History of Bureau County, Illinois, Part 61

Author: Bradsby, Henry C., [from old catalog] ed
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Chicago, World publishing company
Number of Pages: 776

USA > Illinois > Bureau County > History of Bureau County, Illinois > Part 61

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shall enlisted in the same regiment and com- pany with F. A. in the fall of 1861, but was afterward promoted to a Lieutenancy, then to a Captaincy in the One Hundred and Eleventh United States Colored Infantry, serving through the entire war, and participating in some of the most sanguinary battles of the West. George and Alonzo each served about six months toward the close of the war, the former as Orderly Sergeant. After retir ing from the army Maj. Battey moved to a farm about one mile west of Sheffield, which he had purchased, and upon which are ex- tensive coal deposits. For a number of years he varied his farm pursuits with coal mining, operating at times quite largely. His valua- ble farm consists of about 500 acres, well improved. In March, 1884, he moved to Sheffield, retiring from active life. Maj. Battey has ever taken au active interest in the political matters of the day, and since the Republican party was organized has been identified with its principles. While still in his native State he was a participant in the Constitutional troubles of Rhode Island, and was on the side of the people. He also served as Deputy Sheriff of Providence County for some time, and besides being Sheriff of this county has held various township offices. November 9, 1833, he was united in marriage to Miss Mercy Bennett, who was born Novem- ber 23, 1814, in the same township as her husband, and the daughter of George and Martha (Wilcox) Bennett, both natives of Providence County, R. I. Mr. and Mrs. Battey are members of the Unitarian Church of Sheffield. Mrs. Battey is a woman of sterling qualities, her life and energies hav- ing been dedicated to the good of those about her. To the interests of her large family she has been especially devoted, and to her hus- band she has been a helpmate indeed, a reli- ance in the weary strife of life. They are the parents of fifteen children, viz .: San- ford W., born January 8, 1835; Martha M., March 12, 1836; George, July 4, 1837; Frederick A., November 21, 1838; Cyrean, August 27, 1840; Bernard, November 17, 1841; Marshall, February 26, 1843; Silas Alonzo, October 19, 1844; Betsey M., July 7, 1846, died in Providence, R. I., December 27, 1852; Linnæus A., February 28, 1849,

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died in Providence May 25, 1853; Linnæus A., the 2d, May 14, 1853; Edson T., Sep- tember 19, 1854, died April 28, 1862; Jared, April 29, 1856, died April 5, 1882; Herbert O., October 26, 1857, died November 3, 1882, and Elmer E., born June 11. 1861. Sanford is in the mercantile business at Creston, Iowa; Martha is the wife of C. W. Abbott, of Bureau Conuty; George is in Portsmouth, Iowa, dealing in grain, etc .; F. A. is an extensive publisher in Chicago, Ill .; Cy. rean is a teacher in Bureau County; Bernard is railroad agent, etc., in Dexter, Iowa; Mar- shall is in business at Sabetha, Kan .; S. Alonzo, a farmer of Nickerson, Kan .; Lin- næus A. is a farmer in Bureau County; and Elmer E. is with Col. Battey, of Chicago.

O. W. BATTEY, Tiskilwa, was born June 15, 1823, in Foster, Providence Co., R. I. He is a son of Sampson Battey (see the preceding sketch). Our subject received a common school education in Connect- icut, where his early life was spent on the farm. He came to Illinois with his parents, and lived several years in Peoria and La- Salle Counties. In 1854 he came to Tis- kilwa, where he was appointed station agent on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Rail- road, which position he has filled ever since. and is known as the oldest and most trusted agent on the route. For the last twenty years he has also been engaged in the grain and lumber business. He was married March 18, 1851, in Dubuque, Iowa, to Paul- ine A. Walker, who was born February 1, 1825, in Vermont. Her parents were Asa and Elizabeth (Mathewson) Walker. She is the mother of three children: Galen S., Losada L. and Owen W. Mrs. Battey is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Battey has filled town and school offices. He has taken a lively interest in political af- fairs, and has supported the Republican party. He was formerly a warm supporter of the famous underground railroad, which has done so much to break the shackels of slavery in the land of the free.

