USA > Illinois > Henry County > History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II > Part 20
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It was on the 7th of March, 1889, in Bishop Hill, that Mr. Hunt was united in marriage to Miss Emma C. Johnson, a native of Sweden, who came alone to this country in 1880, at the age of thirteen years. Unto this union have been born five children, namely: Cora E., nineteen years of age, who is now en- gaged in teaching school near her home; Harry D., eighteen years of age, assisting his father in the work of the home farm; Carl J., and Alice A., aged fifteen and thirteen years respectively, who are yet in school; and John I.,
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Jr., three months old. The entire family attend the Methodist Episcopal church, of which the parents are members, while the children take an active part in the Sunday-school work.
Mr. Hunt gives his political allegiance to the democracy in all matters of national moment, but is independent in local elections, reserving the right to vote for the men and measures which in his opinion are best adapted to con- serve the general welfare. Although not an office seeker, he was elected by his fellow citizens to the position of school director, which office he has filled efficiently for over twelve years, the cause of education finding in him a stal- wart champion. His influence is ever upon the side of those matters which have for their object the material, intellectual and moral development of the community, and he is regarded as one of the representative and valued citi- zens of Weller township.
HERBERT E. MALLORY.
Herbert E. Mallory, who since 1903 has been successfully engaged in busi- ness as a dealer in ice at Kewanee, was born in that city on the 23d of June, 1862, his parents being George W. and Susan S. (Smith) Mallory. The father, who was a native of New York, came to Kewanee, Henry county, Illinois, in 1845, there residing until 1888, when he took up his abode at Annawan. Throughout the remainder of his life he made his home at the latter place, passing away in June, 1901, when seventy-nine years of age. His wife was called to her final rest about a decade ago, at the age of sixty-eight years. They reared a family of ten children, all of whom still survive.
Herbert E. Mallory, who was the fifth in order of birth in his father's family, obtained his education in the public schools of his native city. After putting aside his text-books he turned his attention to general agricultural pur- suits and was continuously identified with that line of activity from 1881 until 7.903, carrying on his farming interests first in Kewanee township and later in Annawan township. On returning to Kewanee in 1903 he embarked in busi- ness as an ice dealer and has since conducted an extensive and profitable en- terprise of this character.
On the 13th of September, 1888, at Annawan, Illinois, Mr. Mallory was united in marriage to Miss Cora A. Willett, a daughter of John Willett, a veteran of the Civil war, who is a mason by trade and has made his home at Annawan since pioneer times. Mr. and Mrs. Mallory are the parents of one son, Preslo, who is now fourteen years of age. The family residence is at No. 618 North Main street.
Where national questions and issues are involved Mr. Mallory gives his political allegiance to the republican party, but in local affairs he is a strong supporter of the labor party. For the past two years he has acted as alderman of the first ward. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Methodist church, while fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias and other orders. He is a most loyal and public-spirited citizen and no matter
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in what relation of life we find him, whether in business life, political service or social circles, he is ever found to be the same honorable and honored gentle- man, who well deserves the high regard and esteem which is uniformly given him.
JOHN MANDLE.
John Mandle, owning and operating an excellent farm of one hundred and eighty-six and a half acres on section 17, Phenix township, was born in New- castle, England, on the 25th of October, 1855, his parents being John and Anna (Johns) Mandle, who were likewise natives of the Merrie isle. The father, whose birth occurred in 1818, was a school teacher by profession and passed away in 1878. The mother, who was born in the year 1825, still sur- vives and makes her home in England. They reared a family of six children, as follows: Amos, living in England; Stephen, who is a resident of Missouri; John, of this review; and Abraham, Edward and Luella, all of whom make their home in England.
