History of Fulton county, Illinois, Part 57

Author: Chas. C. Chapman & Co
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Peoria : C.C. Chapman & co.
Number of Pages: 1096

USA > Illinois > Fulton County > History of Fulton county, Illinois > Part 57

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John S., Abraham T., Julia, deceased, and Charles Clinton. Mary is the wife of Henry Bowmaster, of Canton. He tells us that during a terrific storm a party of 13 men were in a building upon his farm that was completely destroyed and not one of the men hurt.

George Washington Lane, farmer. He lived on the old home- stead in Joshua tp. for nearly 30 years, but has lived on see. 22, Canton tp., for the last 10 years. He has a pleasant location near Canton, and one of the best improved farms in this county. Mr. L. is a native of Somerset Co., N. J., was born July 1, 1822, and is the son of John A. and Christiana ( Foner ) Lane, who came to this county in 1836 and settled in Joshua tp. They are both deceased, the former at the age of 65, the latter at 78 years. Mr. L. was united in marriage with Elizabeth Garrett at Fairview, in the fall of 1848.

Thomas Leeper was a native of Pennsylvania, and his parents moved to Ohio when he was a year old. He and his wife came to this county in 1836, and settled in Fairview township, where they lived for 29 years, when they moved on sec. 6, this township. Thomas Leeper died Nov. 9, 1858. His widow still lives on the old homestead, at the age of 70 years. Of their children Jane mar- ried David Weaver, deceased ; Mary Ann married John William- son ; Catharine, living at home; Charlotte, wife of Thos. Pool, lives in Union tp. ; Wm. A. lives near Babylon ; Geo. W., killed in the army; Ellen married Wm. R. Weaver, of Canton ; Ann married Barney Greenwell; Sarah, Andrew McBride, and Adeline lives with her mother.

Lydia Littlefield was born in Alleghany Co., N. Y., in 1823. She is a daughter of Mr. H. Fellows, a native of Rome, N. Y. He came to Canton in 1830, bringing his daughter. He was a carpenter by trade. Mrs. L. lived in Canton when there were less than 12 houses there, and she remembers the first engagement with the In- dians. Austin Mallory came at the same time, and Joel Wright and family, Isaac P. Fellows and family, Harrison Fellows and Mr. Coykendall. Afterwards Mrs. Littlefield married first Mr. H. M. Smith in 1840. He died in 1848, and she married L. E. Lit- tlefield in 1850; has one child by her first husband, Charles Henry Smith, born in 1841, and living in Canton. Mr. Littlefield died Oet. 17, 1870.

C. J. Main, attorney and Justice of the Peace, is a native of Conneaut, Ashtabula Co., O., where he was born in 1838. He re- ceived his education at the common schools and Lawrence Univer- sity, Appleton, Wis. He commenced legal studies in the office of J. L. Murphy, of Canton, and remained with him two years; was admitted to the Bar in April, 1871; was elected J. P. in 1869, and in '70 elected Police Magistrate,, and in '71 re-elected for 4 years and same year elected City Clerk, and in 1872 elected Alderman of 2d Ward, and re-elected Police Magistrate in 1879. He does a law, loan, real-estate and collecting business.

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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.

Daniel W. Maple, son of Thompson Maple, was born in Canton Feb. 24, 1837. He was educated in Jubilee College, Peoria Co., and Knox Academy, Galesburg; has been Mayor of Canton one year, City Clerk 3 years, Alderman 2 years; was married April 6, 1856, to Sarah E. Hall, of St. Louis. Wm. M., Chas. H., Harry F., Frank, D. W. and Louisa are their children.

Thompson Maple was born in 1815 in Lewis Co., Ky. He with his wife. formerly Lyrena A. Hoyden, came to this county by steam-boat to Havana, and on horseback to his uncle's, Henry Kelly, in Buckheart tp. in 1836. He was prominently identified with the business of Canton for many years; was engaged in mer- chandising and packing business, built the Phoenix Distillery and was a contractor for and graded the T., P. & W. R. R. from Canton to Carthage ; built the plank-road from Canton to Liverpool, and was one of Canton's most enterprising citizens. He is now living in Chicago and is superintendent of Oakwood Cemetery. He was Mayor of Canton in 1856-7. He had a family of 9 children, all of whom died in infancy except 4, as follows : Daniel W., John E., died Aug., 1873, age 33, Charles H., lives in Chicago, and Douglas, accidentally killed in 1861.

