USA > Illinois > Ford County > History of Ford County, Illinois : from its earliest settlement to 1908, Vol. I > Part 32
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After his military service had ended Mr. Wagner returned to Germany, where he was married to Miss Anna Bosen, to whom he had become betrothed in his youth. She was a native of Trier city, of the Rhine province, and fol- lowing their marriage Mr. Wagner returned with his bride to the United States and spent his remaining days in Cabery with the exception of two years passed in Chicago. IIe died in Cabery in 1892, when in the fiftieth year of his age, and his wife survived him for about nine years, passing away in 1901 in her fifty-fourth year. She was one of a family of eleven children, ten of whom
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are yet living, and Mr. Wagner was one of a family of three children. Unto them were born three sons and two daughters: John, now a resident of Kan- kakee; Anna, the wife of Matt Seiwert, of Chicago; Kate. the wife of Fred Schneider, of Kankakee; Peter N., who resides at the old home in Cabery and manages the estate; and Frank, at home.
Mr. Wagner was a man of marked enterprise and public spirit, whose cooperation could always be counted upon to further any movement that tended to promote the welfare or advance the interests of Cabery and the county. Ile was liberal in his donations to all publie movements of this char- acter. His own home in Cabery was a large, fine dwelling in the west part of the town, a portion of his farm lying within the corporation limits of the village. Upon the place were also good outbuildings and all of the equipments of a model farm. In his political views Mr. Wagner was a stalwart demo- crat and filled all of the village offices, being unanimously elected president of the village. No trust reposed in him was ever betrayed in the slightest degree and on the contrary his life record furnishes a splendid example for emula- tion, because of his reliability and progressiveness in citizenship, his trust- worthiness in business and his devotion to the ties of home and friendship.
Peter N. Wagner, to whom we are indebted for the sketch of his father, is living upon the farm where he was born, July 21, 1880. Ile has always followed agricultural pursuits and is accounted one of the progressive and ener- getic young men of Cabery. As a voter he is a republican, giving loyal sup- port to that party and is now serving as one of the village trustees.
ANDREW JORDAN.
Andrew Jordan, one of the earliest settlers of Ford county and one of her most successful farmers, was the owner of eight hundred and eighty acres of very fine land, his home being situated on section 13. Drummer township. A man of enterprising and progressive spirit, he brought his farm under a high state of cultivation, placing thereon excellent buildings and many substantial improvements.
Mr. Jordan was born near Louisville, Kentucky, August 28, 1828, his parents being William and Lovica (Brooks) Jordan, both of whom were natives of Virginia and located in Kentucky about 1818. A few years later they removed to Monroe county, near Gosport, Indiana, where they spent the remainder of
MR. AND MRS. ANDREW JORDAN
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their lives. The father died about 1855 and the mother about 1849. By occupation he was a farmer and ever followed that business for a livelihood. Both he and his wife were adherents of the Baptist church and his political allegiance was given to the democracy.
Our subject was fifth in order of birth in a family of twelve children. He received but a limited education and remained with his parents until he had attained his majority, when he started out in life for himself. With a horse and fifteen dollars in money, he located near Virginia, Cass county, Illinois, and began work as a farm hand. receiving thirteen dollars per month. In the fall of 1850, he returned to Indiana and after a short time went to Bloomington, Illinois, where he worked for about six months. He then became a resident of Cass county. Illinois, where he was engaged as a farm hand. Once more he returned to Indiana and subsequently located in Champaign county, Illinois, having purchased one hundred acres of land. A year later, however, he ex- changed farms with his father-in-law, receiving eighty acres, which Mr. Devore had entered from the government.