John Mandle obtained his education in the schools of his native land and in early manhood worked by the month for several years. The many favor- able reports which he had heard concerning the advantages that might be en- joyed in the new world led him to the determination to establish his home on this side of the Atlantic, and in 1878 he set sail for the United States. On arriving in this country he made his way to Carbon Cliff, Rock Island county, Illinois, where he worked in a brick yard for nine months and in the fall of 1878 came to Henry county. Securing employment as a farm hand in Colona township, he was thus engaged for a number of years and in 1895 purchased and located upon his present farm of one hundred and eighty-six and a half acres on section 17, Phenix township. He has since devoted his time and energies to its cultivation and improvement. His life has been one of untiring industry, and his sound judgment has guided his labors and won for him the measure of success which he now enjoys.
On the 29th of November, 1882, Mr. Mandle was united in marriage to Miss Sophia Kershaw, whose birth occurred in Henry county on the 15th of January, 1862, her parents being William and Ann (Rhodes) Kershaw, both natives of England. The father, who followed farming in that country, became a coal miner after emigrating to the United States in 1850. He passed away in 1902, having for two decades survived his wife, who was called to her final rest in 1882. Both lie buried in Rock Island county, Illinois. Of their family of thirteen children, three yet survive, namely: James, living in Briarbluff, Henry county; Anna, the wife of Charles Morrison, of Geneseo; and Mrs. Mandle. Mr. and Mrs. Mandle are the parents of four children. Myra, the eldest, whose birth occurred in this county on the Ist of September, 1883, is now the wife of George W. Wolf and resides in Wisconsin. She followed the profession of teaching prior to her marriage. William, who was born in Henry county on the 15th of April, 1885, now assists his father in the opera- tion of the home farm. Ray K., whose birth occurred in Whiteside county
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on the 15th of October, 1888, is at home with his parents. Charles J., born in Henry county on the 26th of August, 1894, is now attending school.
In his political views Mr. Mandle is a stanch republican and for some years capably served his fellow townsmen in the position of justice of the peace. His wife is a devoted and consistent member of the Evangelical church. He has now been a resident of this county for more than three decades and he never feels that he has any reason to regret his determination to seek his for- tune in the United States, for he has found a good home here, has met with fair success in his business and has gained many friends whose regard and companionship make life pleasant for him.
FRANK E. MATHER.
Frank E. Mather is a well known representative of the farming and stock raising interests of Geneseo township. He lives on section 35, he and his sister, Lillian, each owning forty acres of land there. His birth occurred in Huron county, Ohio, while the sister is a native of Geneseo. They are children of Albert G. and Jane (Pomeroy) Mather, and the father was probably born in the same house which was the birthplace of him whose name introduces this review. The mother was a native of Pitcher, Cayuga county, New York. During her childhood her parents removed to Huron county, Ohio, where they were married. The paternal grandfather, Seba Mather, was born in Buck- land, Massachusetts, and there wedded Cynthia Hastings. They, too, probably became residents of Huron county, Ohio, in pioneer times. The maternal grandparents were Stephen and Dorothy (Carter) Pomeroy. They were born in Buckland, Massachusetts, and removed from the Old Bay state to New York. Sometime afterward they went to Oberlin, Ohio, in order to educate their children, and afterward proceeded to Fitchville, Huron county, where Stephen Pomeroy remained until 1837. In that year he came to Henry county, Illinois, to buy land and also made investment in land in Knox county, Illinois. Dr. Enos Pomeroy, one of his sons, was the first of the family to move to Henry county. Several others of the family afterward came and later the parents followed, making permanent location in Geneseo. Stephen Pomeroy was twice married, his first wife having died in Huron county, Ohio, after which he married again. His death occurred in 1879. He was widely known as one of the leading agriculturists and landowners of this part of the state, his property interests in Illinois aggregating nineteen hundred and twenty acres, while near Adrian, Michigan, he had eighty acres. All of the children were given educational privileges.
Frank E. Mather was a little child of only two years when his parents left the Buckeye state and came to Henry county, Illinois. Soon afterward they removed to the farm which is now the home of their children and which had been given to Mrs. Mather by her father. It was in 1853 that Albert G. Mather came to Henry county and, thereafter, was closely associated with its agricultural development. He was a man of fair education by reason of
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his school training, and to the knowledge thereby acquired he added by ex- ten sive reading, so that he became exceptionally well informed. He was a republican in his political views but not an office seeker, and his religious faith was indicated by his membership in the Congregational church.
