History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II, Part 41

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

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Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Wickstrom has given his political allegiance to the men and measures of the democracy. Fra- ternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias, belonging to Galva Lodge, No. 417. He has an extensive circle of warm friends throughout the community in which his entire life has been spent and is widely recognized as one of the prosperous, progressive and enterprising citizens of his native county.

JOHN F. PAPENTHIEN.

John F. Papenthien is now proprietor of a breeding and feed barn in Geneseo and belongs to that class of men who owe their business standing and success entirely to their own efforts for he has worked diligently and persistently as the years have gone by, placing his dependence upon the substantial qualities of un- faltering energy and determination. He was born in Prussia, Germany, May 25, 1862, and is a son of John and Mary (Shimelman) Papenthien. The father was born in February, 1838, and the mother's birth occurred in 1830. She has been dead now for nearly four years but the father is still living. He served for

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HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY

two years in the Prussian army and in the year 1868 came to America, settling first in Bureau county, Illinois, where he devoted his attention to farming for eleven years. The following year he removed to Wisconsin and in 1879 came to Henry county, Illinois, settling on a farm in Loraine township. He is now retired from active business and makes his home with a daughter in Geneseo. He is a republican in politics, having supported the party since becoming a naturalized American citizen, but has never sought nor desired office. His religious faith is that of the Evangelical church. Unto him and his wife were born nine children but only three are now living: Carrie, the eldest, is the widow of Henry Weber and resides in Geneseo. She has six children : Henry, who lives in Loraine town- ship and has one child; Jacob, who resides in Hanna township and has one child ; Ed, who lives in Geneseo township and has one child; Herman, also of Geneseo township, who has two children; Casper and Lydia, at home. John F. is the next of the family. Augusta, the youngest of the surviving children, is the wife of Philip Metzner, a resident of Ritzville, Washington, and she has six children.

John F. Papenthien was only six years of age when brought by his parents to the new world, He attended school in Bureau county, Illinois, but his educa- tional advantages were somewhat limited for he began farm work when only nine years of age. He remained with his parents until twenty-four, when he started out in life for himself, following the occupation to which he had been reared. He then rented a farm in Henry county, upon which he lived for four years, after which he purchased his father's farm of two hundred and sixty acres in Loraine township. With charcteristic energy he began its further development and improvement, practised the rotation of crops as he carefully tilled his fields and continued to develop his place after the most modern methods until 1899, when he withdrew from farming and established a feed and breeding barn. He has three lots on North Center street in Geneseo and in addition to his office there has a horse barn and feed barn, an ice house and machine shop. The last two buildings he rents, while the former two are used in the conduct of his busi- ness. He owns several full-blooded animals, two of which he values at from fif- teen hundred to two thousand dollars. He is regarded as one of the leading horse breeders of the county and also does a profitable business in conducting a feed stable.

On the 23d of February, 1888, Mr. Papenthien was united in marriage to Miss Eva Gestner, who was born in Baden, Germany, in 1869 and is a daughter of Valentine and Margaret (Masengarb) Gestner, who were likewise natives of Germany and came to America about 1870 or 1871. The father was a farmer by occupation and devoted many years to tilling the soil but at length retired from active business and established his home in Geneseo. His political support is given to the republican party. Unto him and his wife have been born ten children and the family record is a notable one in that the circle remains unbroken by the hand of death. Susan, the eldest, is still at home. Eva is now Mrs. Papenthien. Barbara is the wife of Charles Rose, of Geneseo, and has one child, Lester. Maggie is the wife of William Sautee, of Phenix township, Henry county, and they have two children. Dena is the wife of Emil Munter, a resident of Geneseo, and they have three children. Katie is the wife of Luther Henander, of Geneseo township, and has five children. Mary is the wife of Herbert Smith of Geneseo,