Mr. Jordan was married, on the 30th of November, 1852, to Miss Amanda Devore, who was born near Gosport, Owen county, Indiana, March 16, 1835, a daughter of Nicholas and Polly (Hartzog) Devore, who were of German lineage. They were also members of the Christian church, and in politics Mr. Devore was a stalwart republican. Immediately after their marriage our subject and his wife settled on their farm in Champaign county, but in March, 1854, came to Ford county. From time to time he added to his possessions until he became the owner of eleven hundred acres, but afterward sold a portion of it and at the time of his death owned eight hundred and eighty acres of valuable land. He also owned and operated one of the largest brick and tile works in the county and, in connection with his farming, raised a fine grade of horses and cattle. His well directed labor and untiring perseverance brought to him a most grati- fying measure of success as the years went by and he was widely recognized as a prosperous and influential citizen of the community. In the early days of his residence in this county he underwent all the hardships and trials of frontier life. The first home of the family was a log cabin, and they did their first corn planting under trying circumstances. Mr. Jordan would take the baby (their son William) in his arms and plow for a time, while his wife would drop the corn. At length he fixed a box on top of the plow and, placing the little fellow in that, resumed his work. Markets were far distant, and Paxton, Loda, Elliott, Gibson, Melvin and Sibley, all now thriving towns, were not then laid out. They saw the introduction of all the railroads in this part of the county
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and were eye witnesses of much of the growth and development of this community.
Five children were born unto Mr. and Mrs. Jordan : William, who has been identified with farming in Sibley; James, who earries on general agricultural pursuits on section 24. Drummer township; John, a successful farmer and tile manufacturer, residing on section 24, Drummer township; Lizzie, the wife of Dr. Campbell; and Charles, who cultivates three hundred and twenty acres of land on section 24, Drummer township, a part of his father's estate.
The parents were people of benevolent disposition, holding membership with the Christian church in Gibson and taking an active interest in its work. Church and Sunday school were held in their home and that of their neighbors in the early days. In the fall of 1890 Mr. Jordan donated two hundred and twenty thousand briek for the beautiful church edifice in which he worshiped and which stands as a monument to his benevolence. In 1861 the first township and the first presidential elections in Drummer township were held in his home.
Mr. Jordan was the first supervisor of Drummer township, which office he filled for two years, and was recognized as one of the most honored and promi- nent citizens of the county. In the faithful discharge of his duties and every trust reposed in him, he won the confidence and high regard of all and when he was called to his final rest on the 28th day of June, 1901, the county mourned the loss of one of its worthy and respected pioneers.
THOMAS REYNOLDS.
Thomas Reynolds is the owner of an excellent farm of two hundred and forty aeres situated about a quarter of a mile west of Guthrie in Dix township and his life is devoted to its further development and improvement with the result that he has made it a valuable property, from which he annually derives a gratifying income. He was born near Russellville, Kentucky, in 1843. Ilis parents. William and Elizabeth (Edgar) Reynolds, are both now deceased. The father was a farmer of Kentucky and died in that state when his son Thomas was but six years of age. The mother long survived and passed away in 1901 at the age of eighty-five years. Their family numbered six children: P. F., who is now living in Kansas; Mary, who is living with her sister, P. F .; Joseph, deceased; Thomas, of this review; Joseph, the second of the name, who has also passed away; and Elizabeth, deceased.
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Thomas Reynolds was a youth of about eleven years when he came to Illinois with his mother in 1854, the family home being established in Logan county, where he acquired his education as a pupil in the district school. He started out in life on his own account at the age of twenty-three years and has since been dependent entirely upon his own resources. He was married in 1869 to Miss Malinda J. Sumner, a daughter of Norman Sumner, a farmer of Logan county, who is now deceased, as is his wife.
