History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois, Part 89

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : O. L. Baskin
Number of Pages: 758

USA > Illinois > Montgomery County > History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois > Part 89
USA > Illinois > Bond County > History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois > Part 89

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

274

BIOGRAPHICAL:

cially, he enjoys the highest esteem of the entire community. His father, D. C. Knock, is a native of Delaware, and was one of the first to enter upon pioneer life in Fulton County. Ill., where he is still living, enjoying the fruits of a well-spent life, with his wife, Phoebe Easley, who was born in Freeport, Ohio; she is the mother of thirteen children. of whom William is the second child. He was married, in Morgan County, August 21. 1867, to Sarah J. (Kinnett) Miller, who was born in Hamilton County, Ohio, March 23, 1836: they have two children, viz .: Luetta and Sarah Phobe, both of whom are at home and attending school. Mrs. Knock was a daughter of W. P. and Ann (Brown) Kinnett, natives of Ohio, and still living. Mr. Knock has held several town offices; is also a prom- inent member of the Grange: politically. he is identified with the Republican party.

MARTIN McLEAN. farmer, P. O. Girard. was born in Ireland in IS19; his education was limited, owing to the fact that his early life was spent in assisting his father upon his farm, and that the facilities for gaining an education were also limited; at the age of twenty-six. he embarked upon his career in life as a farmer upon his own account. In 1845, he emigrated to America, and remained in New York seven months, and in New Jer- sey about fifteen years, engaged as a farm hand, at the end of which time he removed to Montgomery County and purchased 160 acres of prairie land, upon which he has made all the improvements necessary for comfort, and which are found only upon the best regulated and cultivated farms; by his energy, industry and economy, he has continued to add to his possessions until now he has the satisfaction of overseeing the cultivation of 480 acres of as choice prairie farm land as can be found in Montgomery County, and to him are due all honors that can be paid any man who has begun

the battle of life as a poor boy, and has, by energy and enterprise, worked his way through the world until he is now known and recog- nized as one of the most successful and prac- tical farmers of the county; although he grows all the usual farm crops, he makes a specialty of grain, and raises nearly all the stock handled upon his farm; he is a man who ranks high in the estimation of the com- munity, and of which he is well worthy; he is a public-spirited man, and has long been identified with the growth and prosperity of Bois D'Arc Township, and especially in gain- ing the position it has attained as being one of the best townships in the county; although he takes no leading part in politics, he is iden- tified with the Democratic party. In 1847. he married Mary Carey, who was born in Kings County, Ireland, and emigrated to America when she was twenty-seven years of age; she is the mother of two boys and one girl. viz .: John James, William Henry and Margaret, all of whom are still living; John is Circuit Clerk at Hillsboro; William H., married and living on the homestead farm; Margaret, living at home. James McLean, the father of Martin, was a native of Ireland, a farmer by occupation; he died in 1868; his wife, Julia Quinland, was also a native of Ire- land; she died in 1866; she was the mother of thirteen children, of whom Martin was the seventh child: himself and family are con- nected with the Catholic Church. St. Mar. tin's Cemetery is located upon Mr. McLean's farm, the property being donated by him to the society, and the cemetery named St. Mar- tin in honor of Mr. McLean.

ABEL S. RANDOLPH, farmer, P. O. Vir- den, was born in New Jersey August 5, 1831; his father, Louis Randolph, was also a native of New Jersey, but moved to Jacksonville, Ill., in 1835, and remained there one year, and then removed to Jersey County, where he is

275

BOIS D'ARC TOWNSHIP.

