History of Bureau County, Illinois, Part 80

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 80

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).

JOHN S. KASBEER, Ohio, was born De- cember 28, 1818, in Wayne County, Ohio, and is the son of Samuel and Mary Kasbeer. The father was born February 4, 1794, in New Jersey. The mother was born January 22, 1799, in Pennsylvania. They were the parents of twelve chileren, the eldest of whom is the subject of this sketch. He lived on a farm in his native county till he came to this State and settled at East Grove, in Lee Coun- ty, in the fall of 1846. He lived there one sea- son, when he removed to Ohio Township, and settled on the land which he now owns. March 6, 1842, Mr. Kasbeer married Hannah Ross, the daughter of Rev. William and Jane (Whitaker) Ross (see sketch of James Ross), who was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, February 12, 1825, and lived in her native State till she came to this State in 1846. Mr. and Mrs. Kasbeer are the parents of twelve children, eight of whom are now living: Mary Jane, born July 5, 1843, died August 29, 1844; Rachel, born August 16, 1845, died March 14, 1858; Margaret R., now Mrs. T. D. Mercer, Ohio, Ill., born March 19, 1848; Mildred, born August 7, 1850, died Septem- ber 10, 1852; Asa W., farmer, Ohio, Ill., born December 28, 1852; Ira, farmer and land agent, Colony, Kan., born May 13, 1855; Joab, teacher and farmer, Ohio, Ill., born

August 24, 1857; Sumner, farmer, Belton, Mo., born February 12, 1860; Melissa, Ohio, Ill., boru May 26, 1862; Alice, Ohio, Ill., born March 3, 1865; Hattie, born August 29. 1867, died January 9, 1868; John W., Ohio, Ill., born March 28, 1869. Mr. Kasbeer owns 806 acres of land in Ohio Township, and 3,600 acres in Allen and Anderson Counties, Kan., also 640 acres in Nebraska. In the improve- ments of this county Mr. Kasbeer has for thirty-seven years taken a very active part, and in that time he has probably planted more forest trees than any other man in Bu- reau County; and the large groves and long lines of cottonwood, walnut, hard and soft maple, and other varieties of forest trees, some of which are three feet in diameter, are tower- ing monuments and living witneses of his patient and unceasing toil. In politics Mr. K. was formerly a Whig, and is now a Re- publican, and a member of the M. P. Church.

NATHAN J. KEEL, Berlin, was born in Stark County, Ohio, February 4, 1836. When he was six months old his parents moved to Hancock County, Ohio, and it was there and in Putman County that he was reared. His father, John W. Keel, was of German de- scent, born in Pennsylvania, January 12, 1810. His wife, Rosanna Siffirt, died when our subject was seven years old, and his fa- ther afterward married Barbara Briden- baugh. They came to this county in 1852, and are now residents of Dover, Ill. Nathan J. Keel is the second of a family of seven children, three of whom were by the first marriage. All are living. He came to this county in 1852, and has been engaged in farming most of his life, excepting eight years that he was engaged in the hardware business. He now resides on his farm of 160 acres in Sections 21 and 22. He was married October 6, 1857, to Angeline Wells, a native of New Jersey, daughter of Charles and Sarah (Park) Wells. Mr. and Mrs. Keel have three children: Clara F., wife of George Smith; Charles W., May Belle. In politics he is identified with the Republican party.

M. W. KEIGLEY, Tiskilwa. The sub- ject of this biography was born January 7, 1851, in Monongalia County, W. Va. His father, Nathaniel P. Keigley, was a native of

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Pennsylvania, and a merchant by occupation. He died in Tiskilwa in 1874, aged fifty-six years. The grandfather of our subject, George Keigley, was born in Pennsylvania. The great-grandfather was of German and the great-grandmother of Irish descent. The mother of our subject was born in Ohio. She is yet living in Tiskilwa at the home of our subject, who was educated in the public schools of Tiskilwa, to which place he came with his parents in 1865. At the age of eighteen he commenced to clerk for Sidney Perkins. After about five years he formed a partnership with his father and J. W. Lea. Afterward he formed a partnership with O. Wilkinson, which exists to the present day. They keep a general store. Mr. Keigley was married October 28, 1873, to Miss Emma C. Kitterman, a daughter of Michael Kitterman, the old pioneer. Mrs. Keigley was born January 1, 1852. in Bureau County, Il1. Mr. Keigley is a member of the A. F. & A. M. fraternity, Sharron Lodge, No. 550. Politically Mr. Keigley is identified with the Democratic party.