In the year of his marriage Mr. Reynolds removed to Ford county and settled a quarter of a mile west of Guthrie on section 30, Dix township. He had in 1867 purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land here and later he bought eighty aeres more. so that he now owns two hundred and forty acres in all. Here he follows general farming and is accounted one of the progres- sive and wide-awake agriculturists of the community. In the midst of his place stands a nice farm residence facing Guthrie, the village being only a quarter of a mile to the east, while the Illinois Central Railroad passes just south of the house, extending in a southwesterly direction. Everything about the place is kept in excellent condition and the neat and thrifty appearance of the farm indicates the careful supervision and untiring efforts of the owner. He has put all of the improvements upon the place and has tiled the land, mak- ing it very productive. It was very wet when it came into his possession and for it he paid only eight dollars per acre but it is now classed with the fine farms of this rich agricultural section.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds have been born six children : William, who married Amanda Duelos and is living in Kankakee, Illinois; Robert and Frank, at home; Ora, Effie and Fannie, who are also at home. The children have been provided with excellent educational advantages. William and Robert were students in the Northern Indiana Normal College at Valparaiso, which Frank also attended, while later he was graduated on the completion of a busi- ness course at Dixon, Illinois. Ora is a graduate of the Gibson high school and attended the Normal School for two summers. Effie likewise graduated from the Gibson high school, and Fannie completed a course there in the sum- mer of 1908.
Mr. Reynolds has always been loyal in citizenship and at the time of the Civil war enlisted in 1864 as a member of Company D, One Hundred and Forty-fifth Illinois Infantry, in Logan county, remaining with that command until hon- orably discharged in September of the same year. His political allegiance has always been given to the republican party and he keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day. He has served as school trustee for eight years
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and also as road commissioner, yet has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking. Both he and his wife are members of the Christian church and the family is highly esteemed in the community, the hospitality of the best homes being freely accorded them.
NATHAN MILLER HIGGINS.
In a history of the representative men of Ford county who have contributed to its development and substantial progress and who through intelligently directed labor have achieved success, mention should be made of Nathan Miller Iliggins, who departed this life on the 10th of March, 1907. IIe was uniformly respected, not alone because of the success he achieved but also by reason of the honorable, straightforward methods which he ever followed.
ITis birth occurred in Huntington, Massachusetts, October 29, 1845, and he was one of a family of twelve children, three of whom died in infancy or early childhood. He lost his father when about ten years of age and was left an orphan by his mother's death when he was a youth of fifteen. IIe remained a resident of Massachusetts to the age of eighteen years, when he started for the middle west, settling at Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he was employed in a store for about two years. From there he went to St. Louis, Missouri, and in the fall of 1866 joined his brother Prentice at Elmwood, Illi- nois, and worked as a farm hand in his brother's employ until the fall of 1869.
That date witnessed his arrival in Ford county. He investigated the farm property for sale and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, to which he removed the following spring, making his home thereafter in this county until he was called to his final rest. Later he added to the original tract until he became the owner of two hundred and forty acres on section 34, Brenton township. He made all of the improvements on the first tract but the eighty aere tract which he purchased was somewhat improved when it came into his possession. He regarded real estate as the safest of all investments and there- fore placed his money in property. The home farm was brought under a high state of cultivation through his energy and diligence and as his financial resources increased he added to his property from time to time until he acquired three other farms in this vicinity, two of eighty acres and one of one hundred and sixty aeres. He likewise invested in a half section of land in South
MR. AND MRS. NATHAN M. HIGGINS
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Dakota and later an additional quarter section, and thus from his property interests derived a gratifying income. He was also stockholder in and secre- tary and treasurer of the Thawville tile factory for a number of years.
On the 12th of March, 1872, Mr. Higgins was married to Miss Mary Jane Mosher, who was born near Fonda, New York, November 25, 1849, and was brought to the middle west at the age of six years by her parents, Alexander and Elizabeth (MeLaughlin) Mosher, who were natives of New York and on removing to Illinois settled at Elmwood. In 1877 they came to Ford county and took up their abode one mile south of the farm upon which Mrs. Higgins resides. There the death of the husband and father occurred, after which the other members of the family removed to Roberts. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Iliggins were born six children: Mary Elizabeth, the wife of William Gard- ner of Fisher; Charles, living at home with his mother; Nathan Le Roy, a resident of Chicago; Aleek Prentice, Effie Estella and Milo Edwin, all at home.
