History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II, Part 46

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

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they went to a justice, were married and the families acquiesced in the inevitable. It was the beginning of what proved to be a long and happy married life. The Bonar family had settled at Walnut Creek in Knox county, Illinois, in 1838, and Mrs. Blish taught school there for two years. After their marriage, the young couple established their home in Wethersfield and always resided in that vicinity save for two years spent in Knoxville. In the winter of 1841-2, Mr. Blish en- gaged in teaching in Wethersfield with marked success and the following spring was appointed deputy surveyor. In 1843 he was elected county surveyor, which position he filled for eight years, during which time the settlement of the coun- try demanded his constant services in locating lands. Because of the knowl- edge which he thus gained he was frequently called upon to settled disputed boundary lines in later years. On his retirement from office he turned his at- tention to farming and was connected with agricultural pursuits throughout his remaining days. He made cattle a special feature of his place and about 1865 started a herd of shorthorns which in a few years had become one of the finest herds in the country. He won many prizes in Illinois and Iowa state fairs and at the fat stock shows in Chicago and was a member of the National Shorthorn Breeders' Association. His labors were an important element in improving the grade of cattle raised in the state, and his work in this connection merits the thanks and praise of the agricultural community. He also figured prominently in business circles in connection with the organization of the First National Bank, of which he remained president for eighteen years, retiring only a short time before his death. His wise counsel and discriminating judgment were important elements in the successful conduct of that institution, and he in- stalled there a business system as honorable as that which characterized his work in other relations of life. He was called to several local offices, acting as town clerk for several years after the adoption of the township organization and as school director for a quarter of a century. He was one of the organi- zers of the Henry County Fair Association, for several years acted as its sec- retary and afterward as its president.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Blish were born six children: James Knox, who is rep- resented elsewhere in this volume; William Henry, who was born August 15, 1844, and died in Knoxville, Illinois, January 15, 1846; Sylvester, who was born October 13, 1846, and died September 21, 1847, in Knoxville; Matthew Bonar, born at Wethersfield, December 5, 1848; Carrie Elizabeth, who was born October 8, 1854, and died in March, 1856; and Kittie Louise, who was born Au- gust 14, 1857, and died January 24, 1859.

The death of Mr. Blish occurred very suddenly December 15, 1890. He and his wife were planning to celebrate their golden wedding on the 23d of that month and on the day of his death he was about town and had mailed the invi- tations. In the night he became suddenly ill and expired almost immediately His funeral services were conducted by the Masonic lodge of Kewanee, of which he was a charter member, the funeral sermon being preached by the pastor of the Congregational church, of which he had long been a faithful and loyal repre- sentative. One of the local papers said of him:

"Mr. Blish has always been one of the foremost men of Kewanee in any and all public enterprises for the advancement of the town. In matters of impor-

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HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY

tance and in a social way, Mr. Blish stood very high, and his influence was as strong as any citizen in this community. As a business man he was successful, and as a citizen he was the friend of all, and we know of no one who will be missed more from the every-day life of our town than Charles C. Blish."

In the Blish genealogy, which has been published in book form appears the following: "After her busband's death Mrs. Blish never left the old home, but kept a horse which she drove to town and to church, unaided, even to the last Sabbath before her death. She died May 13, 1900, after a brief illness. The following extract from a local paper testifies the esteem in which she was held:

"In the quiet afternoon of an ideal May day, the friends of Mrs. Elizabeth P. Blish gathered at the old homestead, south of the city, Tuesday, and paid a last sad tribute to her noble life. In the large company, which filled the rooms of the hallowed old home and gathered on the lawn, were many whose hair. was streaked with gray and whose forms were bent with years. They were the remnant of the sturdy pioneers who conquered the prairies of Illinois in former days. They came to drop a tear of love and bow at the bier of one who has seen the seasons come and go for many, many years. Mrs. Blish was one of the last of the early settlers who assisted in the work of upbuilding whatever of worth has been established here. She was quiet and refined in her bearing, but quick of memory and ready of speech, and those who knew here well heard many a tale of the old pioneer times, intermingled with her delicate sense of humor. Her death is the passing of a landmark, revered, respected and loved most by those who knew her best."

ELMER E. FITCH.

On the roster of county officials appears the name of Elmer E. Fitch, of Cam- bridge, who is now filling the position of county clerk in a manner entirely accept- able, for the duties of the office are discharged in a prompt, systematic and thor- oughly reliable manner. He is one of the worthy citizens that Ohio has furnished to this state, his birth having occurred in Trumbull county, Ohio, August 13, 1846. In the paternal line he comes of English ancestry, the family having been founded in America during the colonial epoch of our country's history, while at the time of the Revolutionary war representatives of the name were active in support- ing American interests. At different times members of the family have attained prominence in various fields of life. After considerable research Elmer E. Fitch feels satisfied that the founder of the family in the new world was Thomas Fitch who settled in Massachusetts in 1638, according to the historian, Selleck, of Norwalk, Connecticut. There were four of the family in successive genera- tions who bore the name of Thomas, and the fourth Thomas Fitch was governor of Connecticut for ten years. William Haynes Fitch, an uncle of our subject, is of the belief that the founder of the family on this side the Atlantic was James Fitch, who came from Bocking, Essex county, England, in 1636. William Haynes Fitch, the grandfather of our subject, was a native of Norwalk, Connecticut, and for a number of years engaged in teaching school in New York city. He

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married Hannah Lockwood, a native of Connecticut and a daughter of Hezekiah Lockwood, who was a soldier of the Revolutionary war. The Lockwood family had one hundred and fifty representatives in the colonial and Revolutionary wars. Hezekiah Lockwood was a descendant of Robert Lockwood, the founder of the family in the new world.