In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Albert G. Mather there were four children: Frank E. and Lillian, who are owners of the old homestead, where they reside ; Pomeroy, who now lives on a farm in Washington county, Iowa; and Eugenie, who is living with her brother in Iowa.
CHARLES LUNDELL.
Since 1889 Charles Lundell has been a resident of Henry county, and seeking success through persistent, earnest effort he has become the owner of an excellent farm of one hundred and sixty acres which he now occupies and cultivates, the place being on section 5, Munson township. His birth- place was a farm in Sweden. There he first opened his eyes to the light of day March 21, 1865, his parents being Gustav and Gustava (Abrennson) Peter- son. The grandfather's name was Peterson until he went into the army, when, following the custom of the country, he took the name of Lundell. The father of our subject died in Sweden in 1882 and the mother is still living in that land. Of the five sons, four came to America: Alfred, who is now living near Orion, Henry county, and is married; Charles, of this review; Jacob, who follows farming in this county; and John, who is engaged in merchan- dising at Shelley, Idaho.
Charles Lundell was reared on the old home farm in his native land and in bis youthful days worked out at farm labor for he was one of five sons and the financial resources of the parents were hardly sufficient to provide com- fortably for all the members of the household. He acquired a fair common- school education and when twenty-one years of age he entered military service and received sixty days' training in artillery practice. In the meantime favorable reports concerning America and its opportunities reached him and sounded very attractive to him. He determined that he would one day seek his home in the new world, and on the 25th of November, 1888, he was married and the following spring came with his wife to the United States. They made their way to Henry county, making choice of their destination from the fact that Mrs. Lundell has an uncle living here. Mr. Lundell began to work by the month as a farm hand and was thus employed for two years, after which he rented land and began farming on his own account. He thus tilled soil wliich he leased until 1901, when his savings were sufficient to enable him to purchase the farm of one hundred and sixty acres upon which he now resides. He is busily engaged in bringing this under a high state of cultivation and the rich and productive land responds rapidly to the care and labor which he bestows upon it.
As previously stated, Mr. Lundell was married on the 25th of November, 1888, the lady of his choice being Miss Christine Louise Swanson, also a
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native of Sweden. They now have one son, Frank, who was born July 10, 1889, in Atkinson township, and has been provided with good common-school privileges. The parents are members of the Swedish Lutheran church and are numbered among the leading representatives of the Swedish people who have come to Henry county and been factors in its agricultural development. Mr. Lundell has always given his political support to the republican party since win- ning the right of franchise, but does not seek office although he is interested in the various measures and movements which are factors in the county's up- building and progress.
ALBERT LESLIE HAYES.
No matter in how much fantastic theorizing one may indulge as to the causation of success, careful analysis will bring to light in the great majority of cases the fact that progress and prosperity in the business world are the direct outcome of persistent labor and intelligently directed energy. This is manifest in the record of Albert Leslie Hayes, vice president and manager of the sales department of the Hayes Pump and Planter Company of Galva. It is true that he entered upon a business already established but it is also true that his close application and unfaltering diligence have been elements which have wrought for continued success in this enterprise.
A native of Illinois, he was born near Saxon, November 19, 1873, his father being Eugenio Hayes, the founder of the business, which is now carried on by the sons. He was one of the most honored and prominent residents of Galva not only in his business relations but also by virtue of the sterling traits of character which he manifested, and extended mention of him is made on another page of this volume.
The removal of the family to Kewanee during his early boyhood enabled Albert Leslie Hayes to pursue his preliminary studies in the public schools of, that city and later he continued his education in Galva, to which city he came with is parents in 1885. He was a high school student here and later entered the University of Illinois, at Urbana, in 1893. He pursued his studies there for one year and in 1894 matriculated in the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he pursued a course in chemistry. He afterward made his home in Council Bluffs, Iowa, for nine years and during that period traveled for the Hayes Pump and Planter Company, largely accelerating its sales through the patronage he secured in introducing its products into various localities. For the past two years he has been the vice president of the company and for the past four years has had charge of the sales department.