-JOHN H. BAUER, Clarion, was born June 3, 1818, in Au Kronau, Bavaria, Ger- many. His parents. Henry and Catharina (Bauer) Bauer, died in Germany. They were the parents of the following children: George,

deceased: John H., our subject; John, de- ceased; Thomas Bauer, of New York City; Mrs. Julia Fisher, of Bavaria, and Marga- retha Bauer. John H. Bauer, our subject, came to this country in August, 1847. He worked fourteen months for Squire Dayton, and two years for William Lewis, and then moved on to his farm of eighty acres, which he entered in 1848. At present he has 340 acres, the result of hard work and economy, as he came here a poor man, and gradually worked his way to his present prosperity. Mr. Bauer was married here in December, 1850, to Kunigunda Miller, who was born in March, 1826, in Au, Bavaria. She is the mother of nine children: Thomas, George, Mrs. Susan Keen, Mrs. Katie Rapp, Mary, Barbara, Lucy, Rosa, and Philip, who died in infancy. Of the above Lucy Bauer is one of Bureau County's wide-awake teachers. Mr. and Mrs. Bauer are members of the Ger- man Emanuel Evangelical Church. Politi- cally he is connected with the Republican party.

C. HENRY BAUER, Clarion, was born Janu- ary 16, 1828, in Stranszfort, Prussia, where his parents, Friedemann and Sophia (Starkey) Bauer died. They were the parents of seven children, viz .: Frederick, William, Fritz, C. Henry our subject, Mrs. Fredericka Goetz, Mrs. Hannah Schultze and Mrs. Minnie Ditmar. Our subject, C. Henry Bauer, came to Clarion Township, Bureau Co., Ill., in 1854; here he worked on a farm and finally, in about 1862, had saved enough money to buy forty acres of land. He has now 273 acres of land which is the reward of persist- ent industry and economy. Mr. Bauer was married here to Mrs. Catharina Erlenborn (nee Schulle), who died here. She was the mother of seven children, viz .: Henry Erlen. born, Mrs. Rebecca Buehlhorn (nee Bauer), William. John, Therese, August and Louisa Bauer. He was married a second time to Maggie Zopf, who is the mother of Augusta, Fred and Matilda Bauer. Mr. and Mrs. Baner are members of the Lutheran Church.

DR. J. M. BEACH, Princeton, was born in Burlington, Hartford Co., Conn., December 16, 1813. He is the son of Joel and Lydia (Sutliff) Beach, both natives of Connecticut, which State they made their home till the

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time of their death. Of their family one son and two daughters yet survive, viz .: Dr. J. M., of Princeton; Mrs. Squires, of Winona, widow of Martin Squires, and Mrs. F. A. Raymond, of Henry, Ill. Dr. Beach was reared in his native county, and in 1836 began the study of dentistry with Dr. Crane, of Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1839 he began the practice of his profession in Pittsburg, Penn. In 1851 he came West and settled in Mount Palatine, Putnam Co., Ill., where he continued the practice till 1864, when he located in Princeton. The Doctor has been in active practice for forty-five years, and is one of the oldest dentists in the State. In 1844 he was married in Pittsburg, to Miss Josephine Williams, a native of Philadel- phia. She died in 1849 of the cholera; she was the mother of one son-James-who died when about eighteen months of age. In 1851 Dr. Beach was united in marriage to Mrs. Ann (Wiley) Smith. She was born in Pittsburg and died in Princeton in 1879. She was the mother of one daughter by Dr. Beach, viz .: Anna J., wife of Dr. William Landreth. Dr. Beach cast his first vote for Henry Clay, and is now identified with the Republican party. He is an active worker for the temperance cause. In 1880 in order to be relieved of some of his professional duties, Dr. Beach formed a partnership with his son-in-law, Dr. William M. Land- reth, and they have practiced together since. Dr. Landreth is a native of Philadelphia, and is the son of one of the founders of the seed industry of Philadelphia, he being previous to death one of the members of the Landreth seed firm of that city. His widow is now a resi- dent of Battle Creek, Mich., and one son, Albert Landreth, is a wholesale seed grocer, of Manitowoc, Wis. In early life Dr. Land- reth received the appointment to West Point, but after a few months had to give up the position on account of not being able to endure the training. For some time he was a resident of Battle Creek, Mich., and came to Princeton from there, and was here mar- ried to Miss Anna J. Beach. This union has been blessed with the following named children: Anna, Alice and Beach. In poli- tics he is Republican. He and wife are members of the Congregational Church.