MILO KENDALL, Princeton, was born in Waterford, Caledonia Co., Vt., April 1, 1819. His father, Jerreb Kendall, was born May 30, 1782, in Springfield, Mass. His occupation was that of a farmer and proprie- tor of a public house. He died in March, 1855. His parents, William and - (Day) Kendall, were descendants of early settlers in America, and . William Kendall par- ticipated in the battle of ' Bunker Hill. Jerreb Kendall was married at Barnet, Vt., to Lucy Woods, who was born at that place August 12, 1786, a daughter of John and Abigail (Ely) Woods. Her father was also engaged in the fight at Bunker Hill. Jerreb and Lucy Kendall were the parents of eleven sons and one daughter, viz. : Jerreb, born January 2, 1804; John, July 22, 1805; George W., July 13, 1807; James E., June 15, 1809; Larnard L., March 25, 1811; Ly- man, December 20, 1813; Alonzo R., April 21, 1815; Lorenzo, April 16, 1817; Milo. April 1, 1819; Chester, May 22. 1821; Will- iam W., August 19, 1824, and Lucy C., De- cember 23, 1826. Of the family all reached maturity except one son, and the following are now living: Larnard, of St. Johnsbury,

Vt .; Alonzo R. and Milo, of Princeton, Ill., and Mrs. Lucy Robinson, of Newport, Vt. Dr. John Kendall came to Bureau County in 1833 or 1834, and with Tracy Reeve laid out the town of Greenfield, now Lamoille. He died September, 1847. James came to this county at a later day, and died at Princeton in the fall of 1869. The oldest son, Jerreb, came to Bureau County in 1835, and died here August 17, 1839. William W. was in this county a short time, and died in April, 1876. Lyman and Alonzo came to the coun- ty in 1836, coming from Vermont with a horse and chaise. Lyman died near La- moille, November, 1839. Milo Kendall re- mained on the farm in Vermont until he was eighteen years of age, and then attended the academies at Newbury and Lyndon, Vt., teaching school to pay his way. At the age of twenty-three years he began the study of law at Lyndon under the instruction of Bart- lett & Fletcher, remaining in their office three years. In the fall of 1845 he came to Knox- ville, Ill., where he remained till the follow- ing spring, and during that time was admit- ted to the bar in Illinois. In 1846 he came to Princeton, and has since been engaged in practicing law. In 1857 he formed a part- nership with Mr. George O. Ide, now of Chicago. This partnership continued for fourteen years. Since 1873 Mr. Kendall has had as a partner Mr. O. G. Lovejoy. Dur- ing the construction of the Chicago, Burling- ton & Quincy Railroad Mr. Kendall was Examiner of Titles, and procured deeds for right of way from Mendota to Galesburg, and has since been local attorney for the road. He was married at Potsdam, St. Law- rence Co., N. Y., September 13, 1848, to Miss Orpha Ide. She was born in 1818, and is the daughter of Rev. John Ide, who was a minister in the Baptist Church. Mr. and Mrs. Kendall have two children: William I., boru October 14, 1855, and Nellie, April 19, 1858. The son is a farmer, and is married to Alla Kaull, daughter of Dr. William M. Kaull, of Dakota. Mr. Kendall is an active Democrat, but has never entered upon a political life.

ALONZO R. KENDALL, Princeton, was born in Caledonia County, Vt., April 21, 1815. He is the son of Jerreb and Lucy

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HISTORY OF BUREAU COUNTY.

