USA > Illinois > Ford County > History of Ford County, Illinois : from its earliest settlement to 1908, Vol. II > Part 24
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In 1878 Mr. Stockdale was united in marriage to Miss Laura Roseland, of Sullivant township. Unto them have been born seven children: Rose, now deceased; George, Maud and William, all at home; Florence, who has departed this life; Leta, at home; and one who died in infancy.
In politics Mr. Stockdale is a stanch republican and is serving for the third consecutive term as a member of the county board of supervisors, his reelections being a tangible proof of the confidence that is reposed in him by his fellow townsmen and of the ability which he displays in the discharge of his duties. Hle is a member of Burr Oaks Lodge, No. 321, K. P., and of Lookout Camp, No. 1136, M. W. A. He certainly deserves great credit for what he has accomplished, as he owes his success entirely to his own labors. Not afraid of hard work, his industry has proven the key which has unlocked for him the portals of prosperity.
JOIIN L. FALTER.
John L. Falter, carrying on general agricultural pursuits, his time and energies being devoted to the further development, cultivation and improve- ment of a fine farm of two hundred and eighty aeres in Mona township, is numbered among the native sons of Illinois, his birth having occurred in Kan-
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kakee county on the 5th of May, 1867. His parents were Louis and Margaret (Amie) Falter.
The father was a native of Germany and in early life became a resident of Columbus, Ohio, where he worked at day labor and thus gained a start in the business world. The year 1863 witnessed his arrival in Illinois, at which time he located in Kankakee county, but subsequently removed to Ford county. IIe here bought a farm, upon which he resided for three years, after which he went to Iroquois county and made it his home through the succeeding three years. Once more he came to Ford county and after carrying on general agricultural pursuits for three years he spent a similar period at Chebanse, Illinois. Again he came to Ford county and this time retained his residence here until he was called to his final rest, passing away in 1903. His wife died in 1901. In their family were the following children : George, deceased ; Caro- line, the wife of George Spear, of Chebanse, Illinois; Lillian, the wife of Harry Kanuss, a resident of Kansas; John L., of this review; Katherine, the wife of George Ogvigle, of lowa; George, Henry and Dora, deceased; and Margaret, the wife of Theron Crystal, of Iowa.
As a farm boy John A. Falter enjoyed the sports in which the youths of the period usually indulged and later his time was largely devoted to the work of the schoolroom and the duties of the fields. He continued to assist his father until twenty-three years of age and then rented the homestead farm for two years. As a companion and helpmate for life's journey he chose Miss Minnie E. Anderson, their marriage being celebrated in 1896. Mrs. Falter is one of a family of four children, whose parents were Andrew and Margaret Anderson. The father is now a resident of California but the mother is de- ceased. For seven years after their marriage Mr. Falter rented his father's farm, and with the capital which he saved during that period, purchased the farm upon which he now resides, comprising two hundred and eighty acres of rich and productive land. Ilis fields are well tilled and he also makes a spee- ialty of raising full blooded shorthorn cattle and thoroughbred shire horses. Both branches of his business are bringing him a good financial return and he is justly accounted one of the substantial agriculturists and stock-raisers of this part of the county.
The home of Mr. and Mrs Falter has been blessed with five children : Der- wood L., Orval A., Margaret N., John L., Jr., and Arthur R. The parents attend and support the Methodist Episcopal church of Kempton. They are well known socially and have many friends in the community. Mr. Falter belongs to the Odd Fellows lodge at Kempton and is interested in public affairs,
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giving hearty cooperation to many movements for the general good. Politically a democrat, he is somewhat active in the work of the party and gives to it unflexible support. Ile served as collector of Mona township for three years and as school director for twelve years. The greater part of his life has been passed in this portion of the state and the favorable regard entertained for him by his fellow townsmen is proof that his life record has been an honor- able one.
PROFESSOR H. M. RUDOLPH.
Professor H. M. Rudolph, county superintendent of schools of Ford county and throughout his business career actively and successfully identified with educational interests in Illinois, was born in Champaign county, this state, on the 19th of March, 1863, his parents being Ilenry M. and Anna L. (Robbins) Rudolph. The father was born in Logan county, Illinois, of German parentage and died June 27, 1864, while serving in the Union army. His widow still survives him and now makes her home in Paxton.
