USA > Illinois > Henry County > History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II > Part 13
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Frank S. Haynes was reared to the occupation of farming, early becoming familiar with the work of the fields as the plowing, planting and harvesting were carried forward. The public schools afforded him his educational privileges and he remained at home until twenty-four years of age, when he started out in life on his own account.
Mr. Haynes has been married twice. Before leaving the old farm he wedded Miss Hattie Holsburg, a native of Putnam county, Illinois, and a daughter of Daniel and Rebecca Holsburg. Unto this marriage was born one son, Henry H., whose birth occurred December 6, 1891, and who is still living with his father. Mrs. Haynes died in 1894, after the removal to the farm in Henry county. On coming to this county Mr. Haynes purchased his farm in Geneseo township, resolutely taking up the work of tilling the soil and bringing the land under a high state of cultivation. In June, 1896, he was again married, his second union being with Clara M. Wood, a daughter of George W. and Mary (Hoffstatter) Wood, of Geneseo, who came from Michigan to Henry county in 1865 and purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Munson town- ship. There they lived until 1881, when they went to Grand Forks county, North Dakota, and by claim and purchase Mr. Wood secured about fourteen hundred acres of land. They spent the summer in the north, returning to Henry county for the winter months. In the Wood family were two sons: George L., who is now a dentist in Geneseo, and John D., who follows mer- chandising in the same place. By his second marriage Mr. Haynes has two children : Florence, born February 8, 1900; and Margaret, born April 26, 1903.
Mr. Haynes continued to engage in farming until 1906, when he retired from active business cares and removed to Geneseo. He is a director and stockholder of the Farmers National Bank and is regarded as a man of sound business judg- ment, whose labors and energy have brought him the success which is his. He has never aspired to political honors, but was the instigator and promoter
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of the Green River special drainage district in Henry and Bureau counties. This awakened much enmity but has proven to be one of the most beneficial im- provements that Henry county has ever had. Mr. Haynes was farsighted in recognizing the value that it would be to the community and he never faltered in the course which he began until the work was successfully completed. He has always stood for public improvement and progress and many know him to be a man of keen insight, unfaltering in his devotion to the best interests of the county.
REGINALD HEBER HINMAN.
When the complete history of Henry county shall have been written there will be found upon its pages frequent and honorable mention of Reginald H. Hin- man, who for fifty-eight years has resided within its borders, and his prominence as one of the pioneer settlers is indicated in the fact that for fifteen years he has been continuously chosen as secretary of the Old Settlers Association. He is also the president of the Farmers National Bank of Cambridge and is thus closely identified with the financial interests of the community.
Reginald Heber Hinman was born in Bristol, Connecticut, February 4, 1828, and his parents, Willis and Olive (Attwater) Hinman, were also natives of the same state. The former was a son of Philemon Hinman, who was born in Con- necticut and was of English lineage. He learned and followed the carpenter's trade and died about 1834 when sixty-five years of age. The maternal grand- father, Isaac Attwater, was a Connecticut farmer and was of Welsh descent. He served as a soldier of the Revolutionary war and died in Connecticut at the advanced age of eighty-four years. His family numbered three daughters and one son, including Olive Attwater, who became the wife of Willis Hinman.
Mr. Hinman was a carpenter by trade. On removing from Connecticut to Ohio in 1837 he settled at Troy, Miami county, making his home there and in Montgomery county until December, 1850, when he came to Illinois with his son Reginald H. Hinman. They traveled over the state to some extent, reach- ing Henry county in January, 1851. Being greatly pleased with this district, Willis Hinman then returned to Ohio for his family, leaving his son here. In May he again reached Henry county and purchased three hundred and twenty acres of land in Osco township, which he improved. His son Reginald secured one quarter of the same section while his brother William took the other quarter. A few years later their father removed to Geneseo and about 1876 went to Cam- bridge, where he lived retired for some time. He died, however, on the old home farm in Osco township, September 18, 1888, at the age of ninety-one years, and his wife, who survived him for six months, was also ninety-one years of age at the time of her death. They were Episcopalians in their religious faith. Their family numbered a daughter and two sons who reached adult age. Clarissa, now the deceased wife of Nelson Gaines of Geneseo; Reginald H .; and William W., who died in Cambridge, Illinois.