Eliphalet Mariner, farmer, sec. 36. The great-grandsire of Mr. M. came from France and settled in Connecticut ; his grandfather's name was Wm. Mariner, and his father's, Buell Mariner, who lived in Litchfield Co., Ct. Mr. M. came to this county in Dec., 1836, and located in Canton ; the following spring bought a farm on sec. 20, built a log house and moved into it. For some years he ran a threshing-machine, which was known as the "ground-thresher," or "chaff piler." This was the first successful thresher ever run in the county. There had been only one other of any kind in the county. He also was engaged as a superintendent on the building of the Peoria and Oquawka R. R., and during 1843 and '44 built the turnpike between Copperas creek and Utica. In 1847 he married Julia Lord at Canandaigua, N. Y. The same spring he moved upon his present farm and has resided there for 32 years. He was a firm supporter of Government during the war and contrib- uted a horse to Barney Fuller, a private in the first cavalry com- pany that left the county. This horse was with Grierson and one of only 4 that reached New Orleans on Grierson's famous raid.

Myron Mariner, son of Eliphalet and Julia C. (Lord) Mariner ; the former of New York, the latter of Connecticut. They came to this county in 1835 and purchased a farm on secs. 17 and 20, Canton tp., of 160 acres, and afterwards added to it 105 acres. The farm is vet owned by him but occupied by his son Myron. He married, Jan. 1, 1878, Miss Mary C. Flowers, a native of Iowa and daughter of Wm. Flowers of Adair Co., Mo.

Hugh Martin, M. D. Dr. Martin first came to Canton, Nov. 3, 1840; left the following February and returned in Oct. 1843, and has since resided in Canton and practiced his profession. His med-

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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.

ical education was commenced with Dr. Jesse Palmer at Eaton, O. He read medicine in his office for three years, at the end of which time was examined by the State medical censors of Ohio, passed, and was given a certificate as regular physician. He afterwards at- tended a regular course of lectures, at the Ohio Medical College, Cincinnati, the University of St. Louis, Mo., graduating in the med- ical department of the same in March, 1853. He is the oldest prac- ticing physician now living in the county, and has partially retired from practice. The Doctor was born in Frederick Co., Va., in 1802, and received his non-professional education at Miami University, Oxford, O. His parents were Hugh and Rebecca (Baldwin) Mar- tin, the former a native of Londonderry, Ireland, and his mother of

Frederick Co., Va. He was married at Liberty, O., Sept. 26, 1832, to Elizabeth Hipple, of that place. Eight children were born to them, only three of whom are living : James, Hugh and Kate.

John Clark Martin, deceased, was born in Washington Co., N. Y., and came to this county in 1831. He first settled on a farm be- tween Canton and Lewistown, and then moved to another on sec. 2, Canton tp., where he died in 1838, leaving a widow and 2 children, Dorcas Lavina, now the wife of Jacob Hanson, and Joseph E. The widow, Delina (Grover) Martin, married Abner Hill, also de- ceased. She bore one child by this marriage,-James A. The widow still lives at the old homestead on sec. 2, with her son Jo- seph E. Martin, who carries on the farm. J. E. takes great inter- est in educational matters and has been School Director 6 years. James A. Hill served in the late war in 102d Ill. Inf., and was with Sherman on his famous March to the Sea.

George Maxwell is a native of Cumberland county, Pa., where he was born in 1817. His parents were Henry and Elizabeth (Sny- der) Maxwell, natives of the same county. Mr. M. came to this county April 16, 1851, and located in the city of Canton, where he lived for one year. He then bought a residence and 10 acres of land one-half mile from the city limits, where he has since lived. This land was covered with timber at the time, but not so much as a stump is to be seen there now. He is a carpenter by trade and has erected at least 100 good buildings in the county. He married, in 1848, Elizabeth Harper, of Perry Co., Pa., and a daughter of Michael and Naney (McKenna) Harper. They came to this county in 1849, when quite aged, and lived till death overtook them with their son John Harper, near Farmington. George Maxwell has a family of 3 children,-Henry, Mary E. and Arabella. Mary mar- ried Geo. Langstaff, of Canton.