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and has one child. Elizabeth is the wife of Robert Crisop, living in Loraine town- ship, and they have two children. Emma is the wife of James Ellingsworth, whose home is in Colona township, and has one child. John, a resident of Kan- sas, married Marsha Decker and has one son, Royce.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Papenthien have been born six children, all of whom were born in Henry county and are yet living. Hattie, born September 13, 1899, is a 1908 graduate of the Geneseo high school and is engaged in the millinery business in Geneseo. Pearl, born September 17, 1891, is a 1909 graduate of the Geneseo high school and is now engaged in teaching in Geneseo township. Lloyd, born August 29, 1893, is attending school. Etta, born August 8, 1895, Mildred, born November 20, 1901, and Oral, born August 21, 1904, are all yet at home.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Papenthien are members of the United Evangelical church, in the work of which they are actively and helpfully interested. Mr. Papenthien is one of the class leaders in the church and his wife belongs to the Woman's Missionary Society. Both are connected with the Mystic Workers and with the Tribe of Ben Hur, and Mr. Papenthien gives his political allegiance to the repub- lican party, for he has firm belief in the efficacy of its principles as factors in good government. He is a self-made man for, although his father is well-to-do, he left his son to make his own way in the world, and John F. Papenthien became a man of self-reliant spirit, of determined purpose and laudable ambition. At the time of his marriage he was practically empty-handed but with the assistance of his estimable wife, who has been most careful in the management of the house- hold affairs, he has won success and is now in comfortable circumstances.

HON. JONAS W. OLSON.

An enumeration of those men of the present generation who have won honor and public recognition for themselves and at the same time have honored the state to which they belong would be incomplete were there failure to make prominent reference to the one whose name initiates this paragraph. He holds distinctive precedence as an eminent lawyer and statesman, has been long recognized as a prominent representative of the democracy, and in many questions of vital interest his position has been one of acknowledged leadership. He has been and he is dis- tinctively a man of affairs, and one who has wielded a wide influence. A strong mentality, an invincible courage, a most determined individuality have so entered into his makeup as to render him a natural leader of men and a director of opinion.

His birth occurred in Soderala, Sweden, June 30, 1843. It was not until he was fifty years of age that he obtained authentic knowledge of the exact date of his birth, for he was not only left an orphan at the age of three years but with one exception all of his relatives in America died, and had it not been for an aunt who cared for him he would have been left utterly alone. He was a son of the Rev. Olof Olson, who arrived in the United States in 1845 as the repre- sentative of a colony who desired to seek religious liberty in the new world. He was connected with a religious movement in Sweden which awakened the con-

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demnation of the established church, and the new sect were forbidden to hold services. It is said that the Rev. Olson was arrested and forced to pay heavy fines for holding meetings or conventicles in his own home and that had he been again arrested he would have been banished, in conformity with an old Swedish law which is now obsolete. The desire to worship according to the dictates of his own conscience led him to seek the freedom of the new world, and eleven hundred of the same sect determined to emigrate for the same reason. Accord- ingly the Rev. Olson was chosen to select a favorable location for the colony, and in 1845 he came to the United States accompanied by his wife and two children. While there their child, Jonas W. Olson, who was then in very delicate health was left in the care of his grandmother and his aunt, Catherina Wilhelmina Petronella Skoglund, who were to bring him to America with the colony the fol- lowing year if he were then living, which seemed very doubtful when the parents sailed for the United States. Up to that time the Swedish people had in only very limited degree left their native land for the new world, the Rev. Olson being among the pioneers of his countrymen to seek homes in America. Journeying westward in search of location for the colony he at length selected Bishop Hill as a favorable site, and the following year he was joined by that band of devoted Christian people whose influence was to be widely felt in the affairs of Illinois.