AMASA E. BELDEN, Berlin, was born in Wyoming County, N. Y., April 17, 1813. His early life was spent in farming in his native county. His father, Amasa Belden, was a native of Vermont, and was in the war of 1812; his wife, Amy Banister, was a native of Connecticut. They were the parents of ten children, three of whom are now living, viz. : Amasa E., Timothy and Sylvester P. Our subject came to Bureau County in 1845. He crossed the lakes to Chicago, and then came by team to this county, where he has since resided. He first bought the farm at Dover now owned by J. Hoyt, on which he built a house, hauling the lumber from Chicago, which he also made his grain market. He lived in Dover for eight years, and then bought his present farm in Section 28, which was then unimproved prairie. Mr. Belden was married, in Wyoming County, N. Y., to Miss Mary Kellogg, a daughter of Deacon Daniel Kellogg. She was born in 1816, and died at the age of sixty years and two months. She was the mother of three sons and three daughters: Daniel K .; Harlan A .; Angus- tus H., who was in the army three years; Sarah, wife of W. B. Howe of Chicago; Amy, wife of Rev. James Hunter Clark, who is pastor of the Congregational Church at Mil- lard Avenne Station, Chicago; Janie B., wife of W. H. Lewis, a farmer of Berlin Township. The sons are all dead, but all were married; one left a wife and four chil- dren, another a wife and two children. In politics Mr. Belden is identified with the Republican party, and in earlier days was associated with Lovejoy, Bryant, and others in the Abolition movement in this county. He has been a member of the Congregational Church most of his life, and has been a Dea- con in the church at Malden since its organi- zation. Mr. Belden has always believed in a strict observance of the law, of the Sabbath, and of morality, and his influence has not been unfelt.

ELI B. BELKNAP, Berlin, was born in Niagara County, N. Y., April 13, 1819. His parents, Elisha and Lucy (Finch) Belknap, were both natives of New York, and in 1830 moved to Licking County, Ohio, where the father died in 1839, at the age of fifty-two years. Eli B. Belknap spent his early life on

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the farm in New York and Ohio, till 1839, when he came to Bureau County. In 1840 he brought his widowed mother here, where she died in 1845, at the age of sixty-three years. July 3, 1844, he was married, in Licking County, Ohio, to Miss Mary Whitehead, who was born in that county July 3, 1826. She is the daughter of E. F. and Margaret (Dore- mus) Whitehead, both of whom were natives of New Jersey, removed to New York when small, and after marriage, to Ohio. He was born November, 1796, and died in Ohio, at the age of seventy-one years. His wife was born July 31, 1799; died Angust 13, 1880. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Belknap came to Bureau County, but after a residence here of two years they returned to Ohio; remained there four years, and then again came to this county, settling in 1852 on their present farm of 160 acres, in Section 3, Berlin Township. They are the parents of six children living, viz .: Augustus H., born February 20, 1848, married Lydia S. Palmer, and resides in Pocahontas County, Iowa; Edwin F., born April 26, 1850, married Esther Hall, and lives in Mitchell County, Kan .: Jerome B., born August 2, 1852, lives in Wright County, Iowa, married Flora I. Taylor; Harry W., born June 15, 1855, resides on the old home- stead, married Mary M. Cater; Mary L., born June 3, 1860, wife of Edward H. Cater, of Pottawatomie County, Iowa; Emma S., born May 3, 1862, wife of Elias Bower, of Adair County, Iowa. The eldest child, Sarah, born September 9, 1845, died October 5, 1845. Mr. Belknap and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Arlington. In politics, he has been a Republican since the party was organized, and previous to that was an Abolitionist.