Hewett Mc Broom, and his wife, Bridget (Robins) McBroom, were among the early settlers of this county. They were natives of North Carolina and came here in 1830, bringing a family of 3 chil- dren : Betsy, deceased, Mary Ann and John, deceased. Mary is now living at Gainesville, Tex. Mr. McBroom was engaged in farming, trading, etc., during his life-time; he died in Nov., 1877,

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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.

aged 75 years, less 5 days. His wife is still living, aged 78. They borrowed $50 of Mrs. McBroom's father in Indiana to emigrate with and started with an ox team. They had no matches then, and were obliged to carry fire in a kettle hung to the wagon, to " fire back" on the prairie in case of a prairie fire. They finally arrived at their destination and located one mile southwest of Canton. A man by the name of Joe Wheeler, a trapper and Indian trader, whom they knew, and now believed to be dead, claims to have helped plow the first land that was broken in this county. This was south of Canton near the Elijah Capps farm. The parents of Hewett, John and Elizabeth, his wife, and 3 children, John, Anna and James, arrived in New Castle on the Delaware from Ireland Sept. 2, 1801. Alfred MeBroom was born in Canton Feb. 7, 1842. His wife, Elizabeth E. Mowery, daughter of Jacob and Mary J. (Henderson) Mowery, of Putman tp., was born April 2, 1844. Geo. B., Mahlon T., Chas. A., Willie J., Lewis A. and Carrie B. are their children.

Jeremiah Mc Broom is a son of Hewett and Bridget (Robins) Mc- Broom, mentioned in another place in this volume, and was born in Canton tp. at the old homestead where he now resides with his family. He was married to Mary S. Daneer, daughter of Vincent Daneer, in 1860. They have a family of 3 children,-Edward, Belle and May. The eldest, Caroline, died in May, '79. Mr. MeB. has spent his life on the farm, engaged in farming and stock-raising.

Mrs. Louisa McCall, widow of the late J. H. McCall, was born in London in 1825 ; came to New Orleans in 1834 and to Illi- nois in 1835. James Hervey MeCall was born in Baltimore, of Scotch parents, in 1812. He came to Peoria in 1835 and to Canton in 1856, and ran the mills here until 1871, when he retired from active business. He was Alderman in Peoria for 3 terms, and was one of the organizers of the First National Bank of Canton, and President until his death. They were blessed with 4 children : Maggie L., married and resides at Troy, N. Y .; Carrie G., wife of Geo. Block, of Canton ; Josie E., wife of Wm. Babcock, jr., also of Canton ; Agnes, married Chas. Levings, of Edgar county, Ili. Mr. McCall went to Mountain City, Nev., in 1873, to establish a gold- mining business, and died. We give his portrait in this book.

Finis Me Cutchen is among the few old settlers now living who date their arrival back to 1833. He located in Canton May 6 of that year, and engaged in mercantile pursuits till '36, when he moved to his present residence on see. 4, Canton tp. He claims to be the only resident in the south half of Farmington or the north half of Canton townships, who has not moved his family since 1836. Mr. MeC. built the first two-story frame building on the Public Square in Canton, and it was first occupied by himself and partner, Marvin Tryon. His ancestors were Scotch. James and Samuel MeCutchen, brothers, came to the U. S. in 1740, and settled in Augusta county, Va. James was his great-grandparent, and his

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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.

son John, who married Elizabeth Wear, is the grandparent, and Hugh and Elizabeth (MeComb) Mccutchen are the parents of our subject. His father was born in Augusta Co., Va., Feb. 22, 1773, and his mother in Guilford county, N. C. Finis was born in Logan county, Ky., Feb. 17, 1809, and married at Canton, Jan. 2, 1834, Mary W. Dewey, daughter of Oliver Dewey. They have but one child, Augustine, who married Mary Dewey, and their 2 children are Mary and Chas. C. Mr. McC. has been a member of the Congregational Church since 1860, and Mrs. McC. has been a member since 1833, and is the oldest member of the 1st Presbyterian Church of Canton, now the 1st Congregational. John Sloss came to Canton with Mr. McC. from Kentucky and died in 1850.