Jonas W. Olson was brought by his aunt to the new world. His illness had terminated in the paralysis of one limb, rendering him permanently lame, and this was but one of many disasters which followed him in his boyhood, for the day before he reached his father's home his mother died. Not long afterward his sister and brother departed this life and in a brief time his father and his grandmother were called to their final rest. He was thus left entirely alone save for his aunt, who had married Peter Dahlgren and was living in Galesburg. For a time Jonas Olson attended the school in that city, and after the removal of Mr. Dahlgren to a farm five miles from Victoria he walked a distance of two miles to attend school at Center Prairie- a long and often difficult journey to one in his crippled condition. At the end of fifteen years necessity obliged him to pro- vide for his own support, and he began learning the shoemaker's trade under the direction of Ira C. Reed of Lafayette, Illinois, the terms of apprenticeship being that he was to receive twenty-five dollars per year. His employer, however, was a just man and, recognizing that his services were of greater value, he gave him double that amount as a compensation for his labor. He was most diligent and thorough in his work, and after he had completed his term of indenture he en- gaged in shoemaking for a year thus earning the funds that enabled him to con- tinue his education in Galva high school. When his money gave out he returned to his trade and thus worked and studied alternately for some time. His re- view of the business world led him to the determination to make the practice of law his life work, and while following the shoemaker's trade he devoted the morn- ing and evening hours to the study of Kent, Blackstone and other commentaries. His law studies were afterward directed by the late Hon. John I. Bennett, and in 1869 he successfully passed the required examination demanded for admission to the bar. Advancement in the law is proverbially slow, still in no profession is there a career more open to talent; yet the successful practitioner must not only be carefully prepared by a thorough understanding of legal principles but must

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also have thorough appreciation of the absolute ethics of life and of the underly- ing principles which form the basis of all human rights and privileges. In the difficult school of experience Mr. Olson had learned many valuable lessons which now serve him in his practice, enabling him to understand human conduct, the various phases of life and the complexity of business interests, all of which are factors in successful law practice. Moreover, he has ever prepared his cases with great precision and care and has ever presented the case upon its merits, never failing to recognize the point at issue and yet never failing to give due considera- tion to details which bear in any way upon his cause. His retentive mind has ever excited the surprise of his professional colleagues, and he has won for himself very favorable criticism for the careful and systematic methods which he has followed. Thus, as the years have gone by, Mr. Olson has enjoyed an extensive clientage of an important character, being connected with many of the leading cases tried in the courts of his district.

Neither is Mr. Olson unknown as a law maker for in the state legislature he has been active in shaping the policy of the commonwealth. A recognized leader in political circles his fellow townsmen gave expression of their confidence in his ability and his loyalty in public affairs by electing him, in 1870, as a representative from Rock Island and Henry counties in the twenty-seventh general assembly. Although one of the youngest members of the house he took a very active and prominent part in its work, served on very important committees and on a num- ber of occasions was called upon to act as speaker pro tempore. Only a short time prior to his election a very large number of the Swedish emigrants, who had obtained work on the Peoria & Rock Island Railroad, had through the insolvency of the contractors been swindled out of their wages and were left penniless in a strange land, among a people who spoke a tongue unfamiliar to them. To remedy evils of this character and prevent the recurrence of such injustice Mr. Olson procured the enactment of a law of which he was the author and which has ever since remained on the statutes of Illinois, giving to laborers who work for contractors or subcontractors a lien upon all property of the railroad cor- poration to secure their wages.

During the extra session of the legislature to consider the matter of the Chi- cago fire he visited that city, together with the other members of the house, and upon his reurn to Galva found his own home in ashes. Four times has he had to suffer that disaster, but his determined purpose and unflinching courage have enabled him to rise above all discouragement and resolutely undertake the task of retrieving his possessions. In 1881 he erected a fine business block in Galva, which stands as a monument to his enterprise and marked ability.

Mr. Olson has continued through many years as one of the leading represen- tatives of the democratic party in this state and is regarded as the most prominent representative of the democracy among the Scandinavian people of the Missis- sippi valley. He voted with the republican party until the questions arising from the Civil war were settled, and then in 1872, like many men prominent in the party, he withdrew from its ranks and has since given stalwart allegiance to the principles of the democratic party. His position has never been an equivocal one. On the contrary, he has ever stood fearless in defense of his honest convictions, and while he might have attained higher political preferment in the ranks of the