still living; he was one of the early settlers of the county, and holds a prominent position among the agriculturists of the county; his wife, Mary Compton, was also a native of New Jersey, and is still living; she is the mother of seven children, of whom Abel was the second child: he received his education in the common schools of Jersey County. and assisted his father upon the old homestead until he was thirty years of age, when he came to Montgomery County and continued his occupation as a farmer for himself: he erected liis dwelling and made all other im- provements on the farm himself, and has now in his possession 200 acres of choice farm land, well fenced, well stocked, and which he keeps in a high state of cultivation; the surroundings on Mr Randolph's farm denote energy and enterprise, and show him to be a practical farmer, and well worthy of the po- sition he holds as one of the leading agricult urists of the county: he devotes time to grow . ing the usual crops. and raises all the stock he handles: politically, his sympathies are with the Republican party. He was married, in Jersey County, June 9, 1869, to Minerva Edwards, who was born in Ohio October 27, 183S; she has borne him one child, Henry, born April 21, 1870. Mrs. Randolph was a daughter of Andrew and Mary (Darlington) Edwards, natives of Ohio. Mrs. Randolph is connected with the Methodist Church at Wesley Chapel.

LEWIS H. THOMAS, son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Isley) Thomas, was born May 24. 1827, in Greene County, Ill., where he was raised; after receiving, in the district schools, an education, he commeneed the study of sur- veying, completing the latter at Carrollton Academy; in the spring of 1851, Mr. Thomas entered 970 acres of land in Township 12 north, Range 5 west. Montgomery County, the entry being the fourth and by far the largest,

up to that time, in the township; after enter- ing the land, Mr. Thomas put a hedge around the entire tract, which was so successful that the name of the plant, Osage Orange, or Bois D'Arc, was given to the township; he also planted groves of timber. and it is a remark- able fact that, in eleven years from the time of planting a fifteen-acre lot, he cut wood enough from it to burn 300,000 briek, with which he built one of the finest mansions in the State. Mr. Thomas is one of the most pro- gressive men in the State, and is always making improvements on his fine estate; he has been a stock-dealer since his boyhood, having inher- ited the business from his father; he is oper- ating a raneh in Kansas, where he has con- siderable land inclosed with fences, for con- venience in handling high grade stock. Mr. Thomas has been twice married. each time to a daughter of Isham and Sarah Linder, of Greene County: the first marriage, to Miss Minerva C. Linder, occurred May 23, 1854, but she only lived ten days after the birth of a son, who also died a few months after his beloved mother " fell asleep in Jesus." Mr. Thomas, November 11, 1863, married Miss Sarah A. Linder, who has blessed her hns- band with seven children, five of whom are living-Ettie, John I., William H., Mary L. and Samuel; an infant son and daughter, Harry and Matilda, are dead. The Thomas family are of Welsh extraction, and the fa- ther of our subject, Samuel Thomas, was one of the early pioneers of this section, having come to Greene County in 1818, and there he lived until his death, which occurred Decem- ber 23, 1873: the wife of Samuel, and mother of Mr. L. H. Thomas, was Miss Elizabeth Isley, daughter of Rev. William Jones, a Baptist minister.

SAMUEL R. THOMAS, farmer, P. O. Vir- den, son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Isley) Thomas, was born May 2, 1829, in Greene

276

BIOGRAPHICAL:

County, Ill., where he was raised and educat- ed; in his education he had only such advan- tages as were common to district schools; he nevertheless made an extraordinary advance- ment in literature and science, considering his surroundings, mastering not only the or- dinary branches of an English education, but philosophy, higher mathematics, surveying and navigation; these branches were studied without the assistance of a teacher; his mind, by a kind of natural intuition, reveled in mathematical calculation; and in leisure ure hours he wrote down Colman's Treatise on Algebra; to give an idea of his aptitude in calculation, we mention the fact that, when in his thirteenth year, he mastered all the problems in Smith's Arithmetic in a thirty-days' study; he also, at an early age, familiarized himself with the science of as- tronomy; he kept his father's books from the time he was thirteen till he commenced busi- ness for himself; in connection with his brother Lewis, he managed, for some time, the business of his father's farm, buying, sell- ing and shipping; he was, in truth, a kind of confidential adviser. When in the twenty- first year of his age, he entered a section and a half of land in Township 12 north, Range 5 west; his entry was made in the fall of 1850, and in 1851 he broke a hedge row, in- closing this entire tract; this was a part of the first prairie-breaking done in the town- ship. December 29, 1851 he married Miss Elizabeth M., daughter of Matthew and Mar- garet (Taylor) Dayton, of Greene County, Ill .; the Daytons also were old pioneers of this section of the State; Mrs. Thomas' grand- father, Thomas Dayton, with four of his sons, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Matthew, were soldiers in the war of 1812, and took part in the battle of Plattsburg, next to the last en- gagement of any consequence of that war; the family are descended from Wales, and