JULIUS BENEDICT, Berlin, was born in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., August 6, 1826. His parents, L. Nathan and Clarissa (Thatcher ) Benedict, were both natives of Vermont. At the age of sixteen years he left home and worked for three years in Rochester, N. Y., and in 1846 came to Lamoille, Ill., which he made his home for three years, though during that time he traveled south through Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas, engag. ing in whatever work presented itself. In 1849 he made the overland trip to California and

engaged in mining for three years. In 1852 he returned to this county and was married May 9, 1852, to Henrietta Cleveland, a native of Skaneateles, N. Y. After marriage they settled on Section 1, Berlin Township, and made that their home until January, 1884, when they broke up housekeeping and have since resided at different points. Mr. Bene- dict has been very successful in his agricultural pursuits; his home farm contains 1,200 acres, and he also owns a ranch of 7,000 acres in Dawson County, Neb., which is stocked with cattle. His family consists of five sons, viz. : Emerson, born September 1853, a farmer in this county, married to Ida Chamblin, of Mason City, Ill .; Harry, a farmer in this county, is married to Belle Kyle, of Prince- ton; Lewis, a commission merchant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Charles and Frank, in Dawson County, Neb. Mr. Benedict is an Independent Republican in politics. He is a member of the Baptist Church of Lamoille.

T. N. BENNETT, Neponset. The subject of the following biography was born March 24, 1854, in the State of Indiana. His father, Timothy Bennett, was born April 15, 1813, in Clinton Co., Ohio. He was a farmer by oc- cupation and well known for his many good qualities of head and heart. He came to Neponset Township, Bureau Co., Ill., in 1856. and' died here February 6, 1872. The grandfather of our subject, Timothy Bennett, Sr., was a native of Kentucky. The great-grandfather's name was also Timothy Bennett. The mother of our subject, Elizabeth (Russell) Bennett, was born May 9, 1814, in Clinton County, Ohio; she is now residing with her son Timothy N. Bennett. She is the mother of seven children now living, viz: Mrs. Mary J. Williamson, George M., Mrs. Juretta Jud- kins, Samuel H., Mrs. Alice Gridley, Timo- thy N. and Mrs. Laura Gould. Mr. Bennett was educated in the common schools of Bureau County, Ill., to which he came in the fall of 1856. Here he has resided ever since and is the owner of a fine farm of 200 acres. Here he was joined in marriage, August 8, 1879, to Miss Laura Addie Scott, a daughter of Robert Scott (see sketch). Mrs. Bennett is a native of Bureau County; was born March 14, 1861. She is the mother of the follow-

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ing children: Grace, born August 8, 1880, and Elsie, who was born September 12,1882. Mr. Bennett has been a township and school officer. Politically he is identified with the Republican party.

A. BENSON, Arispe, who is one of Bu- reau County's self-made and prosperous farmers, was born February 27, 1823, in Douglass, Mass. His father, Alanson Ben- son, Sr., was born in 1783 in Massachusetts. He came to this county in 1839, and settled on Section 21, in Arispe Township, and died here in 1857. His mother, Lucina (Lapham) Benson, was born April 25, 1792, in Burrilville, R. I. She died here in 1853. She was the mother of nine children, viz. : Mrs. Maria Blake, Rufus, Mrs. Sarah Sher- man, Mrs. Henrietta Woodford, Alanson, Elias T., Mrs. Mary A. Culver, Mrs. Lucina Allen and Darius Benson. The Benson fam- ily is of Scotch and English descent, and the grandparents of our subject were Aaron and Lydia (Bairbanks) Benson, natives of Massa- chusetts. The former was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and his ancestors were among the pioneers of New England. Our subject was educated in his native State and this county. Here he commenced to farm with eighty acres, but at present owns 1,500 acres of land in this county, also a farm of 400 acres of land in Iowa, and an interest in a cattle ranch in Montana. Mr. Benson was married here February 27, 1851, to Sarah Loop, who was born November 3, 1828, in St. Lawrence County, N. Y. Mrs. Benson is the mother of the following children: Alanson, who was born March 31, 1858; he died in his early manhood March 9, 1876; Clara P., wife of James M. Gardner; Lncina and Lora Benson. Financially, Mr. Benson's life has been a grand success. Religiously, he and wife are members of the Baptist Church. Politically he is a Republican, and has been Supervisor for two years.