Reginald H. Hinman spent the period of his minority in Troy and Dayton, Ohio, pursuing his education in the public schools of those cities and in an
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academy at Dayton. Early in his business career he was employed in a last and peg factory in Dayton. He was afterward engaged in farm work in Ohio for three years but at length left Troy for Illinois, where he has since been identified with farming interests. He still owns the old home place in Osco township, in which he first settled, and he likewise has ninety-seven acres in Cambridge township adjoining the corporation limits of the city of Cambridge on the south. Since 1888 he has lived in Cambridge and from this point has superintended his agricultural interests. For ten or twelve years he has been identified with the Farmers National Bank and for more than two years has served as its president. He was also one of the organizers of the First National Bank of Cambridge and has long figured as a prominent factor in financial circles, his name being for many years a most honored one on commercial paper.
On the 4th of October, 1852, Mr. Hinman was married to Miss Elizabeth Miller of Troy, Ohio, a daughter of Chrisley and Hannah (Wright) Miller. The children of this marriage are three in number: Elliott, the eldest, who is engaged in the feed and fuel business at Pomona, California, married Nora A. Nolind and they have three children : Frances E., Susie E. and Harry H. Frank M., living in Allentown, Pennsylvania, wedded Lillie Miller and they have three children : May, Ralph and Ethel. Jennie May, the daughter of the first marriage, died in Osco when twenty-two years of age. The wife and mother passed away in September, 1865, at the age of thirty-three years. In October, 1868, Mr. Hinman was again married, his second union being with Mrs. Susan Corl, the widow of Henry Corl, who was a soldier of the Civil war and died while at the front, being killed at the battle of Knoxville, Tennessee. Mrs. Hinman was born at Doylestown, Pennsylvania, May 2, 1832, and her parents were Thomas and Annie (Fraley) Combs, natives of Germantown, Pennsylvania, well known as farming people of that community. In 1852 the father removed with his family to Bureau county, Illinois, where he lived for ten years and then took up his abode at Gardner, Grundy county, Illinois, where he died in 1868. His wife passed away in March, 1852, at the age of forty-eight years. In their family were seven children, a son and six daughters, but only two are now living- Mrs. Hinman and her sister, Leah, the wife of Rese Nolind. Mrs. Hinman is descended in the maternal line from one of the heroes of the Revolutionary war, her great-grandfather having valiantly aided the colonists in the struggle for in- dependence.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Hinman are members of Grace Episcopal church of Osco and in social circles have occupied a prominent and enviable position. Mr. Hin- man belongs to Cambridge Lodge, No. 49, A. F. & A. M., and he and his wife hold membership in the Eastern Star. His political allegiance is given to the democracy, and his fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, have several times called him to office. He has served for a number of terms as su- pervisor of Osco township and was chairman of the board for one term. He has also been justice of the peace for a number of years, discharging his duties in a strictly impartial manner, his decisions being based upon the law and equity in the case. Few men have a wider acquaintance in the county and none are held in higher esteem than Mr. Hinman, who for the past fifteen years has been the secretary of the Old Settlers Association. He is the only man now
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living who was a resident of Osco in 1851. There was only one house in the town when he took up his abode there, and in the intervening years he has not only been a witness of the events which shaped the history of the county but has also been an active participant therein. He has passed the eighty-first mile- stone on life's journey, but in spirit and interests seems yet in his prime. Old age need not suggest as a matter of course inactivity or lack of occupation. There is an old age which grows stronger and brighter mentally and spiritually as the years pass and gives out of its rich stores of wisdom and experience for the benefit of others. Such is the record of Reginald H. Hinman.
WILLIS LYMAN WILKINSON.
Willis Lyman Wilkinson, whose services as warden of the county poor- house in Munson township are most acceptable, was born in Tiskilwa, Bureau county, Illinois, September 21, 1861. In the paternal line he comes of an old New England family, his grandfather having been George Wilkinson, a native of Rhode Island. He was a farmer in early life but for years conducted a hotel in Tiskilwa. He died at the age of sixty years or more. His widow, Mrs. Julia Wilkinson, long survived him and passed away when eighty-five years of age.