In their family were eight children, of whom five are yet living: Frank V., of Paxton; Kansas F., who is a ranchman of Oklahoma; Fremont, who is engaged in the real-estate business in Kansas; William M., who makes his home in Fowler, Colorado; and H. M., of this review. Charles T. Rudolph, the oldest son, was a well known and respected man who was serving as a conductor on the Santa Fe Railroad when killed near Medicine Lodge, Kansas, in the spring of 1902. IIe left a widow and two children.
Under the parental roof Professor Rudolph spent the days of his boyhood and as a pupil in the district schools of Champaign county acquired his pre- liminary education. Later he attended the Collegiate Institute at Paxton and when eighteen years of age began teaching in order to acquire means to enable him to complete his own education. For a year he was a student in the Onarga (Ill.) Seminary, after which he followed teaching in Champaign and Ford counties for a few years. His careful expenditure during that time enabled him to acquire sufficient funds to continue his professional training and he entered the State Normal at Normal, Illinois. On leaving that insti- tution he accepted the position of principal of the Elliott schools, acting in that capacity for three years. He then returned to Normal, where he took special work in the laboratory of Professor B. P. Colton, of the State University.
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During the succeeding year he taught in the schools of Proctor, Illinois, after which he went to Gibson City, to accept the principalship of the high school there. He remained there for four years and in 1902 went to Melvin as principal of the schools of that place. The succeeding four years were there passed and during that time, in the summer of 1903, he pursued special work in sciences in the University of Chicago. In the spring of 1906 he announced himself as a candidate for the office of county superintendent of schools of Ford county and was elected. His previous excellent record as a teacher awakened public confidence in his ability to fill the position in which he is now serving.
In 1903 Professor Rudolph was married to Miss Jessie P. Hall, of Normal, Illinois, and to them have been born three children: Clithroe A .; Glenn F., now deceased; and Chalmer F.
Professor Rudolph is a republican in his political views. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church and is also a valued member of Hespin Lodge, No. 123, K. P., of Gibson City, and Paxton Camp, No. 259, M. W. A. His attention from early manhood has chiefly been given to educational work and in his present position he is closely studying the schools of the county with reference to their improvement through the adoption of measures and means that will promote their efficiency and render them of still greater value to the youth of the county as a preparation for life's work. He is thorough and conscientious in all that he does along this line and public education finds in him a stalwart champion, whose service has been far reaching and beneficial.
JOHN SPINDLER.
John Spindler, a retired farmer living in Paxton, was born in Knox county, Ohio, April 16, 1832, his parents being John and Jane (Yurek) Spind- ler, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Ireland. The father was a farmer by occupation. The family numbered four children : David, deceased; John, of this review ; Malinda, the deceased wife of William Potts, of Ohio; and Samuel P., who has also passed away.
John Spindler, whose name introduces this record, was educated in the dis- triet schools and in early life engaged in farming with his father, whom he assisted until he attained his majority. In 1858 he came to Illinois, settling in Logan county, where he worked as a farm hand until 1862. In that year,
MR. AND MRS. JOHN SPINDLER
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his spirit of patriotism being aroused by the continued attempt of the south to overthrow the Union, he joined Company F of the Seventy-third linois Infantry under Captain Montgomery and after the resignation of Captain Bennett, he became the commander of the company. The regiment was com- manded by Colonel Jacquies, who was a professor in the Female College at Jacksonville, Illinois. Mr. Spindler participated in the battle of Perryville, March 18, 1862, and was also at Stone River and Chickamauga. At the latter place he was wounded and taken prisoner. Ilis left arm was shattered, the ball passing from his left side through the lower portion of his chest and coming out in the central part of his stomach. After being wounded he lay on the ground for several days at Chickamauga creek in the care of Confed- erate surgeons. From there he was taken to Richmond and placed in Libby prison, where he remained for six or seven months. after which he was trans- ferred to Macon, Georgia, where he continued for some time. He was afterward sent to Augusta, Georgia, and thence to Charleston, South Carolina, where he was paroled and returned to Logan county, Illinois, being exchanged. After this he was sent to St. Louis, Missouri, to take charge of a company of paroled prisoners, and there remained from March until May, 1865, when he was trans- ferred again to his regiment, which at that time was in the state of Tennessee and which from the time of its enlistment had been connected with the Army of the Tennessee. On the formation of his company in 1862 Mr. Spindler had been elected sergeant and after the battle of Stone River was made second lieutenant, which rank he held until mustered out of service at Springfield in 1865. He had a creditable military record, for on the field of battle he had always been faithful, and he also experienced the hardships of the southern prisons.