On the 17th of June, 1903, Albert L. Hayes was married to Miss Eleanor Lehman, a daughter of William H. and Carrie I. (Swan) Lehman. Mrs. Hayes was born in Des Moines, Iowa, while her parents were natives of Ohio. Her father became a resident of Des Moines at an early day and her mother was one of the early residents of Norwalk, Iowa. The former served as a musician in the Civil war and his musical talent was manifest in the
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choice of a profession, for he is now proprietor of a music store in Des Moines, where he and his wife have now made their home for a number of years. Mrs. Hayes is their only living child. Her paternal grandfather, Henry Lehman. was a native of Ohio and for a long period engaged in the grocery business. He married a Miss Gemmel, and they were early residents of Des Moines, where both passed away at an advanced age. They had a large family including George Lehman, a resident of Columbus, Nebraska; Mrs. Carl Koehler, of Des Moines, who is now deceased; Julia, the wife of F. W. Youngerman; and Henry, who has also passed away. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Hayes was a native of Norwalk, Ohio, and was a newspaper man who about 1850 was the publisher of a paper in Columbus, Ohio. He represented one of the oldest families of the Buckeye state, his parents having removed from Norwalk, Connecticut, to Ohio, in pioneer times, while later they were residents of Nor- walk, Iowa, and named the town in memory of their old home in New England.
Mr. and Mrs. Hayes are members of the Episcopal church and Mr. Hayes belongs to the Bluff City Lodge, No. 71, A. F. & A. M. at Council Bluffs, Iowa ; Star Chapter, R. A. M., of Council Bluffs; Ivanhoe Commandery, K. T., of the same city; and Des Moines Temple of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a republican in his political views but demands of business leave him no time for political activity. He bends his energies to the development of the enter- prise which his father estabished and which is one of the foremost industries of Galva.
ABEL D. WARD.
Abel D. Ward is conducting a profitable business as a farmer and breeder of polled Durham stock. His home is on section I, Munson township, and his farm of two hundred acres etxends over the boundary line into Geneseq township. He was born in the house which he now occupies, March 16, 1871, and is a son of Benjamin and Amanda (Yonker) Ward, of whom extended mention is made elsewhere in this volume. He was reared to farm life and in his boyhood attended the district schools, while at fifteen years of age he entered the Collegiate Institute in Geneseo, being graduated therefrom with the class of 1890. He was afterward elected to represent the alumni association on the board of trustees of that institution, and served for twelve years. After completing his school days he cultivated his father's farm as a renter for two years. He was at that time but nineteen years of age and Henry P. Billings and his family lived upon the farm and kept house for him. Mr. Ward's early experience in the fields as he assisted his father through the periods of vacation qualified him to assume the mangement of the farm at an early age and in all of his work he has been most practical and energetic, passing by no opportunity in a heedless manner but using his advantages in such a way as to win success along honorable business lines. As the years have gone by he has prospered in his undertakings and as his financial resources increased he planned to purchase the home farm and is now the owner of two hundred acres of rich and arable land, much of which lies in section I, Munson town-
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ship. Upon the farm are good improvements, the fences and buildings being kept in a state of good repair, while the fields are well tilled and the latest improved machinery is used in cultivating and caring for the crops. An impor- tant feature of the place is the breeding of polled Durham stock, and Mr. Ward has raised some very fine cattle upon his place, deriving from their sale a substantial annual income.