settled in the United States of America prior to their independence of the mother country; Mrs. Thomas' aunt on her father's side, Bet- sey Ann Jacobs, of Vermont, when in her sev- entieth year, cut a new set of teeth, and was re-endowed with an eyesight equal to that of her youth; this fact is mentioned as confirm- ing the theory that nature, in its primitive state, had the power of recuperation and re- newal. Mrs. Thomas is of a good family, well educated and intelligent; in fact, during her school days like her husband, she was considered the prime student of her school; before she was married, she taught one or two terms. Mr. Thomas remained some two years in his native county after his marriage. and then came to Montgomery County and occu- pied his farm: here he has since resided, add- ing improvements to his lands, and engaged in the stock business, and is the heaviest stock-grower in the county; his farm now consists of three sections of land, as fine as are to be found within the county or State, in a very high state of cultivation; the residence is a handsome and commodious frame build- ing, possessing all the conveniences and apartments adapting it to the wants and re- quirements of a country seat; a cistern is placed in the attic story, from which the wa- ter is conveyed to every room of the house; instead of a cellar, an attachment is made, which consists of a room formed of double walls, and floor some two feet below the grade of the earth's surface; this attachment joins onto the kitchen, and keeps vegetables and fruits as well as a cellar, and does not add a mold to butter and other articles; we advise any one contemplating building to take a look through Mr. Thomas' house first; we are sat- isfied that it would pay. Mr. Thomas con- templates another improvement which is worthy of notice. A wind-mill and corn- sheller stand at a convenient distance from

277

BOIS D'ARC TOWNSHIP.

his house; he meditates putting a large cis- tern in the tower part of this building, and then running pipe to supply his bath-room and a fountain in the yard; two other wind- wheels run as many pumps at convenient points on the farm; from one of these the wa- ter is conveyed 120 rods, to supply feed lots; we believe now that every 160-acre tract is well supplied with stock water; he has also on his farm a very nice grove of cultivated timber, consisting of about twenty-five acres. Mr. Thomas' family consists of the follow- ing children: Henry Matthew, who married Miss Lydia Ann Baird September 25, 1873, daughter of Zebulon Baird, of Harvel Town- ship; Ann Amanda, Elizabeth Jane, Catha- rine, Samuel Dayton and Mary Lenora. The parents have spared neither means nor care in educating their children, and have been rewarded with both gratitude and success.

CLAUD J. WILLIS, farmer, P. O. White Oak, was born in England April 19, 1842; he obtained the principal part of his education in his native country, under the instruction of his mother and a governess: at the age of thirteen years, he was brought to America by his parents, who settled in Jacksonville, Ill. Charles Willis, the father of Claud, was a parliamentary lawyer in England, but his health failed him, and he came to America and traveled for his health; his death oc- curred in 1856; his wife, Ann C. Row, who is also a native of England, and is still liv- ing, at Jacksonville; she is the mother of two children, viz .: Charles and Claud. The latter, at the age of twenty years, took upon himself the duties of a farm life, and fol- lowed that occupation in Scott County a few years, when he gave up his farming interests and engaged for about ten years in the stock trade, with John Alexander and several other men of Morgan County. who are known as large and extensive operators in nearly all markets. In 1878, he came to the place he