James R. McQuaid, grocer, was born in Clearfield Co., Pa., in 1818, and came to Canton Nov. 13, 1844, and has been identified with its business interests since. He is a gun-maker by trade, and carried on that business during the first 10 years of his residence here. He manufactured rifles from the rough iron, and won an ex- cellent reputation as the maker of trusty and accurate guns. In 1855 he quit this business on account of ill he Ith and opened a hardware store, which he conducted till 1863, when he sold out. The store is now occupied by Cyrus Smith. Since 1864 he has kept a grocery store. He is now (summer of '79) erecting a large brick store on the east side of the Square, into which he intends moving. He was married to Elizabeth Patton, of Huntington Co., Pa., in 1840. Six children were born to them : James P., Mary A. (deceased), Elizabeth V., Eliza Bell (deceased), Sarah Ellen (deceased), Wm. V., and Andrew Jackson. Mr. MeQuaid has been a member of the Baptist Church for 37 years. His parents were James and Jane (Ross) McQuaid, the former of Chester Co. and the latter of Wyoming Co., Pa.

G. L. Miller. Gilbert L. Miller was born in Joshua township, Fulton Co., Ill., June 8, 1852; lived until the age of 13 on his father's farm, securing during that time a common-school education. He then entered the office of Dr. G. W. Wright, of Canton, where he studied medicine for two years and a half, during this time at- tending a course of lectures at the College of Physicians and Sur- geons at Keokuk, Iowa; then taught school for five years and six months : during two years of this time he read law. June 1, 1877, entered into partnership with Horace J. Leigh,-in the printing business,-publishing the Fulton County Adrertiser. He was mar- ried June 6, 1878, to Dora F. (McClure) Slocum, daughter of Henry S. McClure, and adopted daughter of the late Stephen P. Slocum, of Canton.

Samuel S. Miller, farmer, is a native of Franklin Co., Pa., where he was born June 15, 1829 ; father was Jacob Miller, a native of Pennsylvania, and lived there at the age of 90. Samuel has a farm on sec. 6, this tp., and one on see. 9, Joshua tp. Mrs. Miller's name before marriage was Mary Catharine Negley, a daughter of

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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.

Dr. Negley, and adopted by her uncle Jacob Negley at the age of 4 years. Mr. and Mrs. M. have 8 children, all of whom live at home. They are Pierre Delbarre, Alice, Geo. B., Allen A., Clarence E., Cordia M., Sarah C., and Frederick.

Squire P. Miller was born in Morris Co., N. J., in Oct., 1826, and came to Canton in 1847. He has carried on the wagon-making business for the past 25 years, and the livery business for 17 years. Mr. M. has been prominently connected with the business of Can- ton since his residence here. He is a veteran of the Mexican war, and was at the battles of Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo, City of Mexico, etc. He went from New Jersey, and on leaving the army came to this county. He was married at Canton in 1854 to Miss Snyder, and has a family of two children,-Mary and Sadic.

Rer. Henry Mills, pastor of the Congregational Church, Canton, was born in Kingsville, Ashtabula Co., O., May 21, 1828, and came to this city in May 1872. He was united in marriage with Miss Strong, of Portage, N. Y. They have a family of 3 sons and 2 daughters,-George T., J. Dolson, Epstein, May, and Jesse.

Dr. W'm. Montgomery McDowell, deceased, settled in Canton and commenced the practice of his profession in 1847, and continued in practice till his death, which occurred in 1877. He took more than ordinary interest in his profession and endeavored to excel in all its branches. He was married at Canton to Malvina Tyner Oct. 13, 1852. Mrs. MeD. is still living in Canton, on N. Main St. She is a native of Rochester, N. Y., and is numbered among the first who came to Canton, coming in 1830. The Doctor was Mayor of Canton for several years. His parents were John and Margarette (Montgomery) MeDowell, the former of Chambersburg, Va., and born in 1795, the latter born in Mountour Co., Pa., in 1798. The Doctor's portrait may be found in this volume.

