for a number of years. The Commercial Block on West State street was erected by Mr. Spať- ford, and in company with others, he built the Metropolitan Hall block, also the block now known as the Chick House. For a number of years he held large lumber interests in Mich- igan.
On March 8, 1842, Mr. Spafford was united in marriage to Miss Abby Warren, a native of Hart- land, Me., and a daughter of Joseph Warren, son of Dr. John Warren, who was surgeon- general in Washington's army, and a brother of General Joseph Warren, of Bunker Hill fame. Joseph Warren, the father of Mrs. Spafford, received his education at Cambridge, Mass. Mrs. Spafford's mother was Miss Abigail Whittier, a native of New Hampshire and descendant of the same family as was John G. Whittier, the poet. Mrs. Spafford was also descended from Governor John Collins, the last colonial governor of Rhode Island. She was educated in the East, and upon her settlement in Rockford, became prominent in the social and religious life of this place. Of the four children born to Mr. and Mrs. Spafford, one, Mary, died in childhood at the age of nine years; Carrie, (wite of Frederick F. Brett of Boston, Mass.) died in 1911 ; Charles H., Jr .. died in 1908. The surviving daughter, Eugenia, is the wife of Charles H. Godfrey, of this city. Mr. Spafford died September 9, 1892,
at the age of seventy-four years, and on July 19, 1901, his wife followed him to the great beyond.
Mr. Spafford was modest and unassuming, a man of broad sympathies, and to the many ap- peals for help which came to him, he was ever ready to listen and render assistance. Many young men of Rockford and vicinity were given their financial start in life by this kindly gentle- man. The First Congregational Church ( of which he was a founder) had in him a gen- erous member. He belonged to the Masonic Order from early manhood.
SPAFFORD, Jessie I. Some of the most cul- tured and highly educated women in the state are to be found at Rockford, the institutions of learning at this point attracting and holding them, and through their efforts a number of philanthropic and educational movements have been organized and carried out to a satisfactory conclusion. One of these progressive, intelli- gent and capable women whose name is closely associated with much of the civic and educa- tional work of the city and county, is Miss Jessie I. Spafford. She was born at Rockford, a daughter of Amos Catlin and Elizabeth Burns (White) Spafford, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work.
Miss Spafford early displayed unusual ability and after she had passed through the grade and high schools of Rockford, she attended Vassar College, the University of Chicago, the Uni- versity of Wisconsin, and the Polytechnic Insti- tute at Zurich, Switzerland. Having thus care- fully prepared herself for her work, she re- turned to Rockford and for twenty-one years was an instructor at Rockford College, being head of the department of mathematics and physics. Her attention was early called to the necessity for concerted action on the part of the women of Rockford, to bring about some much needed reforms, and she has been presi- dent of the Woman's Club and the Boys' Club Association for some years. She is a member of the Winnebago County Anti-Tuberculosis Asso- ciation, the Welfare Association, and other or- ganizations. A close student, she goes into every subject thoroughly before taking action, and her judgment and experience are relied upon by those with whom she is associated.
SPARKS, Will Carlton, vice president and gen- eral manager of the Rockford & Interurban Railroad Company of Rockford, is a man of large ideas and capabilities, a man who has shown himself able to handle the multiple prob- lems daily presented for his consideration, in an efficient and satisfactory manner. He was born at Muncie, Ind., June 6, 1877, a son of Lewis S. and Mary (Orr) Sparks. The father was born in West Virginia, and the mother in Muncie. Ind. When he was only six years old, the father was brought to Selma, Ind., and was there educated. For some years he was engaged in teaching school, but later embarked in a grain and elevator business, and also han- dled coal. Investing in farm lands in Delaware
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County, Ind., he became interested in oper- ating them, but is now living retired. His wife also survives. Her people were extensive farm- ers. In politics the father is a Republican.
In addition to attending the schools of Muncie and Selma, Ind., Will Carlton Sparks went to the Indiana University at Bloomington, Ind., and was graduated therefrom in 1901. He was appointed a teacher for the United States Gov- ernment in the Philippine Islands, and spent two years there, when he returned to Anderson, Ind., and became chief clerk in the engineering department of the Union Traction Company. Subsequently he became superintendent of con- struction and still later superintendent of rail- ways, finally being made chief engineer, remain- ing with that company for eight years. He then moved to Rockford, to accept his present posi- tion, and his management of affairs proves that his present company showed excellent judgment in securing his services.
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