History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II, Part 25

Author: Kiner, Henry L., 1851-
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago : The Pioneer Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1138

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terests he is a stockholder in the Geneseo Savings Bank. He has no false stand- ards of life but knows that earnest and indefatigable labor constitutes the basis of business advancement and thus his diligence in seeking and winning prosperity.

WILLIAM HENRY COLE, M. D.

Dr. William Henry Cole, the dean of the medical profession in Kewanee, who for thirty-six years has been engaged in practice in this city, was born in Tioga, Owego county, New York, October 19, 1836, a son of Cornelius Debois Has- brouk and Sylvia (Walker) Cole. The father of Dr. Cole was a teacher for some years before taking up the study of medicine, obtaining his professional degree in Geneva, New York, after which he located for practice in Bradford county, Pennsylvania, where he spent his remaining years. During the war he was sur- geon of the One Hundred and Seventy-second Pennsylvania Infantry and at the close of the service the regiment presented him with a watch and chain in token of the high esteem in which they held him and of their appreciation of the excellent professional service which he rendered.

Dr. William Henry Cole, reared in an atmosphere of intelligence and culture, was provided with good educational priviliges, pursuing his studies in the Owego Academy and in the Ovid Collegiate Institute. He began teaching in the country schools when seventeen years of age and when a young man of twenty-four years was chosen principal of the public schools of Owego, New York, and remained at their head for nine years, his labors being a potent force for the improvement of educational advantages there. He also filled the position of county superin- tendent of schools of Tioga county, New York, for three years and the end of his term of office was presented with a full set of silver. At length determining to make the practice of medicine his life work, he entered the Buffalo Medical College, and subsequently continued his studies in the Long Island College, at Brooklyn, New York. He was graduated from the latter institution in June, 1873, and came to Kewanee the same year. Here he has continued in practice to the present time, covering a period of thirty-six years, and is still an active and valued representative of the profession. He is certainly the dean of the medi- cal fraternity in Kewanee, and probably of the county. The great majority of men who have passed the Psalmist's allotted span of three score years and ten put aside the active duties and cares of life, but not so with Dr. Cole for he continues a helpful factor in the world's work through his professional service. Since engaging in active practice he has always read broadly along the line of his professional duties and his investigations and research have kept him in touch with the most advanced thought in the profession.

On coming to Kewanee Dr. Cole joined the Galva District Medical Associa- tion, with which he has since been affiliated and has served as president of the society. He also belongs to the Henry County Medical Society and upon the or- ganization of the medical staff of St. Francis Hospital he was made its president. He is likewise one of the organizers of the Kewanee National Bank and from its inception has been one of its directors. Not to know Dr. Cole in Kewanee and

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this part of the state is to argue one's self unknown. His professional service has brought him a wide acquaintance and the worth of his labors has gained him the confidence and good will of all, while his close conformity to a high standard of professional ethics has gained him the unqualified respect of his brethren of the medical fraternity.

JONAS H. STAFFORD.

This is the semi-centennial year of Jonas H. Stafford's arrival in Henry county. For five decades he has been a witness of the growth which has occurred and the changes which have been wrought. His contributions to the world's work have been along the line of agricultural pursuits, and although he is now largely living retired he still gives his supervision to farming interests, with which he was long actively and successfully associated. Mr. Stafford was born in Rutland county, Vermont, October 29, 1849, his parents being Benjamin I. and Cornelia U. (Hol- den) Stafford, both of whom were natives of Vermont and are mentioned else- where in this volume.

Their son, Jonas H. Stafford, was a lad of ten years, when in 1859 he was brought by his parents to Henry county, and upon his father's farm in Colona township he was reared to manhood, making his home there from the spring of 1866 until 1893. He attended the district schools in order to acquaint himself with the elementary branches of English learning and afterward spent three years as a pupil in the public schools of Geneseo. Subsequently he became cashier and bookkeeper in the store of A. P. Fisk, of Moline, Illinois, but later returned to the farm and entered into partnership with his father-a connection that was continued until the latter's death. At that time he began operating the home farm on his own account and so continued until the spring of 1893, when he turned his attention to commercial pursuits. Removing to Geneseo, he purchased the hardware store of Ayers Fisher and a year later gave it to his son Joseph, who continued to conduct the business for three years and then sold out. Mr. Stafford now devotes his attention to his farming interests, for as he has prospered in his undertakings he has made extensive investment in land and is now the owner of eight hundred acres in Rock county, Minnesota, all of which is well improved. He likewise superintends the old home farm, comprising four hundred and eighty acres, for his mother. His own residence is a beautiful home on West Pearl street in Geneseo, where he has lived continuously since 1893.