Henry Motsinger was born in 1826 in Washington Co., Ind. His parents were Michael and Barbara Gilstrap, both of North Caro- lina. They came to this county in 1835. The father died in 1878, aged 80 years ; the mother is living with her son Henry. They brought with them a large family of children,-Aaron, Richard, Hannah, Jacob, Henry, Nancy, Celia, Catharine and Susan. Elizabeth and David were born in this county. Henry was mar- ried on see. 18, Orion township, in 1858, to Miss Sarah Wolf, daughter of Thomas F. Wolf, and the first white child born in Orion tp. They have 2 children : Mary and John Milton. The latter died April 4, '79, age 19 years. Mr. M. has been a member of the M. E. Church for 15 years, and for the last 12 Steward, Trustee, etc. His wife is also a member.

Joseph Leopold Murphy, attorney, was born in Uniontown, Pa. His parents settled in this county in 1839, when he was a lad of 5 years of age. He was educated mostly at the schools in this county and at Quincy and McGee College, Missouri ; commenced his legal studies in 1862; read law in the office of Warren & Wheat, of

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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.

Quincy, for 2 years, and was admitted to the Bar in the spring of 1864. Mr. M. was Mayor of Canton in 1871-2 and has held various other offices.

Richard Murphy, deceased, was among those who came here as early as 1839. He was a man of fine education, a master of Greek and Latin, talked French fluently, and indeed was a man of more than ordinary ability. He was a native of Queens Co., Ireland. He died in 1850 at his farm home on sec. 11, Joshua tp. His wife was Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, of his native county. She died Jan. 19, 1876. His ancestors were land-holders and held the land upon which he was born for over 300 years. His mother was a Fitzger- ald, a descendant of Lord Edward Fitzgerald, who served in the British army, but resigned during the American Revolution and was killed in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. The children of Richard Murphy are : Mary T., now living in Quincy ; Anna E. B. married Mr. Hopkins and lives in New York city ; Joseph Leopold, lawyer at Canton, and Louisa, residing with her brother.

Ellison Norcott, proprietor of the T., P. & W. R. R. Depot Hotel, came to Canton in 1850. He is a native of New Brunswick. His mother was born at Plainfield, N. J., his father at New Lon- don, Ct. His ancestors came from Sheffield, Eng. He has had a family of 6 children,-Fred A., ticket agent for R. I. & P. R. R. at Peoria ; Chas. E. lives at Bunker Hill, Ill .; Wm. H. lives in Canton.

Wm. J. Orendorff, of the firm of Parlin & Orendorff, manufactur- ers, was born in Orion tp., Fulton Co., Ill., January 14, 1829, and is the son of John and Margaret (Sayle) Orendorff, the former of Wilkes Co., Ga., and his mother of Wilkes Co., North Carolina. His parents came to Orion tp. in April, 1825. His mother died at the old homestead July 19, 1867, and his father Jan. 28, 1876. Wm. J. was educated at the Orion and Canton schools. He began his present business, which is more fully described elsewhere in this work, in 1852; married Sept. 28, 1856, to Miss Mary Rohrer, danghter of Henry Rohrer, a native of Lancaster Co., Pa., and formerly a resi- dent of Canton, now deceased, Arthur L., Wm. H., Ulysses G. and John W. are their children. We give the portraits of Mr. Orendorff and his father in this volume.

John J. Owen, dairy farmer, is a native of New York city, where he was born in 1831. His father, Franklin E. Owen, is a native of of Connecticut, his mother, Jane Owen, nee Prine, was born in Monmouth Co., N. J. Mr. O. came to Canton in March, 1867, and embarked in a small way in the milk business. He has since given his attention to dairy farming, having bought a farm on sec. 25, Canton tp. He was married in 1869 at New Brunswick, N. J., to Eliza Jones. He was sutler of the 9th N. J. Inf. during the war. On parting with his regiment when mustered out at Trenton, N. J., the privates of the regiment presented him with a fine gold watch as a testimonial of good wishes and pleasant inter- course.

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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.