Soon after the war Mr. Spindler returned to Logan county, where he engaged in farming on rented land. There he remained until 1868. when he removed to Ford county and purchased land four miles east of the place, secur- ing three hundred and twenty acres, for which he paid twenty dollars per acre. He has since increased his holdings to four hundred and forty acres and as the years passed he brought his land under cultivation, transforming it into pro- . ductive fields, from which he annually gathered rich harvests that found a ready sale on the market. Year by year he was thus enabled to add to his capital and he is now living retired, his income being sufficient to supply him with the comforts and some of the luxuries of life.
Mr. Spindler was married first in Logan county, Illinois, in 1865, to Miss Mary E. Evans, who lived for only a short time thereafter, and on the 6th of
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August, 1868, he wedded Miss Sarah F. Smead, a daughter of Ranaldo and Elizabeth (Crow) Smead. The mother died during the early girlhood of her daughter. £ Unto Mr. and Mrs. Spindler have been born three children : Jen- nie, the wife of Nicholas Berdine, of Hebron, Indiana; Anna, the wife of Oscar P. Wright, of Paxton and Mary, the wife of John Frederick, also of Paxton.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Spindler are active workers in the Methodist Episco- pal church and are numbered among its most faithful and helpful members. Mr. Spindler belongs to Paxton Post. G. A. R., and thus maintains pleasant relations with his old army comrades, with whom he went on long, hard marches, or stood in the ranks of battle, facing the enemy's bullets. The fam- ily is one of prominence in the community and no history of this part of the state would be complete without mention of Mr. and Mrs. Spindler, who are justly termed representative citizens of Ford county. In his business carcer Mr. Spindler made a most excellent record, his snecess being attributable to his judicious investments, his careful utilization of opportunity and the alert and enterprising spirit which has in its vocabulary no such word as fail.
JAMES KEEFE.
James Keefe took up his abode on his present farm on section 14, Brenton township, in 1892 and here owns two hundred acres of rich and productive land which is the visible evidence of a well spent, active and honorable life. IIe was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, May 1, 1843, his parents being James and Helen (Hennessey) Keefe, who were likewise natives of the Emerald isle. Crossing the Atlantic to the new world, their last days were spent in La Salle county, Illinois, where the father died at the age of seventy- eight years, while the mother passed away when ahont seventy-five years of age. In their family were five sons and six daughters, of whom James is the youngest and only three of the number are now living.
James Keefe spent the first thirteen years of his life in the land of his nativity and in the fall of 1856 arrived with his parents in Illinois. They did not tarry in the east but made their way direct to La Salle county after landing at New York from a sailing vessel on which they had spent nine weeks on the broad Atlantic. James Keefe resided in Ottawa, Illinois, for fifteen years and during most of that time worked at teaming. He then removed to a rented farm about twelve miles from Ottawa, where he worked with his father until
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1868. He then went to Chatsworth, where he rented a tract of land north of the town and began farming on his own account. He conducted the place for four or five years and then married. About that time he purchased eighty acres of land lying in Livingston county and spent fifteen years on that place, bringing the fields under a high state of cultivation, so that he gathered good harvests therefrom.