(Woods) Kendall. Our subject's early life was spent on his father's farm, and in attending the schools of the district. In 1836 he came to Bureau County, Ill., and has since made this county his home, and has been closely identified with the development of the county from its wild state, as the country was but slightly improved nor were the Indians yet removed when Mr. K. first built his cabin of logs, with its puncheon floor and its furniture consisting of a table of hewn " lumber" and a bedstead with one leg. But Mr. Kendall began the cultivation of the soil. and with his large capital of energy to assist him, he made a financial success of life, so that in 1865 he sold his farm and retired from business, and has since resided in Princeton. February 22, 1843, he was married in his native county in Vermont to Miss Persis A. Ford. She was born on Grand Island in Lake Champlain. Mr. and Mrs. Kendall have two sons: Jerome F., a resident of California, and Robert C., a book-keeper in the Citizen's National Bank, of Princeton, Ill., of which bank his father is a director. Mr. Kendall is a believer in, and a supporter of churches, but is independent in his views of creed. In politics he is identified with the Democratic party.

LORENZO J. KENDALL, Lamoille, was born May 15, 1857, in St. Johnsbury, Vt. He is a son of Lorenzo Kendall, who was a son of Jerreb Kendall. Lorenzo Kendall was born in April, 1817, in Vermont. He came to Lamoille in an early day, but soon returned to his native State. He came here a second time and went to farming. In 1849 he went to California, returning the next year to Lamoille, and the following year to Vermont, where he was married, March 24, 1852, to Rosina Lang- maid, a native of Danville, Vt. She was a daughter of Samuel and Hannah (Hoyt) Langmaid, of Welsh descent. His father and mother were Shakers, whose creed is no armor against Cupid, and so they left the society and were married. Samuel Lang- maid was the father of five children, viz .: Betsey, wife of George Kendall, who is yet living in Vermont; Mary, wife of Benjamin Swett; Warren, who was killed in Australia; Mrs. Rosina Kendall, and Augusta, wife of

Timothy Carr, of Vermont. Lorenzo Ken- dall and wife returned to this county soon after their marriage and here they farmed four years, and then went back to Vermont, where Mr. Kendall died, November 9, 1857. Mrs. Rosina Kendall returned to Bureau County in 1860. Here she managed the home farm of 160 acres herself for seven years and then rented it for nine years. Five years of this time she lived in Lamoille and the other four in Princeton, where her two children graduated. After this she returned to Lamoille, where she yet resides. The names of her children are: Emma A., who is a teacher in Omaha, and Lorenzo J., who man- ages the home; farm, and for the last five years has been a teacher in the Lamoille school, of which he has been Principal the last three years.

CAPT. MICHAEL KENNEDY, deceased, was a native of West Meath, Ireland, where he was reared and liberally educated. He was a descendant of an old Irish noble fami- ly, and in the old country was married to Bridget Harrington, who eventually came to America and died in Somerset, Perry Co., Ohio. She was the mother of three children, viz .: Philip Kennedy, who was a physician in Somerset, Ohio; Mrs. Catharine Gaynor, deceased; and Michael Kennedy, Jr., de- ceased. Capt. Kennedy was an expert en- gineer and mathematician, and soon after he came to the United States made the acquaint- ance of Daniel Webster, whose son caused him to enter the land around Lost Grove, in Bureau County, which amounted to over 1,500 acres. Capt. Kennedy was an engineer and Superintendent of the Illinois and Mich- igan Canal and also a contractor of the Peru & Galena Railroad, which were profitable enterprises. He entered his land about 1840, but never improved it a great deal. He just grew up with the country and delighted to follow the hounds for days, as was customary in the old country. He lived like the old style Irish gentleman, and will be remem- bered by our older citizens as a genial, hale fellow well met, who knew how to entertain and cater to the wants of his friends. He was his own worst enemy, and altogether a remarkable character. He died December 30, 1865, aged nearly four score years. His

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

son, Michael Kennedy, managed the home- stead till he died, January 30, 1872, aged forty-eight years. He married in Buffalo, N. Y., September, 1867, Emily M. Fitzpatrick, a native of Queens County, Ireland, a daugh- ter of John and Margaret (Kelly) Fitzpat- rick, who died in Onedia County, N. Y. Mrs. Kennedy was educated at the Sacred Heart Convent, in Albany, N. Y., and is the mother of Michael Kennedy and John J. Kennedy, the latter deceased, aged fifteen months. She settled the Kennedy estate and is now successfully managing the home farm.