Lyman Wilkinson, the father of W. L. Wilkinson, was born in Pennsyl- vania and was reared to farm life but in early manhood learned the carpenter's trade. Removing westward to Illinois he settled first in Bureau county and lived for a number of years at Tiskilwa, where he followed carpentering. He afterward became superintendent of the county poor farm, occupying that posi- tion for two years and in 1872 removed to Henry county where he capably filled the position of superintendent of the poor farm for thirty-four years. No higher testimonial of his efficiency in that position could be given than the fact that he was so long retained in the office. He was a soldier of the Civil war, belonging to the Ninety-third Illinois Volunteer Infantry in which he served as first lieutenant while his brother, Orrin Wilkinson, was captain. He participated in the siege of Vicksburg, in the battle of Shiloh and in many other important engagements of the war, never faltering in his allegiance to the old flag when it led him to the firing line or when he followed it on the long, hard marches of the campaign. His political support was given to the republican party, and both he and his wife were Episcopalians in religious faith. He wedded Emmeline Stevens, a native of New Hampshire and a daughter of Thomas Stevens, who was likewise born in the old Granite state. He was a farmer by occupation and became one of the first settlers of Bureau county, Illinois. He was twice married and lived to an old age. The death of Lyman Wilkinson occurred on the Henry county poor farm in 1906, when he was seventy-two years of age, he being still in charge of the institution up to the time of his demise. His wife died in 1898 at the age of sixty-three years. They had but three children: George T., now living in Pueblo, Colorado; Willis L .; and Bert Henry, who died at the age of twenty-two years.
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Willis L. Wilkinson was a lad of ten years when his father took charge of the Henry county poor farm. He attended the public schools of Tiskilwa, Illinois, and also the district schools of Munson township, while later he pur- sued a course in a business college at Davenport, Iowa. He was his father's assistant at the poor farm and also conducted a farm of one hundred and sixty- seven acres in Munson township near Cambridge. After his father's death he became his successor and thus has charge of three hundred and twenty acres of land which is devoted to general farming purposes, while the house has sixty inmates. He manages the place with the same ability and enterprise which he would display in the control of private business affairs and, like his father, has sustained an unassailable reputation in his connection with the poor farm.
On the 17th of June, 1886, Mr. Wilkinson was united in marriage to Miss Ethel Lambert, a daughter of William and Milda (Britton) Lambert. Mrs. Wilkinson is a native of Geneseo and her mother was born in Phenix town- ship, Henry county, but her father was a native of England. He became one of the early settlers of Henry county and was well known as a scenic and house painter. He lives with his daughter at the present time, his wife having died in 1904 when fifty-eight years of age. They had seven children, but only two are now living-Mrs. Wilkinson and Howard B. Lambert, of Clyde, New York. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Wilkinson was William Lambert, a native of England who came to America in 1834 and settled in Rochester, New York. He removed to Michigan and then to Illinois, but spent his last days in Michi- gan where he died at the age of more than seventy years. The maternal grand- father was Frank Britton, a native of Kentucky and a farmer by occupation.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Wilkinson was blessed with two children, Mabel, now the wife of Howard H. Withrow, a resident farmer of Phenix township; and Elon, who is a student in the Geneseo high school. Mrs. Wilkinson be- longs to the Congregational church and is greatly esteemed in the county where she has always lived. Mr. Wilkinson belongs to Stewart Lodge, No. 92, A. F. & A. M .; Geneseo Chapter, No. 12, R. A. M .; Rock Island Commandery, No. 18, K. T .; and Kaaba Temple of the Mystic Shrine. His political support is given to the republican party, but he neither seeks nor desires office as the reward for party fealty. The record which he has made in connection with his official service is most commendable and he is regarded as a man in every way worthy of the trust reposed in him. Both he and his wife have many good qualities and are greatly esteemed in the social circles of the town.
CLARENCE A. GARLAND.