On the expiration of that period he sold his property in Livingston county and bought his present farm on section 14, Brenton township, on the 16th of February, 1892. It has since been his place of residence, covering a period of sixteen years. The tract comprises two hundred aeres on section 14 and 23, Brenton township, and is an excellent property, well equipped with modern conveniences and lacking in none of the accessories found upon a model farm of the twentieth century. The fields return golden harvests as a reward for the care and labor he bestows upon them and he also raises good grades of stock. His home is a commodious and attractive dwelling and not far distant stands a fine barn, together with good sheds and other buildings for the shelter of grain and stock. The farm presents a well kept appearance and every- thing about the place is indicative of the careful supervision of the owner, whose methods are at once practical and progressive. His industry has ever been one of his salient characteristics and has been the measure of his success.
In 1872 Mr. Keefe was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Walrich, who was born in Hanover, Germany, April 9, 1853, and was brought to Illinois when three years of age by her parents, Otto and Margaret (Hempkin) Walrich, who settled in Woodford county and afterward removed to Livingston county, where they spent their remaining days. They crossed the Atlantie on a sailing vessel, being more than nine weeks upon the water. In their family were three sons and eight daughters and two sons and seven daughters are yet living. Mr. Walrich in 1857 purchased land in Charlotte township, Livingston county, for which he paid the usual government price of a dollar and a quarter per acre. It is now in possession of his son Thomas, having never passed from the family, but has been the property of father and son for more than a half century. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Keefe has been blessed with nine children : William, a resident farmer of Brenton township; James, who is living in Chicago; Jesse, at home; Lester, under the parental roof; Mae, the wife of Isaac Dancey, of Piper City; Josephine, the wife of Ely Cooper, of Indiana; Margaret and Bessie, at home; and Mrs. Ella Munson, who died at the age of twenty-six years, leaving a daughter, Edna, now twelve years of age, living with her grandparents.
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Mr. Keefe's study of the political questions and issues of the day has led him to give his support to the democracy. He has been officially connected with the schools and has also served as road officer. Ile was reared in the Catholic faith, while his wife was reared in the Presbyterian church. They are both well known in this locality and enjoy in large measure the esteem of those with whom they have been brought in contact. Mr. Keefe is known as a substantial farmer and the methods which he has followed are such as insure success. Ilis labors are well directed by sound judgment and realizing the fact that zeal and energy constitute the basis of success he has pursued his work diligently year after year and is now one of the substantial agriculturists of Brenton township.
MRS. FANNIE A. KOESTNER.
No history of Peach Orchard township would be complete without mention of Mrs. Fannie A. Koestner, who was the first white child born within its borders and is today its oldest resident. having remained here for a longer period than any other of its citizens. She was born May 29, 1857, a daughter of William B. and Eliza Holmes. Her grandparents in the paternal line were William and Mary (Womack) Holmes, the former an agriculturist of Derby- shire, England, where the Holmes, family had owned a farm for more than four centuries. It was upon this farm that his children were born and reared. They were John, who died March 9, 1881; Lizzie, the wife of Aaron Fletcher; Jane, the deceased wife of William Greene; Charles, who was a carpenter but afterward lived retired in Danville, Illinois; William, the father of Mrs. Koestner; and Henry, deceased. William Holmes, Sr., died December 15, 1859. having for a number of years survived his wife, who passed away in 1842. They were consistent Christian people, holding membership in the Methodist church.