In his political views Mr. Higgins was a stalwart republican and held some school offices but otherwise did not care for political preferment although he was loyal to the principles in which he believed. He was a man of domes- tic tastes, quiet and retiring in disposition, devoted to his family, his interest centering in his home. He was a self-made man and owed his success to his close application and unremitting diligence. IIe 'always rose very early to attend to his business and the story of his early rising became proverbial in the neighborhood. On one occasion several farmers of the neighborhood pur- chased nursery stock together and it was delivered at Onarga, about eleven miles from Mr. Higgins' home. One of the neighbors, who has also been a purchaser of the stock, thought to himself, "I'll get ahead of him once by going early to Onarga. I will draw the shades that he may not see the light and will think that I am still sleeping." He carried out his plan of rising early but when he got half way to Onarga he met Mr. Higgins on his way home with the trees. IIe still persisted, however, that the joke was partly on Mr. Higgins because he had wandered two miles out of his way. In those early days there were no regularly laid ont roads so that it was not a difficult thing for a traveler to wander from the path. Mr. Higgins was never neglectful of duty but on the contrary did ably and well everything that he undertook and as the years passed he gained a gratifying measure of prosperity.
With his wife he spent two winters in Florida and one in Texas for the benefit of his health but death claimed him on the 10th of March, 1907, when he was in his sixty-second year. His life record is in many respects worthy
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of emulation as it indicates what may be accomplished when one has determi- nation and energy. It was those qualities which made Mr. Higgins one of the representative farmers of Brenton township and Ford county, while the straightforward business principles which he advocated gained for him the respect of his fellowmen. IIe was always straightforward in his dealings and just in his relations and, moreover, he possessed a kindly spirit, which was particularly manifest at his own fireside.
REV. ROBERT MCCRACKEN.
Rev. Robert MeCracken, a pioneer of Paxton, devoted many years of his life to the active work of the ministry and, moreover, was a most successful business man, his life record standing in emphatic contradiction of the state- ment made by many that business success and honesty are incompatible. He became one of the largest landowners of Ford county and yet throughout his entire business career he was regarded as the soul of commercial honor and integrity. His memory is indeed sacredly cherished in the hearts of those who knew him and remains as a blessed benediction to his family and his many friends who survive him.
Rev. Robert McCraeken was born in Castlewellyn, County Down, Ireland, in the year 1815. Early in life his parents dedicated him to the ministry and much of his boyhood was spent away from home in attending school. In 1844 he was graduated from the Royal College of Belfast, Ireland, and after . preaching one of his trial sermons before a presbytery in his native land with his parents as interested and appreciative listeners he left home for America, arriving in this country in the spring of 1845 to devote his life to ministerial labor in the new world.
Ilis first pastorate was at Austintown, Ohio, where he accepted a call from the Reformed Presbyterian church, commonly called New School Covenanter. He was there installed May 29, 1848, and continued his pastoral labors at Austintown until 1851, when he accepted a call from the Reformed Presbyterian church at Wurtemburg, Pennsylvania, where he labored for the upbuilding of the congregation until 1857.
That year witnessed the arrival of Rev. MeCracken in Illinois. He became pastor of the Walnut Hill congregation near Centralia and in 1860 came to this part of the state, filling various pulpits prior to accepting the call of the United Presbyterian congregation at Paxton. Ile removed with his family to
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this city early in 1861. The congregation at that time numbered only seven- teen but at the first communion seventeen new members were received. Rev. McCracken continued as pastor of the congregation until April, 1865, when he was succeeded by Rev. J. E. Truesdale .. In the meantime the membership of the church had largely increased, seventy-five new members being added at the last two communions at which Rev. MeCracken presided. This was his last pastoral charge and yet his interest in the church never waned. He was throughout life an active factor in all those movements for reform, progress and improvement and for the amelioration of hard conditions of life for the unfortunate.