JOHN CASPER KESSLER, Ohio, was born at Gesdungshausen, November 26, 1840, and is the son of Andrew and Kunigunda Kessler, who were born in Coburg, Germany. The father was born April 25, 1815, and the mother about 1820. They came to this coun- try in 1848, and settled in May Township, Lee County, Section 33, which Mr. Kessler bought from the Government. The family has remained upon the old homestead from the settlement to the present time. In 1861, in September, the subject of this sketch went into the service, enlisting September, 17, 1861, in Company B, Fifty-second Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in which company and regiment he served until July, 1862, when he was discharged by reason of Surgeon's certi- ficate of disability from gunshot wounds re- ceived at the battle of Shiloh or Pittsburg Landing. Mr. and Mrs. Kessler are the parents of twelve children, eight of whom are now living, the subject of this sketch be- ing the oldest of the family. The parents are still living, and both are hale and hearty. In 1871, July 16, the subject of this sketch married Annie Strasburger, who was born in Delaware County, Ohio, May 15, 1845, and is the daughter of Rev. William and Abigail Strasburger. The father was born in Ger- many, and came to this country when a boy. The mother was born in Ohio, aud is of American parentage, her great grandfather coming from England. John Casper and Annie Kessler are the parents of four chil- dren, three of whom are living: William E.,

born January 6, 1873, died June 5, 1880; Lillie, born March 29, 1875; Grace K. A., born October 24, 1877; Edmund Chester, born January 25, 1881. Mr. Kessler came

to Ohio Village in February 22, 1871, where he built the first elevator in the town, and went into business as a grain buyer and ship. per and stock buyer, and he is still engaged in the former business. He is a Republican

in politics and a member of the Evangelical Church. Owns 400 acres in Lee County and 640 acres in Nebraska, besides residence property, two elevators, and several resi- dence and business lots in the village of Ohio.

MARION S. KISER, Ohio, was born in Ohio Township, Bureau Co., Ill., Febru- ary 16, 1857, and is the son of George W. and Sarah A. Kiser. The father was born in Pennsylvania, February 16, 1827, and came to this county in 1843, where he lived until his death, February 16, 1870. The mother was born July 13, 1829, in Belmont County, Ohio, and came to this county in the spring of 1858, with the family of Will- iam Martin, of thiscounty. Mrs. Kiser's maid- en name was Marshall. Her mother was

born in Ohio and died when the daughter was but three years old. The subject of this sketch is the second son in a family of five sons and one daughter, as follows: Erwin F. Kiser, Ohio, Ill., born September 22, 1852,

married Frances Corbin, has one child; Mar-

ion S. (subject of this sketch); George F. Ki- ser was born April 29, 1860, married Laura Burress, Ohio, Ill .; Charles H. Kiser was born September 22, 1862, married Bertha Garis, has one child; Emma E. Kiser was born July 16, 1865, Ohio, Ill .; Benjamin F. Kiser was born August 1, 1868, Ohio, Ill. February 6, 1878, the subject of this sketch

was married to Eliza J. Wilson, the daugh- ter of Joseph G. and Sarab A. Wilson. Mrs. Kiser was born in Ohio Township, Bureau County, Ill. The father was born in Belmont County, Ohio, August 20, 1833, and came to this county in 1837, where he was raised and lived till the time of his

death, May 3, 1884. (See sketch of William S. Wilson.) The mother was born in Knox

daughter of Bazel and Sarah Young, former- County, Ohio, March 19, 1839, and is the

ly from Ohio, who came to this county in 1847. Mrs. Wilson is one of a family of eleven children, nine boys and two girls. Four of the brothers were in the Union Army during the late war. Mrs. Wilson is

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HISTORY OF BUREAU COUNTY.

the mother of seven children, of whom Eliza J. Kiser is the oldest, born May 26, 1858; Nel- lie R. Wilson, July 1, 1859; Sarah A. Wil- son, December 6, 1863; Mary B. Wilson, April 7, 1866; William W. Wilson, March 2, 1868; Hattie E. Wilson, November 11, 1871; Joseph S. Wilson, June 22, 1883. Mr. and Mrs. Kiser are the parents of three children: Edith M. Kiser was born January 3, 1879; Joseph W. Kiser was born February 3, 1880; Bert Kiser was born July 29, 1883.