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republican party as most of his fellow countrymen are supporters of that cause he preferred to maintain his political integrity rather than enjoy the fruits and opportunities of office. In 1880 his party nominated him for state's attorney, and although he could not overcome the strong republican majority, which the county always gives, he ran more than a thousand votes ahead of his ticket, a fact which indicates his personal popularity and the confidence reposed in him by his fellowmen. In 1884 he was again defeated for that office. Political prefer- ment, however, came to him following the election of Grover Cleveland, who appointed him to the position of postmaster of Galva, in which capacity he served during both Cleveland's first and second administrations. After the end of his second term as postmaster he was nominated by the democratic party of his district as its candidate for congress. He has also been a member for the state at large of the Illinois democratic state central committee, and his opinions carry weight in the councils of his party. He is a logical, entertaining and force- ful speaker, and his public addresses have won votes for the organization in which hè believes.

On the 18th of November, 1869, Mr. Olson was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Matteson, a daughter of Anson Matteson, who at the time of his emigra- tion from Sweden held the rank of major in the Swedish army. He received a silver medal from the king on account of his efficiency as a soldier and a swords- man. Mrs. Olson was born in Ugglebo, Sweden, June 5, 1848, and was a little maiden of eleven summers when brought to the United States. By her marriage she becames the mother of three daughters: Mary Aurora, born September II, 1870; Maude Violet, born November 10, 1876; and Mabel Winifred, whose birth occurred October 24, 1880. The eldest was graduated from Knox College, June 12, 1896, and is the wife of Ivan Bell. Maude V. became the wife of Edward I. Seely, who was drowned in Cedar River near Mount Vernon, Iowa, a year later. Mabel W. is a graduate of the Knox College Conservatory of Music, where she engaged in teaching music for a year, and she is now teaching private classes at home, being recognized as one of the most capable instructors in music in Galva.

Such in brief is the life history of Mr. Olson, and the record is a creditable one, for at all times he has lived up to a high standard of honorable and manly principles, making good use of his time and opportunities and exerting his influ- ence for the betterment of the community in every possible way. At the semi- centennial celebration of the arrival of the Bishop Hill colony at Bishop Hill, September 23 and 24, 1896, he was called upon to deliver a public address, from which we quote the following:

"In July, 1846, Olof Olson was joined by Eric Janson, and together they fixed upon Henry county as the place to locate the settlement, my father having al- ready purchased forty acres of land in Red Oak Grove, but a short distance west of here, which to this day is known as 'Olson's field.'

"In the fall of the same year came the Jonas Olson party, among whom was my grandfather and aunt, who brought me over. I am told that the day previous to our arrival my mother had died. She had not yet been buried and I do not know whether I remember seeing her or not; it seems to me that I have a sort of a dazed, hazy recollection of being ushered into the presence of some one

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dead, but whether I then knew that I was looking upon the face of my mother, knowing that it was cold in death, I do not know and cannot tell. If at the time of her death she knew that I was on the way, and so very near, that if her life could only have been spared another day she would have been permitted to see her unfortunate child once more, if only to greet him with a last parting glance expressive of what no tongue can describe-a mother's love. I can imagine that as that sainted mother closed her eyes to the last sad scenes of earth, in her un- speakable anguish her last thoughts were probably to wonder what would become of her poor crippled boy. My father, sister, brother and grandmother all died only a few days later, and it seems so passing strange that of the entire family I should have been the only one to survive and be allowed the privilege of par- ticipating in the celebration of this fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Bishop Hill. The feelings that overwhelm me make me almost wish that the doctrine of the spiritualists might be true. If disembodied spirits were permitted to look down upon the scenes of earth, it might be a consolation to that sainted mother to know that her then seemingly unfortunate child is thus honored and that the people in this world with whom his lot has fallen have been so kind to him."

Mr. Olson is an orator of more than average ability, and his well chosen lan- guage is the expression of clear-cut thought, logical deductions and wise reason- ing. He is regarded as one of the most prominent and influential residents of the county, honored for what he has accomplished, while his ability has gained him the success that is richly merited.

PETER HERDIEN.