As stated, it was at the old ancestral home of the family in Derbyshire. England, that William B. Holmes was born, his natal day being September 23, 1820. There he spent his boyhood days and when fifteen years of age was apprenticed by his father to a coachmaker for a term of six years, his labors be- ing given for his instruction, as he received no wages in compensation for his services. Ile continued to work at his trade in England until 1849, when he took passage on a sailing vessel that weighed anchor at Bristol and in due course
MRS. FANNIE A. KOESTNER
MR. AND MRS. W. B. HOLMES
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of time reached New York harbor. He was accompanied by his brother Charles and after a voyage of forty-nine days they landed in the eastern metropolis, whence they made their way to Albany, to Buffalo and by the Great Lakes to Milwaukee. There William B. Holmes was employed for a brief period in a sash and door factory but determined to give his time and energies to agricul- tural pursuits and located upon a tract of forty acres of heavy timber land in Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, which he purchased from the government. Not a furrow had been turned nor an improvement made and in the midst of the forest he built a log cabin and began breaking his land with ox-teams. Thus he cleared and placed under cultivation several acres but in 1852 sold that
property preparatory to removing to Georgetown, Vermilion county, Illinois, where his brother Charles, with whom he had come to the United States, was
then living. Together the brothers engaged in carpenter work until 1855, when William B. Holmes purchased from the government three hundred and twenty acres of land in that section of Vermilion county which has since become Ford county, the tract being located on section 27, Peach Orchard township. Mr. Holmes there built a house, broke ten acres of the land and made other improvements, after which he returned to Georgetown. In 1857 he brought his family to the farm which he had prepared and they made the first permanent settlement in Peach Orchard township. The experiences of pioneer life were theirs and all of the difficulties and hardships which fall to the lot of the frontier settler became familiar to them. As the years passed, however, the labors of Mr. Holmes wrought a change in his financial condition and the settlement of the county made it possible for the family to enjoy many of the comforts and some of the luxuries of life known to the older east. About the time the Holmes family established their residence here Joshua Nicholson also settled in the locality, bringing with him about one thousand peach sprouts, which he set out on his new farm and thus the name of Peach Orchard was given to the township.
It was on the 26th of December, 1844, that William B. Holmes was married to Miss Eliza Wrenn, a daughter of William and Sarah D. (Bennett) Wrenn, Her father, who was a professor of music, was born in Gloucester, England, and was a descendant of Christopher Wrenn, the great architect of London, who built St. Paul's cathedral and many other noted buildings. In the Wrenn family were eight children. The father died in 1855 and the mother in 1844, both being laid to rest in Bristol, England. It was there that Mrs. Holmes was born October 5, 1820, and by her marriage she became the mother of ten children : Henry, who died in 1845; Bartholemew, a farmer of Monticello, Indiana, and a native of Crewe, Cheshire, England; Lizzie, who died in 1852; Henry C., who
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IHISTORY OF FORD COUNTY
died at the age of twenty-one years; William S., an attorney practicing at Effingham, Illinois; John W., a farmer residing at Phillips, Nebraska; Mrs. Fannie Koestner; Mary, who died in 1887; and Sarah E. and Alfred L., who died in infancy.
The children were all reared on the old homestead farm in Peach Orchard township, where Mr. Holmes continued to successfully carry on general farming until 1888. As the years passed he transformed his property into a valuable tract of land but at length retired from active farm work and took up his abode in Melvin, where his remaining days were passed. His political allegiance was given to the democracy and he filled a number of local offices in a most creditable manner entirely satisfactory to his constituents. Ile was one of the first supervisors of Peach Orchard township, was also township assessor, highway commissioner and school trustee, while for fourteen years he served as justice of the peace, rendering decisions which were strictly fair and impartial. Ile resided in Peach Orchard township for ten years before there were settlers enough there to organize a board of directors. Both were members of the Congregational church. They were most highly esteemed throughout the community in which they so long resided and in their death the county lost two of its most honored, worthy and respected pioneers. Mr. Holmes passed away in Melvin, July 18, 1897, and his wife on the 9th of December, 1903.
Their daughter Fannie spent her girlhood days in the parents' home, being reared upon the farm where her birth occurred and a part of which she now owns. She has always resided in Peach Orchard township, her residence here antedating that of any other citizen. In early womanhood she gave her hand in marriage to Paul Koestner, who for some years was a well known and prominent farmer of Ford county. His birth occurred in Bavaria, Germany, August 20, 1851, his parents being John and Catherine Koestner, who were also natives of that country and had a family of eight children. The year 1866 witnessed the emigration of Paul Koestner to the new world. Ile was then but fifteen years of age and after arriving in New York City he made his way to Henry, Mar- shall county, Illinois, where he began providing for his own support by work as a farm hand, spending several years there. In 1871 he arrived in Ford county, where he continued to make his home until called to his final rest. For two years he was employed here at farm labor by the month and then rented land in both Wall and Peach Orchard townships. He devoted considerable attention to the raising of stock and therein met success. It was while on his way to Chi- eago with a carload of stock that his death was occasioned by a railroad accident January 11, 1888. His remains were brought back to Ford county and
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