H. KITTERMAN, Indiantown, was born June 19, 1833, in Arispe Township, Bureau Co., Ill. He is a son of Michael Kitterman. He was reared in this county, which he never left till he was thirty years old. His school

days were principally spent in the log school- houses, some of the schools being conducted on the old subscription plan, where the schol- ars were made acquainted with the rudiments of an education and as frequently with the teacher's rod. Mr. Kitterman has made farm- ing, rearing fine horses and dealing in stock his occupation, and has a farm of 300 acres. He was married to Virginia Lockwood, May 13, 1857. She was a native of Olean, N. Y., and died here. She was the mother of five children, viz. : Frederick L. (deceased), Mrs. Bell M. Bloom, Michael D., Irving L., and Merton W. Kitterman. Our subject was mar- ried a second time to Estella Howard, a na- tive of Bureau County. Politically he is identified with the Greenback party, and has been School Director for eighteen years. He has traveled over a great part of the United States in search of health.

WILLIAM KITTERMAN, Indiantown, was born February 9, 1839, in Bureau Coun- ty, Ill. He is also a son of Michael Kitter- man. (See General History.) He is a very successful farmer and stockman, and has about 620 acres in Bureau County, and a one-third interest in a farm of 320 acres in Clinton County, Iowa. His main success was during the war. Mr. Kitterman was married January 16, 1872, to Elizabeth M. Stipp, who was born May 16, 1850. She is a daughter of Judge G. W. Stipp, and is the mother of Frank R. Kitterman, who was born September 3, 1874. Politically Mr. Kitter- man is independent, having formerly been identified with the Democratic party.

C. KITTERMAN. Indiantown, was born November 15, 1837, in Bureau County. He is another son of Michael Kitterman. He was reared and educated here, and has been a very successful farmer all his life. His home farm, with fine improvements, consists of 300 acres. He has also a one-third inter- est in 500 acres in Princeton Township and 320 acres in Iowa, besides owning 1, 440 acres in Nebraska. Mr. Kitterman was married here April 1, 1875, to Miss Ella Holman, a daughter of Adam Holman. She was born November 10, 1851, in Pennsylvania, and died here October 23, 1881. She was an excellent wife and a fond mother, and her influence for good was felt by all who came in contact with her, and who will honor her memory. She was the mother of three chil- dren, viz. : Freddy R., was born January 19, 1876; Marcus, was born May 2, 1878 (he died July 3, 1881); and Edith, who was born Oc- tober 2, 1880. Mr. Kitterman is an unos- tentations man, and politically is identified with the Republican party.

N. J. KNIPPLE, Buda, was born in Hun- tington, Huntington Co., Ind., September 5, 1846. He is the son of Robert and Alice (Schenck) Knipple, both of whom were born in Ohio, he December 23, 1814, she Novem- ber 27, 1820. In 1838 they removed to In- diana, where they resided till 1852, when they removed to Michigan, and in 1863 to Henry County, Ill., but since 1866 they have resided in Bureau County. They are the parents of eleven children, only three of whom are in Bureau County, viz. : Our sub- ject, Mrs. J. G. Murphey and Mrs. B. F. Chambers. In January, 1864, our subject enlisted in Company D, One Hundred and Twelfth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and re- mained in the service till September, 1865, when he received his discharge. The regi- ment was with Thomas at Nashville, Tenn., and afterward joined Sherman in North Carolina. Mr. Knipple, during most of his service, was in the Commissary Department. After returning from the army Mr. Knipple attended the Bryant & Stratton Business College of Chicago, and for some years was engaged in various occupations, teaching, clerking, etc. In 1874 he, in partnership with Mr. H. C. Smith, engaged in the hard-

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

ware business in Buda. They carry a com- plete stock of goods, which varies in value from $4,000 to $5,000. October 16, 1873, he was united in marriage to Miss Eunice Foster, daughter of S. H. Foster, of Macon Township. (See sketch.) She was born Oc- tober 25, 1848. She is the mother of one daughter, Maud, born May 23, 1875. Mr. Knipple is a member of Emery Post, G. A. R., No. 198, and Buda Lodge, A. F. & A. M., No. 399. He is a member of the Method- ist Episcopal Church, and is Republican in politics.