BURGHARD BERGE, Fairfield, was born July 17, 1831, in Landerfeld, Cur Hessen, Germany. His parents were Paulus and Elizabeth (Herte) Berger. The father died in Germany, but the mother came to America in 1860, and died in Bureau County, Ill., March 28, 1878. She was the mother of five children: Carl, Burghard, Andrew, George

and Mrs. Elizabeth Sippel. Of the above, Burghard Berge came to America in August, 1857. He worked three and a half years by the month in Tazewell County, Ill., and then married and removed to Woodford County, where he farmed three and a half years. He then removed to Henry County, where he farmed another year, after which, in March, 1866, he came to Bureau County, Ill. He bought eighty acres, which he sold, and bought 160 acres in Fairfield Township, where he resides. He was married July 25, 1862, to Hattie E. Parks, who died in Henry County. He was married a second time January 9, 1866, to Martha E. Miller, born July 5, 1844, Vockerode, Cur Hessen, Germany, daughter of Johannes and Catharina E. (Grabe) Miller, who died in Germany. Mrs. Berge is the mother of seven children, viz .: Matilda, Johannah, Frederick William, J. Burghard, Carl William, Rosette and Lydia E. Berge. Mr. and Mrs. Berge are members of the German Evangelical Church. Politi- cally he is a Republican.

JOHN BERKSTRESSER, Buda, was born in Bedford County, Penn., January 1, 1818. He is the son of John and Barbara (Sheckler) Berkstresser, both natives of Pennsylvania but of German descent. Their ancestors had lived in the State for several generations. except the mother's mother, who was born in Germany. They were the parents of seven sons and one daughter, all of whom yet sur- vive, except the eldest son. Our subject was reared on a farm among the hills of Pennsyl- vania. with but very limited means for an education; but with a determination to suc- ceed in life and to overcome all obstacles, he entered life's contest fearlessly. His first work for himself was to clear land, and for his work have the first crop. So the first sea- son he succeeded in clearing seven acres, on which he raised a good crop of wheat, but the price being low, the net profits were but about $75. He then purchased a saw-mill which was built for the purpose of sawing up the timber on a tract of land supposed to be owned by our subject's uncle, and each to have half of the timber, the one for furnish- ing the timber, the other for the sawing. Af- ter Mr. Berkstresser had run the mill for one week, it was destroyed by fire; but nothing