On the 24th of July, 1876, Mr. Stafford was united in marriage to Miss Ella Frances, a daughter of Calvin and Armilda (Sharp) Frances. Mrs. Stafford was born in this county, her parents coming from Virginia to Illinois and casting in their lot with the early settlers of Henry county. Her paternal grandparents were Jacob and Hettie Frances. The former died, after which his widow became Mrs. Johnson. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Stafford was Jacob Sharp, a native of Kentucky, who became one of the pioneer residents of Colona township, Henry county, Illinois. He married Henrietta Gillenwaters and both lived to old age. They had six children : William, Armilda, Matilda, Charles, Amanda and Sis. On

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coming to this county the parents of Mrs. Stafford settled near Coal Valley in Colona township, where the father engaged in farming. He died in Mammoth, Utah, in 1908, at the age of eighty-three years, while his wife passed away in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1902, at the age of sixty-three years. They were the par- ents of six sons and two daughters : William Henry, Alonza, John, James, Ella A., Stephen A., William and Alice. The eldest son was a soldier of the Civil war, serving as a member of Company B, One Hundred and Twelfth Illinois Volunteer Infantry.

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Stafford was blessed with three children: Jo- seph A., Ethel M. and Bertha E. Bertha is a graduate of the Geneseo high school and is now attending Oxford College, at Oxford, Ohio. Ethel M., is at home. The son, who conducts the North Side livery in Geneseo, married Miss Jennie Farber and they have two living children, Leonore and Wilford. Mrs. Stafford is a member of the Methodist church and is an estimable lady, whose good quali- ties of heart and mind have won her many friends. Mr. Stafford is an exemplary representative of Stewart Lodge, No. 92, A. F. & A. M., and also belongs to Gene- seo Chapter, No. 12, R. A. M. Politically he is a republican, and for several years he served as alderman, exercising his official prerogatives in support of many measures for the general good. In his business affairs he has displayed sound judgment and thorough reliability, and the advancing years have chronicled for him a notable and desirable success.

HARVEY CLINTON MCMULLEN, D. D. S.

Dr. Harvey Clinton McMullen, a well known and successful dental practitioner of Cambridge, was born in Franklin, Pennsylvania, on the 2d of January, 1875, his parents being Andrew G. and Helen Elizabeth (Bodine) McMullen, likewise natives of that place. The paternal grandfather, who was of Scotch descent, was also born in the Keystone state and followed general agricultural pursuits through- out his active business career. He passed away in the state of his nativity when eighty-seven years of age. The death of his wife, who lived to attain the age of sixty-seven years, also occurred in Pennsylvania. Their family numbered three sons and a daughter, namely : Andrew G., Joseph, Samuel and Mary. George Bodine, the maternal grandfather of our subject, was of German descent and a native of Pennesylvania. He likewise followed farming as a means of livelihood. Both he and his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Bodine, passed away in the Keystone state. They reared a large family of children.

Andrew G. McMullen, the father of Harvey C. McMullen, made his way to this state in the year 1876 and successfully followed merchandising in Kewanee for a number of years. He has capably served in the positions of city assessor and school trustee at Kewanee, where he still makes his home, being one of the re- spected and worthy residents of the city. Both he and his wife are Congregational- ists in religious belief. Unto them were born seven children, five sons and two daughters, four of whom still survive, as follows: Charles, a resident of Brush,

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Colorado; Harvey Clinton, of this review; Homer, living in Walla Walla, Wash- ington; and Florence, who is engaged in teaching at Kewanee.