Soon after coming to Paxton, at the earnest solicitation of friends, Rev. McCracken consented to become a candidate for the office of county superin- tendent of schools and was elected, serving for two years, during which time he did important service in establishing the public-school system of Ford county upon an excellent basis. The cause of public instruction ever found in him a stalwart champion and for several years he did effective work in behalf of Paxton's schools as a member of the board of education. He was also one of the promoters of the Rice Collegiate Institute and gave to it his earnest support until failing health in large measure compelled him to retire from activity in public affairs. In antebellum days he was a stanch advocate of abolition and took an active interest in politics at that time when every true American citizen was aroused to express his views concerning the great issues that dominated public attention prior to the Civil war. IIe joined the republican party on its organization and remained one of its stalwart cham- pions throughout the residue of his days. He was also greatly interested in the cause of temperance and threw the energies of his mind and soul against the licensing of saloons, contributing largely through his influence toward the creation of the temperance sentiment in Paxton in earlier days. For four years he was a resident of Hoopeston but returned to Paxton and continued to reside here until his death. He remained a member of the United Pres- byterian church until after his return to Paxton, when he and his family became members of the Congregational church.
On the 29th day of May, 1849, Rev. Robert McCraeken was married to Miss Elizabeth C. Hogg, of Canfield, Ohio, who was ever a true helpmate, a wise counselor and a comforting companion to him. They became the parents of ten children, four of whom died in childhood, three of the number passing away within three weeks. The others are: David P., Robert A. and Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson, who are residents of Paxton; Mrs. T. M. Kell, of Los
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Angeles, California ; G. Ewing, of Bloomfield. Indiana; and Mrs. Franees W. Best, of Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. He was devoted to his family and at his own fireside was ever a loving husband and fond father, interested in all that interested his children and putting forth every effort possible for their welfare and happiness.
In his business life Rev. McCracken won a gratifying measure of success. During his residence in Hoopeston he was engaged in merchandising but his time and attention were largely given to his investments in realty and his farm- ing interests. He became one of the most extensive landowners of central Illinois, purchasing farm after farm of the rich prairie land until his posses- sions aggregated more than four thousand acres. In all of his business transactions he was thoroughly reliable, never being known to take advantage of the necessities of another in a business transaction. His success came to him because of his sound judgment, his keen sagacity, his unflagging enter- prise and unabating diligence. During the last two years of his life he was in ill health but his mental faculties remained unimpaired and but a few days prior to his death he transacted some business with one of his tenants.
On the 4th of November, 1904, he passed away, having lived to complete nearly nine decades. He ever stood in support of what he deemed to be right in man's relations with his fellowmen, giving his aid and influence in support of the great movements affecting the welfare and progress of state and nation and at the same time neglecting not those quieter duties of the every- day relations of life-the little kindly ministries to family and friends, the word of encouragement and wise counsel and the substantial aid-when such was needed. It was these things which causes the memory of Rev. Robert McCraeken to be cherished by all who knew him.
CHARLES A. JORDAN.
Charles A. Jordan, who cultivates a good farm of three hundred and twenty aeres on section 24, Drummer township, a part of his father's estate, is a representative of one of the old and prominent families of Ford county. He was born in this county, February 3, 1859. About five years before his father, Andrew Jordan, had settled here, having, however, previously lived for a time in Cass and Champaign counties. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, August 28, 1828, and was of Scotch-Irish descent. He was reared to the occupation of
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farming and throughout his entire life followed that pursuit. On leaving the south, he took up his abode in Cass county, Illinois, where he resided for a time and later removed to Champaign county, where he made his home until coming to Ford county in March, 1854. He found a district here largely wild and unimproved and with its early development and progress was closely associated. He first purchased one hundred acres of land but to this added from time to time as his financial resources increased until he became the owner of eleven hundred aeres. A part of this he sold prior to his death, owning, however, at the time of his demise eight hundred acres of rich and valuable Illinois farm land. He was a man of resourceful business ability and did not confine his efforts entirely to agricultural pursuits but also became identified with the industrial interests. owning the largest brick and tile factory in this part of the county. Ile gave two hundred thousand brick to the church in which he worshiped. Ile was interested in all that pertained to the material and moral development of the community and his influence was ever found on the side of right and progress.
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