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daunted, he again rebuilt the mill, but before it was completed the water of the stream was too low to run it, and so work was suspended for the season, and before the next season came, it was found that his uncle's title to the land was not good, and so the mill had to be stopped, and was worthless property, and Mr. Berkstresser was left without anything except a debt of $300 hanging over him, and the time appointed for his marriage rapidly approaching. Being a man always prompt to keep any engagement, be was married at the appointed time, but for the six succeeding years his struggles were such that a less de- termined and ambitious man would have failed. He rented land in Huntingdon Conn- ty, Penn., and began working on it, and knew no rest day or night scarcely for six years, at the end of which time he had paid his way through, and in 1854 sold out what property he had accumulated and then found himself clear of debt and $700 ahead, with which he came to Bureau County, Ill., in 1854, and located on Section 16 in Macon Township. He remained on that farm till 1876, when he removed to his farm of 400 acres adjoining Buda on the south. However, in 1882 he re- moved to Buda, where he now resides, but still retains his farm adjoining town. In March, 1878, he bought one-half interest in the Buda Bank of Benedict & Son, and two years later bought the entire banking and clothing business, which had been carried on together. This was the first established bank in Buda. In 1882, at the earnest solicitation of citizens of Hennepin, Putnam Co., Ill., Mr. Berkstresser established a bank there, and leaves it in charge of the cashier, Mr. I. B. Lesh. Mr. Berkstresser has been very suc- cessful in business since coming to this coun- ty, but he has used the same energy and de- termination which carried him through his early years of struggle. In 1844 he was married in Bedford County, Penn., to Miss Elizabeth Carper, who was born in Lebanon County, and is the daughter of Samuel and Christina Carper. both natives of Pennsylva- nia but of German descent. Mr. and Mrs. Berkstresser have the following children: William Henry, who died at six years of age; Christina, now of Clay County, Neb., and wife of George Lee; Levi, who is in the bank

of J. Berkstresser & Son, of Buda; Rev. Will- iam Irving Berkstresser, of Carroll County, Ill., who is a minister in the Church of God; Mary, who is also a minister, and has for three years had regular charges; Martha, of Clay County, Neb .. wife of William Pitt; Liz- zie, who died after reaching womanhood; Beckie, wife of S. L. Ewing, of this county. Mr. Berkstresser and family are members of the Church of God. During his entire life he has taken an active interest in political matters, first as a Whig and then as a Repub- lican.

JACOB BERNHARD, De Pue, was born in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, October 13, 1832. He is the son of Christian and Mary (Lied) Bernhard. The father's occupation was that of a farmer. He died in 1842, but his widow lived till 1859. Our subject was educated in the schools of his native coun- try, and in early life learned the trade of shoemaking. In 1853 he came to the United States, and for one year remained in New York City, working at shoemaking. He then went to Hudson City, N. Y., and there fol- lowed his trade for one year. In 1855 he came to Bureau County, Ill., and began clerking in the store of Benjamin Newell at Trenton, now De Pue. He remained with Mr. Newell for three years, when he engaged in business in partnership with Moses Mercer and John W. York. After several changes in the firm Mr. Bernhard sold ont his interest in 1864. In December, 1864, enlisted in Company A, Forty-eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served till September, 1865. when they were discharged. He participated in the battle at Nashville, Tenn., being un- der Gen. Thomas at that time. He was also in the encounter with Bragg at Kingston, N. C. In 1866 he engaged in the mercantile business again at De Pue, and has since con- tinued here. He carries a general stock of goods valned at about $10,000. For a num- ber of years he has also been in the grain business, buying and shipping by water. For some time the annual shipments of grain have averaged about 200,000 bushels. Besides his different business investments, Mr. Bernhard owns about 1,000 acres of Bu- reau County's valuable land. Such is the success attained by energy, industry and a

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close application to business. Mr. Bernhard came to this county without any capital, but his business ability soon made him a success- ful merchant and business man. He was mar- ried in this county in April, 1858, to Miss Rosina Frey, who is a native of Baden, Ger- many, but came to America the same year as her husband. Her parents, Bernhard and Elizabeth Frey, first settled in Philadelphia, but in 1856 came to this county and died here. To Mr. and Mrs. Bernhard eight chil- dren have been born, viz .: Lissetta, Charles, Emma, Mary. J. A., W. M., Albert and Frank- lin. In politics Mr. Bernhard is Republican. He is a member of the De Pue Lodge, No. 669, I. O. O. F. He and wife are members of the Evangelical Church at Hollowayville, which church he helped build.

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History of Bureau County, Illinois, Part 61

Author: Bradsby, Henry C., [from old catalog] ed Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Chicago, World publishing company Number of Pages: 776

Author: Bradsby, Henry C., [from old catalog] ed
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Chicago, World publishing company
Number of Pages: 776