Dr. Harvey C. McMullen was but a year old when brought by his parents to Illinois. He lived in New Windsor, Mercer county, until eleven years of age and then went to Kewanee, where he grew to manhood, obtaining his education in the public and high schools of that place. Subsequently he spent one year at the University of Illinois and then entered the Chicago Dental College, from which institution he was graduated in 1901. Locating for practice in Bradford, Stark county, Illinois, he there remained for a year and then took up his abode in Cam- bridge, Henry county, where he has since remained, his skill and ability in the line of his chosen profession having won him an extensive and lucrative practice. The Henry County Dental Society numbers him among its valued members.

On the 25th of March, 1903, Dr. McMullen was united in marriage to Miss Helen Catharine White, a native of Buda, Bureau county. In his political views the Doctor is a stalwart democrat, while fratenrally he is identified with Cambridge Lodge, No. 47, A. F. & A. M., Geneseo Chapter, No. 12, R. A. M., Cambridge Lodge, No. 199, I. O. O. F., and the Elks at Kewanee. His religious faith is in- dicated by his membership in the Baptist church, with which his wife is also affiliated. They are numbered among the highly esteemed young people of the community and have a host of warm friends.

WILLIAM NELSON MOODY.

William Nelson Moody, one of the honored residents of Clover township, comes of a prominent family and has borne his part in sustaining its reputation. He was born November 15, 1838, a son of John and Betsy (Stockdale) Moody, who removed from Greene county, Pennsylvania, to Morrow county, Ohio, in 1825 soon after their marriage. They cast their lot with the pioneers in that lo- cality, for at that time Ohio was very sparsely settled, the nearest neighbors of the Moody family being nearly thirteen miles away, and Indians were trouble- some. Wild game was plentiful, dense forests covered the land and before it could be made productive it was necessary to clear it. Surrounded by these primitive conditions, William Nelson Moody was born and reared to manhood. He attended the country district school, held in a log cabin, and at the same time assisted in the general work of the farm.

In the fall of 1857 he came to Clover township, Henry county, Illinois, where one sister had already located, and he spent the winter with her, returning in the spring of 1858 to his father's home with the full intention of making Henry county his permanent location. On July 29, 1859, he married Angeline Painter, a daughter of Jacob and Ann (Nichols) Painter, farming people of Morrow county. The Painter family never moved to Illinois. During the Civil war which soon followed, Mr. Moody was a member of the National Guard and upon the call of Governor Tod of Ohio to defend Cincinnati and other Ohio river points against the anticipated raid of the Confederate General Kirby Smith, he reported with his company for duty and was stationed at Cleves on

W. N. MOODY AND FAMILY

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the Ohio river a few miles below Cincinnati. After a few weeks' service he was mustered out with his command.

After his marriage Mr. Moody engaged in farming in Ohio until the fall of 1862, when he made his anticipated return to Clover township, Henry county, Illinois, and settled upon the farm which has been his home ever since. Mr. and Mrs. Moody have had a family of ten children, seven of whom are living: Emma, who married J. F. S. Philis; Elizabeth, who married George Mahaffey, of Oklahoma; Joseph G., who is a farmer of Clover township; George B., who is a farmer in the vincinity of Cambridge ; Louella, who married Wallace Elliott, of Oklahoma ; Pemerlietta, who married Prescott Harkness, of Monument, Kan- sas ; Clarence B., who lives in Oklahoma; and Jacob W., John and Laura A., who are deceased. The wife and mother died February 17, 1906, much beloved and widely mourned. On December 19, 1906, Mr. Moody married Hilda Carl- son and to this union one child was born, a son, Naaman N.

Mr. Moody has always devoted himself to farming and has been very suc- cessful owing to his progressive and enterprising spirit. He is a democrat and a partisan of the old Jeffersonian school but has never been an office seeker. Of strong character and determined in his views, he has always been glad to defend his position upon current questions, and, deeply interested in education, he has served for many years on the board of education. He is a member of Woodhull Lodge, No. 502, A. F. & A. M., in which he has filled all the offices except worshipful master. He was also a charter member of Clover Range, Patrons of Husbandry, and for years was active in its affairs. For many years he has also been very active in the Christian Union church.

Mr. Moody is not the only one of his family to become well known in Clover township, for in 1870 he induced his father and mother and their family to come here and they located on a farm near his own. The father was a democrat in his political views. He and his wife and most of his family were members of the Presbyterian church and were devout believers in its teachings. The father died in May, 1880, his wife having preceded him by several years, and both are buried in the Woodhull cemetery.