now resides upon, and again turned his at- tention to farming; the farm had been rented for several years before Mr. Willis took charge of it, and had been very badly cultivated, but, owing to the energy and enterprise of Mr. Willis, it will now compare with any of the best-improved farms of the county, and places Mr. Willis in the list of practical farmers, and he is also the largest stock-dealer in the township at the present day. He was mar- ried in Greene County, December 23, 1881, to Miss Jane E. Eldred, who was born October 24, 1839, to Elon and Jane (Stuart) Eldred; he was one of the very early settlers of Greene County, and also at an early day one of the first to enter and improve land in Montgom- ery County, and became very noted as a land- holder, having accumulated at different places about three thousand acres of land, all under cultivation, and managed by himself person- ally; to him is due all the credit of the early improvements made upon the place now occu- pied by the subject of this sketch, and his death occurred in 1871, while on the way to make a visit to his Montgomery farm, having expressed a wish to see the " White Oak " farm again-the farm so named from a white oak tree, which is located on the corner of the farm, and being at one time the only tree standing for many miles around, and which served as a landmark and guide to travelers in crossing the prairie before settlement; his wife survived him five years; she was the mother of three sons and three daughters, all of whom are living, with one exception, viz., the oldest son, William; they are all resi- dents of Greene County; Lucius, a leading hardware merchant at Carrollton; and Charles, a prominent farmer and stock-dealer; Lonisa, wife of L. F. Wheeler, retired merchant, liv- ing at Carrollton; and Julia, wife of R. Pear- son, banker at the above place. Mr. Willis is identified with the Republican party; re- ligiously, himself and wife are connected with the Presbyterian Church.

273

BIOGRAPHICAL:

ROUNTREE TOWNSHIP.

NOAH LIPE, farmer, P. O. Hillsboro. The grandparents of our subject, Godfrey and Bar- bara (House) Lipe, were natives of Pennsyl- vania, and were of German descent, their par- ents having emigrated to America at an early date in this country's history. Godfrey Lipe and wife emigrated to Cabarrus County, N. C., and he was noted grain-grower, and withal one of the most practical farmers of the State, and it has been said of him that he drove the best team of horses from Cabarrus County to Charles- ton, S. C. They were the parents of four boys and three daughters, all of whom grew to ma- turity, viz., John, Henry, Moses, Daniel, Sarah, Catharine and Eula, all of whom married in North Carolina, and of whom John and Daniel were the only ones that ever left their native State. John, the father of our subject, was born in Cabarrus County, N. C., in 1789. His early life was spent upon the homestead farm, and eventually he became the owner of land, married and raised a family of eleven children, with whom, in November, 1831, he emigrated to then distant wilds of Illinois, and located in Irving Township, where he entered a tract of wild prairie, which he eventually improved, and by his energy and industry accumulated a large amount of this world's goods, and at one time owned about 500 acres of choice land; although he had but a practical education, he was con- sidered a good business man, and a practical farmer ; he lived to see his youngest child mar- ried and a mother, and could say he never saw one of his family die. His death occurred in November, 1857. His wife, Rachael Black- welder, was also a native of Cabarrus County, N. C., born in 1793. She was a kind parent, a true, sincere and consistent Christian woman ; she died November 30, 1881, and which is

something remarkable, was at the time of her death the mother of thirteen children, 131 grand-children, 243 great grandchildren, and 21 great-great-grandchildren, making a grand to- tal of 408 descendants, of which at the time of her death, there were living 304. Her own children were, viz., Barbara, was married in North Carolina to Michael Hefly, and moved to Illinois in company with her parents, and settled in Irving Township, died about 1872 ; Nelson, also married in North Carolina. and came to Illinois with his parents, and settled near the homestead, died November, 1879 ; Allen, married in Illinois, was the third set- tler in Rountree Township, died in 1856 ; Ella, wife of Daniel Bost, died about 1862; Noah, our subject ; Delila, wife of Michael Walcher, living in Irving; Wiley, living in Rountree; Eliz- abeth, resident of Irving, wife of Milton Nisler; Helena, married Moses M. Sickles, located in Witt Township, died about 1874 ; John G., liv- ing in Rountree Township; Martin, died in 1879 ; Catharine, wife of James Morram, Irv- ing Township ; Crissa Diana, wife of James T. Fite, Zanesville Township. Noah was the fifth child, and was born in Cabarrus County, N. C., January 20, 1818, where his early childhood was spent in assisting his father in his agri- cultural pursuits upon the homestead farm. At the age of fifteen, he was removed to Montgom- ery County, Ill., by his parents, and remained with them until he reached the age of twenty- four, and assisted his father in improving and cultivating the farm upon which he settled. At that early day there were no schools, but event- ually a subscription school was started, which he attended about one month ; he has, however, obtained more than an ordinary education by close observation and close study at home. He