Clarence A. Garland is the owner of a finely improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Colona township, where he has made his home since 1903. He is a native of this township, born on a farm, March 15, 1865, a son of George W. and Catherine (Hunt) Garland, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work. The son was reared on the home farm and as soon as he was old enough to follow the plow he was set to work in the fields, working diligently
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through the spring and summer seasons, while in the winter months he pursued his studies in the district schools of the neighborhood. He remained with his father until he reached years of maturity and then established a home of his own by his marriage on the 2d of March, 1892, to Miss Carrie Jones, a daughter of William and Anna (Anderson) Jones, who are also mentioned on another page of this volume.
Following his marriage Mr. Garland located on a farm in Western town- ship and there remained for five years, at the end of which time he removed to a farm owned by Henry Washburn in Colona township. During these years he worked earnestly in the hope of some day being the possessor of a farm and in 1902 his hopes were realized, for he then purchased his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres located in Colona township. He did not take up his abode thereon, however, until a year later but in 1903 removed to the place and since that time has given his attention to its cultivation. The place was not improved when it came into his possession but Mr. Garland has made many improvements since locating here. The land is arable, yielding good har- vests in season. Mr. Garland devotes a portion of his time to raising stock and makes a specialty of breeding and raising Duroc Jersey hogs. He has gained a wide reputation in this particular branch, being recognized as one of the most prominent breeders in Henry county.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Garland has been blessed with seven children, Pearl L., Lillie May, Floyd E., Clarence Arthur, Harold L., Mina D., and Gladys M. The eldest is deceased, and the others are all at home.
Politically Mr. Garland is a republican and has been active in public affairs. He has served as road commissioner and for six years has been a member of the school board. He belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America and both he and his wife are members of the Baptist church at Orion and take an active and helpful part in all departments of church and Sunday-school work. Their home, standing on a hill, commands a splendid view of the surrounding country. It is noted, too, for its gracious and warm-hearted hospitality and the mem- bers of the household are held in the highest regard by their many friends.
JOHN HAMILTON.
The days pass busily for John Hamilton for a farm of one hundred and sixty acres claims his time and attention. It has been his property since 1906 and it constitutes the southwest quarter of section 34, Geneseo township. The place is now well improved and is devoted to the cultivation of cereals and the raising of stock, Mr. Hamilton carefully conducting both branches of his business.
The life record of Mr. Hamilton began on the 22d of September, 1872, his birthplace being on a farm near Grey Abbey, County Down, Ireland. He was a son of James and Jane (Wright) Hamilton, and on the home place he remained to the age of sixteen years, during which period he acquired a good common-school education. He was attracted, however, by the favorable reports which he heard concerning America and her opportunities and resolved that
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he would try his fortune on the western side of the Atlantic. Accordingly he made arrangements to leave his native country and in due time, the ocean voyage completed, he landed on American shores. He did not tarry in the east, however, but came at once to Henry county, Illinois, where resided his brother, Robert Hamilton, who is now living in Munson township. Mr. Hamil- ton had very little money when he reached his destination and at once began to work by the month as a farm hand, receiving a remuneration of sixteen dollars per month. He worked in that way for about sixteen years, saving from his wages all that he could spare after purchasing the necessities of life. At length he felt that he had enough money to purchase farm machinery and the other necessary supplies which he would need in cultivating land. He then rented a farm in Phenix township and for some time thereafter continued to lease property, but eventually was enabled to purchase a farm and is now the owner of an excellent tract of land.
On the 20th of December, 1900, Mr. Hamilton was married in Geneseo to Miss Emma E. Ernst, a native of Geneseo township and a daughter of George and Magdelena (Holzinger) Ernst. They now have one child, Herbert Ernst, who was born in Phenix township July 31, 1902. Mr. Hamilton's mother is still living in Ireland at the advanced age of eighty years, but the father died during the early childhood of his son. Since becoming a naturalized American citizen Mr. Hamilton has given stalwart support to the republican party, casting his first vote for Harrison. He is not an office seeker, however, but believes that good men should be chosen to the positions. He was reared in the Presbyterian faith, and he and his wife now hold membership in a church of that denomination in Geneseo. They are true and loyal to its teachings and their faith is manifest in kind deeds and upright lives.