The maternal grandmother of our subject belonged to the Harper family which owned and operated Harper's Ferry of Civil war fame, at the time that John Brown was executed. Mr. Moody has quite a number of the picks with which John Brown armed the negroes and he prizes them as relics of an ex- citing and memorable period in our nation's history.

FERDINAND F. RIEGER.

Ferdinand F. Rieger, pleasantly situated in Geneseo enjoying a well earned retirement, the fruits of his former toil, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Au- gust 15, 1860. For more than a half century the family has been represented con- tinuously in Henry county. His grandparents in the paternal line spent their entire lives in Germany. The grandfather was twice married and died at a very old age. Ferdinand Rieger, the father of our subject, was born in Germany and

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in his life manifested many of the sterling characteristics of the Teutonic race. He was a cabinet-maker and carpenter and always lived a busy and useful life. He came to America in 1852, when fifteen years of age, and went to Milwaukee, where he had a sister living. There he learned the trade of cabinet-making, following that pursuit for a considerable period. About 1858 he removed to Henry county, Illinois, making his home in Loraine township, where he worked at his trade until his marriage to Miss Margaret Wagner, also a native of Germany. She was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Conrad Wagner, who on coming to the new world took up their abode in Loraine township, Henry county, Illinois, where the father engaged in farming. In later years he removed to Geneseo, there spending the evening of his life, passing away at the venerable age of eighty-six years, while his wife was eighty-five years of age at the time of her death. They were the parents of four daughters: Margaret, Elizabeth, Catharine and Susan. Follow- ing the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Ferdinand Rieger, Sr., they went to Milwaukee, where they lived for two years, and then returned to Henry county, settling in Geneseo. For the past three or four years, however, they have lived at Spring Hill, and on the 4th of June, 1908, they celebrated their golden wedding, surrounded by their children and several grandchildren. They are members of the German Methodist church, and their lives have exemplified the principles of Christianity. Their family numbers three sons and four daughters : Ferdinand F .; William L .; Amelia, the wife of Luther Ballard, of Portland, Illinois; Elizabeth, the wife of Fred Carney, of Spring Hill, Illinois ; Charles, living in Sterling, this state ; Carrie the wife of Frank Ward, of Sterling; and Mary, the wife of Guy Overholser, of Sterling.

Ferdinand F. Rieger was but an infant when his parents returned to Henry county, and he was therefore reared in Geneseo. Here he began his education as a pupil in the German school, but after three years spent in study there he con- tinued his course in the public schools. When he put aside his text-books he sought to provide for his own living by entering the employ of H. W. Moses in the poultry business. He found this work congenial, won promotions as the re- sult of his capability and fidelity, and that he enjoyed in unlimited measure the confidence and trust of his employer is indicated in the fact that he was later ad- mitted to a partnership. Eventually, in 1891, he purchased the interest of Mr. Moses and conducted the business alone for several years. His trade extended over a wide territory for he had branch houses at Sterling, Milledgeville, Lanark, Geneseo, and elsewhere. His business furnished an excellent market to poultry producers in those parts of the state, and at the same time in conducting his enter- prise he met with substantial and continuous success. Year by year witnessed an increase in his business, until with a very handsome competence he retired to enjoy the fruits of his former toil and since 1906 has given his attention only to supervision of his investments.

Mr. Rieger was married on the 20th of March, 1884, to Miss Mary E. Heller, a daughter of David and Catharine (Arnett) Heller. Mrs. Rieger was born in Loraine township. Her mother was from Alsace-Loraine, while her father was a native of Pennsylvania. They came to this country when it was still a pioneer district, Mrs. Heller arriving in 1837 in company with her parents, Louis and Clara (Shelty) Arnett. Unto Mr. and Mrs. David Heller were born ten chil-

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dren : Caroline, Louis, Susanne, Laphenas, Solomon, Samuel, Wesley, Mary E. and two who died in infancy.