279

ROUNTREE TOWNSHIP.

was married in Montgomery County, May 12, 1842, to Miss Elizabeth Weller, who was born in Ohio April 11, 1822, and came to Illinois with her parents when she was about eighteen years of age. She has borne him eleven chil- dren, viz., Columbus J., born December 16. 1843, a prominent merchant of Vincennes, Ind .; Martha Jane, born March 18, 1845, died Sep- temper 13, 1845 ; John W., born March 6, 1847. died August 3, 1863; Lorenzo Dow, born September 17, 1849, a prominent farmer living near the homestead ; Mary MI., born May 17, 1851, wife of John Kerr, living in Rountree ; Kittie R., born December 5, 1852, wife of Eras- tus Shere, living in Rountree ; Charles E., born February 3, 1855, farmer living near here; Angelia, born December 28, 1856, wife of James Simms, living in Rountree ; Alice, born April 8, 1859, at home; Etta, born December 11, 1860, at home ; Nettie, born February 14, 1863, died April 27, 1864. Mrs. Lipe was a daugh- ter of John and Mally (Lingenfelter) Weller, a native of Stark County, Ohio. He died in 1843 ; she is still living in Rountree Township with her son Jacob, a wealthy farmer. At the age of twenty-four years, Mr. Lipe left home, and entered upon his career in life as a farmer, locating in Rountree Township, where he began life in a small way ; built a small log cabin, having a sod chimney (the largest farm in the township was surrounded by a sod fence, con- taining sixty aeres). He has gradually added to his possessions until at one time he had the sat- isfaction of conducting a farm consisting of 500 aeres, which represented the dollars earned by himself. the result of energy, enterprise and good management. He has a farm now under a high state of cultivation and is improved by buildings and all the necessary appliances for comfort and convenience. He has given all his children a good education, realizing from his own limited privileges how important a good education is to the rising generation. He has held the offices of School Director and Trustee.

in the township. Himself and wife are con- nected with the Methodist Episcopal Church. He has been a member of a Christian Church about forty-two years. His unele Dan came to Illinois and settled upon a tract of land ad- joining that of our subject, in the year 1839, where he lived until 1869, and where he raised a large family ; he is now located in Whiteside County. Two of his sons are Lutheran preach- ers; all the balance of his family held promi- nent positions.

ELI NUSMAN, farmer, P. O. Irving, was born in Hillsboro, Montgomery Co., Ill., April 9, 1824. His father, John Nusman, was born in Cabarrus County, N. C. He was a farmer by occupation, came to Hillsboro, Montgomery County, in about 1820, where he remained about ten years, and then removed his family to Rountree Township, where he was one of the first settlers, and where he remained, en- gaged in agricultural pursuits, up to the time of his death, which occurred May 27, 1852 aged about seventy-five years. ITis wife, Cath- arine Fogleman, was also a native of Cabarrus County, N. C., born in 1791; she died August 13, 1846. She was the mother of eleven children, of whom Eli, the subject of this sketch was next to the youngest chikl. As sehool privil- eges were very limited at that early day, he was unable to receive such an education as he would have liked ; however, by contact with the world, and by observation, he has accumulated more than an ordinarily practical education. His early childhood was employed upon his father's farm, in assisting him in improving the place, and at the death of his parents remained upon the homestead, which he has never left, and which he has at the present time in a high state of cultivation. Mr. Nusman is consid- ered one of the most popular men in the town- ship, and also ranks with the practical farmers of the County. He was married in Montgom- ery County, May 6, 1858. to Sarah Elizabeth Liticker, who was born in Cabarrus Co., N. C.,