ALFRED S. OFFERLE.
Alfred S. Offerle, a well known farmer and stock raiser whose farm com- prises the north half of the southeast quarter of section 8, Munson town- ship, was born in the city of Geneseo, December 15, 1870, and is a son of John and Catharine (Fisher) Offerle, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this volume. He was reared to manhood in his native city and in the acquirement of his education passed through consecutive grades in the public schools until he had completed two years' work in the high school. He has, however, been largely dependent upon his own resources from the age of thirteen years, when he began work by the month as a farm hand. He was thus employed until the time of his marriage, which was celebrated on Christmas day of 1895, in the Lutheran parsonage in Edford township, the lady of his choice being Miss Lulu Wildermuth, a native of Osco township and a daughter of Phillip and Mary (Niermeyer) Wildermuth, who are now residents of Geneseo. Her father, now about seventy years of age, was born in Alsace, Germany, and when a lad came to America with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Christian Wildermuth. Mrs. Offerle's mother was born in St. Louis, where she grew to womanhood.
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Two children have been born unto Mr. and Mrs. Offerle: Earl John, who was born in Munson township, April 10, 1897; and Della Irene, who was born on the home place, August 5, 1904.
Mr. Offerle is now the owner of a good farm which he purchased in 1904 and upon which he has erected a dwelling and other modern and substantial buildings. He manifests a spirit of undaunted enterprise in operating his farm, and it is now a carefully cultivated place. In politics he is a republican and has served for five years as school trustee, being the present incumbent in the office. He has also been school director for five years and is a stalwart champion of im- provement along the line of public education. Fraternally he is connected with Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Mystic Workers of the World and the Yoemen of America. He is a well known resident of Munson township and is numbered among the worthy native sons of the county.
JOHN H. McMASTER.
John H. McMaster, a young man of thirty-two years, is successfully engaged in farming on a tract of one hundred and fifty-four acres, situated in Weller township, three and a half miles west of Galva. He was born in Altona, January 28, 1877, a son of George and Julia (Shear) McMaster. The former was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, March 5, 1847, and was but a young boy when he came to Henry county in 1858. In later life he spent fifteen years in Clay county, Nebraska, but returning to Henry county, purchased a farm of two hundred and forty acres two and a half miles southeast of Nekoma, eighty rods north of the Knox county line, which he still operates. The mother, who is a daughter of Henry Shear, a well known farmer of Altona, is a graduate of the Galesburg high school. Both Mr. and Mrs. George McMaster are well known in Henry county and are numbered among its most upright and honorable citizens.
John H. McMaster was but a young lad when the family removed from Knox county, Illinois, to Clay county, Nebraska, and it was in the schools of Harvard, Nebraska, that he acquired his educational training. He was reared to the duties of the home farm there and also engaged in threshing, in which he was quite successful. In 1901 he returned with his parents to the home of his infancy and early boyhood and also operated a threshing machine here for several seasons and in addition gave his attention to farming pursuits. In the spring of 1906 he leased the farm on which he still makes his home. It con- tains one hundred and fifty-four acres, and is conveniently located three and a half miles south of Galva. This farm is notable through a somewhat peculiar incident. In a field, which is now used for pasturage, may be seen the remains of a cave which in the early days was used by horse thieves, who infested this section, as a hiding place for their plunder. Mr. McMaster owns an interest in the Galva Grain Threshers Company. He has been successful in the various lines to which he has bent his energies and is now numbered among the represen- tative farmers and business men of Weller township.
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Mr. McMaster was married on the 30th of December, 1903, to Miss Mamie Kelly, a daughter of William Kelly, a well known farmer residing near Nekoma. Mrs. McMaster is now thirty-two years of age and is the mother of a bright little daughter, E. Loraine, four years of age.
Mr. McMaster gives his political support to the republican party and is a Modern Woodman, belonging to the camp at Nekoma. He attends and supports the Congregational church at Galva. Both he and his wife are popular with a wide circle of friends, who find a cordial welcome at their hospitable home.
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