In the home of Mr. and Mrs. Rieger are two daughters and one son, Pearl A., Howard E. and Edna May. Prior to his marriage Mr. Rieger resided in Geneseo and afterward established his home in Sterling, Illinois, where he lived for several years. In 1892, however, he returned to Geneseo, and in 1902 he built one of the finest homes of the city. It is of an attractive style of architecture and beautifully and tastefully furnished with all those home adornments which refined taste sug- gest and wealth can secure. Fraternally he is connected with the Modern Wood- men of America and with the Fraternal Tribunes.

Politically Mr. Rieger is a republican, stanch in his advocacy of the principles of the party but without desire for office. Up to the time of his retirement he pre- ferred to concentrate his energies upon the conduct and management of a growing business, and in his intelligent appreciation for, and utilization of, opportunities was found the secret of his success. A laudable ambition led him into large undertakings, and his prosperity followed as the natural sequence of persistent and well directed labor. He has become widely known through the extent of his business interests and was regarded as one of the most prominent business men · of this portion of the state.

WILLIAM L. ANDREWS.

William L. Andrews, a farmer and stock-raiser whose home is on section 7, Geneseo township, was born on the farm and in the house which he now occu- pies, his natal day being October 12, 1868. His parents were James and Mary (Campbell) Andrews, of whom extended mention is made elsewhere in this work. Their family numbered eleven children, one of whom died in infancy, while ten still survive, six of the number being yet residents of Henry county. William L. Andrews, who was the fourth in order of birth, acquired his preliminary education in the country schools and afterward spent some time as a pupil in the Geneseo Collegiate Institute. Through the periods of vacation his time and energies were devoted to farm work so that he gained comprehensive knowledge of the best methods of tilling the soil and of caring for the crops.

Having arrived at years of maturity Mr. Andrews was married on the 6th of January, 1892, to Miss Rosa Gainey, of Carbon Cliff, Rock Island county, Illinois, a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Mitchell) Gainey. This union has been blessed with ten children: Ruth C., Bernice M., Chester G., Leslie W., Mary C., James T., William M., Margaret, Conrad and John Asa.

Mr. Andrews began his married life on the farm owned by his father in Colona township and there resided for ten years, after which he took up his abode on the old homestead farm, where he has since remained. He has brought its fields un- der a high state of cultivation, has added modern improvements and has carried forward the work of general development until the farm is now one of the val- uable properties of this part of the state. The soil, naturally rich and arable,

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returns a golden tribute for the care and labor bestowed upon it, and for his rich harvests Mr. Andrews finds a ready sale on the market.

In the faith of the democratic party Mr. Andrews was reared and has since been allied with the organization, casting his first presidential ballot for Grover Cleveland. He has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking but in 1909 was elected a member of the first board of education for the township high school. He furthers progressive measures along educational lines and in fact his influence is ever given for the betterment of public interest. He was reared in the faith of the Presbyterian church and both he and his wife are members thereof, their lives being in strict conformity to its teachings and principles.

NATHANIEL MAYHEW.

Twenty-nine years have come and gone since Nathaniel Mayhew was called to his final rest, yet he is well remembered by the older citizens of Henry county as a representative of the reliable business men of this district through the middle portion of the nineteenth century. He was at different times connected with in- dustrial and commercial interests in Kewanee, Wethersfield and Neponset, and in every relation commanded the respect and confidence of those with whom he was brought in contact. He was born in Warren county, Ohio, March 10, 1829, his parents being Nathaniel and Sarah Mayhew, who had removed to Ohio from the state of Maine, having previously lived near Bangor. They made the journey westward with ox-teams, being six months upon the road.

Nathaniel Mayhew spent the first sixteen years of his life in the state of his nativity and then became a resident of Wethersfield, Illinois. He there learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed for many years, or until 1860, during which period he was actively identified with building operations in this part of the state, and there are still standing a number of old, substantial structures on which he worked. In 1860, however, he turned his attention to commercial pur- suits, establishing a hardware store in Kewanee, which he conducted for six years. He then joined William H. Blish in the purchase of a flour mill at Wethersfield, which they removed to Neponset, conducting business there for four years. The venture was a profitable one, but on account of ill health Mr. Mayhew sold out and retired from active life, spending his remaining days in the enjoyment of well earned rest.

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History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II, Part 25

Author: Kiner, Henry L., 1851- Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Chicago : The Pioneer Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1138

Author: Kiner, Henry L., 1851-
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago : The Pioneer Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1138