J. B. KNOWLTON, Fairfield, was born May 11, 1843, in Broom County, N. Y. He is a son of William and Mary A. (Barney) Knowlton. The former was a native of Penn- sylvania. He died 1844, aged thirty-two years, in Milwaukee, while on his way to Stark County, Ill., to which place the mother went with her father, John Barney, M. D., a native of Canada, and her five children, viz. : Mrs. Hannah A. Smith, of Iowa; John, of Missouri; Mrs. Sarah M. Wright (deceased), Jacob B. (our subject), and Louis Knowlton (deceased). Mrs. Mary A. Knowlton died August, 1849, in LaSalle County, Ill, of the cholera. The grandfather of our subject was of Scotch and German descent, and died in Luzerne County, Penn. The subject of this biography, Jacob B. Knowlton, was reared in Stark County, except four years, which he spent in Iowa. He came to Bureau County to live in 1857, and in July, 1861, he enlisted in the Twelfth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Company I, as private, and was promoted to Sergeant. He participated in the battles of Forts Henry and Donelson, at which latter place he was wounded in the foot. He also participated in the battle of Shiloh, siege of Corinth, battles of Booneville and Corinth. He was also in the campaign from Chatta- nooga to Atlanta, and fought in all the bat- tles except the last, being shot in the head, and remained in the Marietta Hospital till he recovered sufficiently to come home. He returned to his regiment by rail in time to ride right into the battle of Allatoona Pass, after which he was appointed Orderly by John M. Corse as one of his body-guard, and was with Gen. Sherman in his famous "march to the sea," participating in the

engagements Lynch Creek and Bentonville. After the war Mr. Knowlton returned to Bureau County and engaged in farming, and now has a farm of 200 acres in Fair- field Township, where he resides. He was married here February 7, 1866, to Miss Mary M. Cooper, born December 5, 1842, in LaGrange County, Ind., daughter of George and Lucinda (Spencer) Cooper, the former a native of Vermont, and the latter of New York. To Mr. and Mrs. Knowlton four chil- dren were born, viz .: William S., born August 25, 1867: George C. (deceased), aged eleven years; Herbert B., April 3, 1872, and Clara E., January 16, 1875. Mrs. Knowl- ton is a member of the Church of God. Mr. Knowlton is a member of the A. F &. A. M. fraternity. Politically he is in favor of the Greenback principles. He has held town- ship offices, and is now a Justice of the Peace.

JUDGE S. M. KNOX, Princeton, was born in Juniata County, Penn., November 11, 1826. He is the son of John and Eunice (Pauling) Knox. The father was born in Lancaster, Penn., and was the son of Hugh Knox, a native of Scotland. The Judge's mother is a descendant of the Jennings fam- ily, who came from England to Philadelphia with the Penn colony. Judge Knox's early life was spent on his father's farm in his native county. In youth he attended the Tuscarora Academy in Juniata County. In 1848 he began the study of medicine and con- tinued reading for two years, but means being exhausted he started out with the intention of making money sufficient to carry him through a complete course, and came to Bu- reau County, Ill., in 1850. For three years he was engaged in different localities selling the German History of the United States, and in this way accumulated some money with which he intended to complete his med- ical education, but a little incident changed the entire current of his life. He had loaned money to parties living near Pond Creek Station, and when the notes were due they persuaded him to take pay in corn at 25 cents per bushel. When he wished to ship the corn he could not obtain cars in any other way than by bringing loaded cars here. So he looked around and saw that he could dis-

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History of Bureau County, Illinois, Part 80

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