On the 16th of February, 1893, Abel D. Ward was married to Miss Helen Edwards, who was born on a farm in Western township, and is a daughter of Herbert and Harriet (Gordon) Edwards. Her father was a native of Vermont and in his childhood days accompanied his parents to Illinois, the family driving across the country to this state, which was then a pioneer district. The death of Mr. Edwards occurred when his daughter Helen was only about a year old. Her mother was a native of Michigan and with her parents went to Moline, where she gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Edwards. Mrs. Ward was the youngest of a family of seven children, of whom six reached years of maturity. Carrie became the wife of Frank Stewart and died in Delta, Colorado, leaving five children. Frank H., living in Henry county, married Anna Smith and has four children. Clarence A., resides in Kearney, Nebraska. Flora is the wife of William Tully, of Grand Island, Nebraska, and has three sons. Grace is the wife of Clarence Ward, a cousin of Abel D. Ward, and a resident of Atkinson township.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Abel D. Ward has been blessed with five children: Grace, who will enter the Collegiate Institute of Geneseo in the fall of 1909; Herbert; Clara Marion; Frank Robert; and Charles Edward. The parents are members of the First Presbyterian church in Geneseo and in the work of the church have taken active and helpful part, Mr. Ward serving as superintendent of the Sunday school for many years, while for about fifteen years he has been an elder in the church. His religious principles constitute the guiding factor in his life, making him a man of unquestionaed business integrity and of lofty purpose. His political allegiance is given to the demo- cratic party. While he believes in many of the principles of the former he is a stanch temperance man and greatly desires to see the abolition of the liquor traffic. He is a man whom to know is to esteem and honor, his sterling qualities winning him friendship and regard from all with whom he comes in contact.
WILBER L. ROBERTS.
Wilber L. Roberts, who devotes his time and energies to general agricultural pursuits, is the owner of an excellent farm of eighty acres on section 15, Phenix township, where he resides, and also has another tract of fifty acres on section 14 of the same township. His birth occurred January 8, 1862, on the farm which is now his place of residence, his parents being John and Nancy (Mc- Henry) Roberts. The father, a native of Henry county, was called to his final rest in 1883. Our subject is the younger of two sons and a sketch of his brother appears on another page of this work.
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Wilber L. Roberts obtained a good practical education in the common schools and remained on the home farm until he had attained his majority, giving his father the benefit of his services in the work of the fields. When twenty-one years of age he secured employment in a meat market and at the same time devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits as a renter. He was engaged in the cultivation of rented land for some years and subsequently took up his abode in Geneseo, where he purchased a barber shop, which he successfully conducted for about four years. After disposing of that establishment he worked at the carpenter's trade in Geneseo for a few years and then once more became identified with farming pursuits. He located on the old homestead farm in Phenix township, a portion of which he had inherited at the time of his father's death and of which he afterward became sole owner by purchasing the brother's interest. The property comprises eighty acres of productive land on section 15 and he also has another farm of fifty acres on section 14. He has ever followed the most practical and progressive methods of agriculture, and his labors have been rewarded by rich crops.
Mr. Roberts has been married twice, his first union being with Miss Allie Williams. On the 17th of April, 1890, he wedded Miss Frances McHenry, a native of Phenix township and a daughter of Asbury and Polly Ann (Foster) McHenry. In his political views Mr. Roberts is a stalwart republican but he has no desire for the honors nor emoluments of office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his private interests. Both he and his wife have an etxensive circle of warm friends throughout the county where they have always resided, their upright and honorable lives commanding the confidence and good will of all with whom they have been associated.
WILLIAM C. VOSS.
William C. Voss, seeking his success along legitimate business lines, is now conducting a real-estate and insurance office in Geneseo and in both branches of business has secured a liberal clientage. He was born in Henry, Illinois, September 24, 1865, and in both the paternal and maternal lines is of Irish descent. His paternal grandparents were natives of County Cork, Ireland, where they spent their entire lives and reared their family of two sons, Patrick and James, both of whom came to the United States, the latter serving as a soldier of the Union army in the Civil war. The maternal grandparents were also born in Ireland and never left that country. They had one son and three daughters: John, Ellen, Mrs. Margaret Berney, and Mrs. Mary Welch. The parents of our subject were Patrick and Ellen (Feeney) Voss. The former was born in Ireland, where he remained until seventeen years of age, when he crossed the Atlantic to the new world, taking up his abode at Bureau, Illinois, where he owned the land that constitutes the present site of the town. In the early days he furnished the wood which was used as fuel in the engines of the Rock Island railroad and employed a large force of men in the timber. After- ward he engaged in farming for a number of years, and the last fifteen years
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