The specific and distinctive office of biography is not to give voice to a man's modest esteem of himself and his accomplishments but rather to leave a record establishing his position through the weight of public opinion. While Mr. Her- dien takes no special credit to himself for what he has accomplished, a careful analysis of his record will show that his advancement is attributable entirely to his own efforts; that without family or pecuniary advantages at the outset of his career he has labored long and diligently to attain success and at the same time has gained his prosperity without sacrifice of other interests.

Peter Herdien was born in Lingbo Skog Parish, Sweden, May 23, 1844, his parents being Hans Hanson and Catharine Jonson, both of whom were natives of Sweden. The paternal grandfather was Hans Hanson (Check), the last name being a military title. He was a farmer by occupation but died in Sweden when almost eighty years of age. His wife, Anna, passed away a few years later and had also reached an old age. They were the parents of four sons and three daughters, of whom one is now living-Nels Rosen, a resident of Stromsburg, Nebraska. The maternal grandfather of our subject was Jons Jonson, a farmer, and both he and his wife, Christina Jonson, died in Sweden when well advanced in years. They had two sons and three daughters but all are now deceased.

The father of our subject was Hans Hanson Herdien, whose last name was also a military title. He also followed farming and for many years engaged in

PETER HERDIEN

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the milling business but afterward returned to farming. He died in Sweden about 1866 at the age of fifty-six years, while his wife survived him until 1891 and was seventy-six years of age at the time of her death. Both were of the Lutheran faith and Mr. Hanson was active in the church work and served as chorister of the church. He was also a volunteer in the regular army. His family numbered two sons and a daughter: Hans, deceased; Peter, of this re- view; and Christine, living near the old home in Sweden.

Peter Herdien was reared in Sweden and acquired his education under his mother's instruction. He began learning the cabinetmaker's trade when sixteen years of age just after his confirmation in the church and served an apprentice- ship of four years at cabinetmaking and fresco painting, attaining to a high degree of efficiency during that period. In 1864 he crossed the Atlantic to Amer- ica and settled first near Oneida, Illinois, where he worked for a short time on a farm. The succeeding winter was passed in Knoxville, Illinois, at cabinetmak- ing, after which he again located near Oneida, Illinois, and was engaged at house building and carpenter work until 1869. Subsequently he spent one year at cabinetmaking in Woodhull and in 1870 came to Galva, where he purchased an interest in the furniture store of Headstrom & Peterson, the firm name being changed to Peterson & Herdien. They conducted a successful business until 1885, when their store was destroyed by fire, after which they dissolved partner- ship. They had also established branch stores at Cambridge, Illinois, and Kear- ney, Nebraska, but sold these. About 1876, they established a coal business on a small scale and it was eventually merged into the Herdien Coal Company, a corporation, which sank and operated a number of coal shafts. Mr. Herdien next became closely and prominently associated with the development of the coal interests in Galva and the business brought to him substantial and gratifying success. From 1891 to 1895, while taking a vacation in Chicago, he was called home to assume the management of the Hayes Pump & Planter Company in the capacity of president and financial representative, which company is now reaping the benefit of his labor. He retained that position until 1908, when he resigned, leaving the company in a first-class business and financial standing. His business judgment is sound, his enterprise marked and his progressive spirit so strong that his cooperation has long been regarded as a most valuable factor in the business circles of the city and locality. He became one of the original stock- holders of the First National Bank which was organized in 1882 and held the position of vice president of the bank until the death of Adam Deem, when he succeeded to the presidency and has continued in that capacity ever since. Tlie bank was organized with a capital stock of fifty thousand dollars, with Adam Deem, president; Peter Herdien, vice president ; and O. P. Stoddard, cashier. It has become one of the strongest financial concerns of the county, its policy being a safe, conservative one, while its methods of business are thoroughly progressive. The present officers are Peter Herdien, president; A. F. Deem, vice president ; and V. A. Wigren, cashier; and the condition of the bank at close of business April 28, 1909, was as follows :

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History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II, Part 41

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