280

BIOGRAPHICAL:

April 6, 1840. They have six children, viz .: Harriet Catharine, born April 15, 1859 ; Peter, born March 19, 1861 ; Mary Emiline, born March 16, 1863, Clara Henrietta, born Janua- ry 12, 1866 ; Nellie Jane, born March 27, 1868 ; Elizabeth Nora, born December 12, 1869 ; all of whom are living. Mrs. Nusman is a daughter of Arba and Mary Ann (McCoy) Liticker, natives of North Carolina, both still living in Montgomery County. Mr. Nusman has in his possession about three hundred acres of choice farm land, upon which he grows the usual farm crops and raises all kinds of stock usually found upon a well-regulated farm. Although not much interested in politics, Mr. Nusman is identified with the Democratic party. He is a man who ranks very high socially, and now in his declining days he is enjoying the fruits of an energetic and prosperous career, surrounded by his family of children, all of whom are liv- ing at home. Elizabeth Nusman, a sister of Mr. Nusman, is also one of the household, they having always lived together since childhood. There are but two others of the original family living, viz., John L., at Ramsey, and Sarah, wife of J. Kennedy, living in Missouri. At an early time in his life, Mr. Nusman was consid- ered a great hunter, and while still a small boy he shot and killed two deer, in the morning be- fore breakfast, and has since killed four in one day. Mr. N. is the oldest living first settler in township.

JOSEPH WALERS, farmer, P. O. Morrison- ville, was born in the Parish of Christ Church, South Wales, Great Britain, March 18, 1835, where he received a common school education, and at the age of sixteen years was apprenticed to learn the trade of boiler-making, at which occupation he was engaged about four years. Arnold Walers, the father of our subject, was also a native of South Wales, and was a rail- road and turnpike contractor by occupation. His death occurred in about 1843, aged fifty- three years. His wife, Mary Pierson, was also

a native of South Wales. She died March 5, 1855, aged about fifty-five years. The result of this union was five children, viz .: Henry, a contractor by occupation, and was assisting in constructing the railroad across the Isthmus of Panama, when he was taken sick with the yellow fever, and died in 1863 ; John, an attache of the British Navy, supposed to be still living; Maria, wife of John Green, now living in South Wales; Ann, wife of Will- iam Bailey, living in South Wales. Joseph, the subject of this sketch, at the age of twenty years, emigrated to America, and eventually went to New Jersey, where his brother Henry was at that time engaged in constructing turn- pikes ; Joseph also engaged in the same occu- pation, at which he remained about four years, at the end of which time he turned his face to- ward the setting sun, and eventually located in Jersey County, Ill., where he took upon him- self the duties of a farm life. In the fall of 1866, he purchased the property upon which he now resides, and removed with his family to their future home in Rountree Township, where he has since remained engaged in agricultural pursuits. His original purchase consisted of ninety acres, to which he has continued to add until now he has the satisfaction of conducting a farm consisting of about one hundred and seventy-five acres of as choice and well-cul- tivated farm land as can be found in Rountree Township, the result of energy, enterprise and thorough business habits ; being a progressive man himself, he is fully alive to all progressive movements favoring the prosperity of the county, and for the advancement of religious and educational privileges. He is now filling the office of Justice of the Peace, the duties of which office he has performed two terms previous to the present, and which duties he has performed with honesty and integrity, and in a manner approved by all the people. He was married in New Jersey, to Delilah Conno- var, who was born in New Jersey to Peter

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois, Part 89

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Chicago : O. L. Baskin Number of Pages: 758

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : O. L. Baskin
Number of Pages: 758