Parlin & Orendorff. Wm. Parlin commenced the manufacture of plows in 1847 on the corner of Fourth and Elm streets, where is now part of their present works. All of the work was done by hand and no machinery of any kind was used. In 1855 William J. Orendorff became a partner and the two have continued ever since under the name of Parlin & Orendorff. In 1857 the first engine- 6-horse power-was put in the shop in place of horse-power then in use. They have at four different times put in larger engines until they reached 150-horse power, which is now too small for their in- creasing trade. Gradually their works have enlarged till now they have one of the largest plow works in the country, having a capacity for 250 workmen and for turning out a complete plow every 3 minutes. They consume annually 2,000 tons of iron and steel and over 1,000,000 feet of lumber. They now own the entire block upon which their works stand. They make plows of styles and designs suit- able for every section of country. The list of kinds of plows will ex- ceed 100 different sizes and styles. They manufacture besides plows, cultivators, sulky-plows, stalk-cutters, harrows, road-serapers and a great variety of other goods. Their trade is still growing and the indications are that they will soon be compelled to enlarge their works. Machinery is now used for all work. If they had to get out the work by hand-power, the same as in former years, 1,000 men could not accomplish what work they are now doing.

Win. Parlin, in the paternal line, is of English ancestry, the first im migration being to Massachusetts, where Samuel, the grandfather of our subject, and Warner, the father, were born. They were blood relatives of the heroie Gen. Warren who fell at Bunker Hill, and they too fought for American independence. William's mother's maiden name was Lydia Davis, and she was the daughter of Jona- than Divis, of Middlesex Co., Mass. Davis also fought in the Revolution. A cousin of his, Capt. Davis, was the first officer killed in the war,-at the battle of Concord. Mr. Parlin was born in the town of Acton, Middlesex Co., Mass., Jan. 21, 1817; first came to Fulton Co., July 4, 1840, and being a blacksmith by trade he soon established himself in his business at Canton, in a small shop, which has grown to the present large institution employing hundreds of men. Jan. 7, 1845, he married Caroline Orendorff, daughter of John O., in Orion tp. Their four children are Artemas F., Wm. H., Clara E. and Alice C. The first mentioned died at the age of 18. Mr. Parlin has been Alderman several terms: was elected to that position at the first city election ; has been School Director, and at present is Mayor of Canton. He is a zealous temperance advocate and a Republican. Although not a member of any church he has liberally contributed to all. Mr. Parlin's portrait is given in this work.

Plattenburg Family. The seniors of this family in this county are Perry Plattenburg and his wife, Ellen (Doddridge) Plattenburg, the former a native of Ellicott's Mills, near Harper's Ferry, Md.,

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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.

where he was born in 1801, and the latter a native of Wellsburg, W. Va., and a daughter of Philip Doddridge, a member of Con- gress, who died in Washington while attending a session of that body in 1832. They first came to this county, loeating at Canton, in June, 1854, bringing a family of 6 children, one son being in California, but who joined them in '57. His name was Albert E. The names of the other children were as follows: Wm. D., Philip D., Ada D., Perry W., Ellen S., and Wilbur Fisk. All of the children were born at Wellsburg, W. Va. Perry Plattenburg on his arrival in Canton embarked in the lumber business with his son, Wm. D., under the name of P. Plattenburg & Son, and continued under the same name until Feb. 4, 1876, when the senior partner retired, and the business has been conducted by Wm. D. since that date. The children are all living and in Canton with the exception of Albert E., who died July 6, 1876, at Canton, leaving a widow and one child, Elizabeth. His wife was Anna B. Bewsher, of Peoria. Wm. D. married Margaret Ward, of Chillicothe, O., Jan. 14, 1851, and has 5 children,-Anna D., Ada D., Elizabeth G., Wm. D., jr., and Fred. Philip D. and Perry W. are engaged in the drug business under the firm name of Plattenburg Bros.

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History of Fulton county, Illinois, Part 57

Author: Chas. C. Chapman & Co Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Peoria : C.C. Chapman & co. Number of Pages: 1096

Author: Chas. C. Chapman & Co
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Peoria : C.C. Chapman & co.
Number of Pages: 1096