George Fitch, a son of William Haynes and Hannah (Lockwood) Fitch and the father of Elmer E. Fitch, was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, and was edu- cated in New York city, where he also taught school for a number of years. He was twice married. His second wife, Deborah Boleyn, was a sister of his first wife and a daughter of Eli Boleyn, a native of Virginia, who was a cooper by trade and served his country as a soldier of the war of 1812. He married Jane Brisbine, who was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. In 1854 they removed to Fayette county, Iowa, where they spent their remaining days, Mr. Boleyn dying at the age of seventy-eight years and his wife when sixty-nine years of age. They were the parents of several children : James, Nancy, Mar- garet, Deborah, Samuel, Thomas and David.

By his first marriage George Fitch had one daughter, Martha Jane, now the de- ceased wife of Ira Kitch. By the marriage of George Fitch and Deborah Boleyn there were born four children : Martin Bentley, living in Decorah, Icwa; Alice, the deceased wife of Thomas Kennedy ; George W., of West Union, Iowa; and Elmer E. On leaving New York city the father removed to Ohio and set- tled near Youngstown where he spent the remainder of his life, passing away in December, 1847, his remains being interred in the Youngstown cemetery. His wife, Mrs. Deborah Fitch, survived him and with her eldest and youngest sons and her brother, Samuel Boleyn, removed to Indiana, settling on a farm five miles north of Laporte. In 1856 she went to Fayette county, Iowa, and in 1861 was there married to William O. Hageman. They became the parents of two children, Philo F. and one who died in infancy.

Elmer E. Fitch, whose name initiates this review, spent two or three years of his early childhood in Mercer county, Pennsylvania and thence accompanied his mother to Laporte, Indiana, and in 1856 to Fayette county, Iowa. He was reared upon a farm in Elyria township and pursued his education in the dis -. trict schools, the little "temple of learning" which he attended being a log struc- ture. He afterward became a student in the Upper Iowa University, at Fayette, Iowa, there pursuing a two years' college preparatory course. He afterward spent four years in the Iowa State University, at Iowa City, and was graduated with the class of 1874. When no longer a student he continued in the school- room as an instructor and was elected principal of the West Hill grammar school at Burlington, Iowa. In 1875 he was called to Galva, Illinois, as superintendent of the schools of that place and in 1882, he was appointed county superintendent of schools of Henry county by the board of supervisors to fill out the unexpired term of B. F. Barge. In 1883 he declined a reelection as superintendent of the schools of Galva and purchased the Galva News, which he continued to publish until November, 1906, when he was elected to the office of county clerk, enter- ing upon the duties thereof in the following December. He still owns the Galva News, having leased the paper and plant, while his undivided attention is given to his official duties, which are discharged with notable promptness and fidelity.

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HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY

Such in brief, is the history of Mr. Fitch's business connection, but it by no means covers the extent of his activities. On the 14th of August, 1862, he en- listed for service in the 'Civil war, enrolling his name in the little log school- house where he had pursued his early education when a small boy. On the previous day he had celebrated his sixteenth birthday, but though a boy in years he was a man in all that constituted valorous and faithful service. He was mus- tered in as a member of Company A, Thirty-eighth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and served as a private soldier until the 5th of September, 1865, when he was honorably discharged. He participated in the siege of Vicksburg and was on picket guard at the time of its surrender. He took part in numerous skirmishes and also in the siege of Fort Morgan, Alabama, and participated in the final charge on Fort Blakeley, Alabama, one of the last movements of the army in the south. After the war he resumed his school work but spent one summer and winter in the lumber regions of Wisconsin. His two brothers, Martin B. and George W. Fitch, were also soldiers of the Civil war, as was also his brother- in-law, Ira Kitch. The last two went from Pennsylvania and with their en- listment every male member of the family was enrolled as a Union soldier. George Fitch was taken prisoner at Gaines Mills, Virginia, and incarcerated in Libby Prison, while Ira Kitch was mortally wounded at Spottsylvania.

In political views Elmer E. Fitch has always been a stalwart republican and served as postmaster of Galva from 1891 until 1895. Always ready to do his duty when called upon he has never been a politician in the sense of office seek- ing, for he has had other interests, yet when elected to a position of public trust he has been most faithful to the interests given to his care. Fraternally he is a Master Mason, belonging to Galva Lodge, and he maintains pleasant relations with his old army comrades as a member of Galva Post, No. 33, G. A. R. He is prominent in the Mystic Workers of the World, of which he has been supreme director for thirteen years.

On the 5th of July, 1876, Mr. Fitch was married to Miss Rachel Helgesen, who was born near Madison, Wisconsin, and is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Helgesen, who were natives of Norway. They became early settlers of Wisconsin, where the mother died, and the father afterward removed to Decorah, Iowa. He was married three times and by his third wife had four children who are still living, namely : Mrs. Mary Passmore, now a resident of Elsinore, Utah; Hon. Henry T. Helgesen, a resident of Milton, North Dakota and late com- missioner of agriculture for that state; Mrs. H. T. Hammer, of Pullman, Illi- nois ; and Albert T., of Crookston, Minnesota. Mr. and Mrs. Fitch have become parents of two sons and a daughter : George, the eldest, now managing editor of the Peoria Herald Transcript, wedded Clara Gattrell Linn, and they have a daughter, Mary G .; Rachel Louise, now at home, was editor of the Galva News for a year and a half; Robert Haines, employed by the Simmons Hardware Company, of St. Louis, wedded Mary Morse and has two daughters, Mary Louise and Rachel Lillian.

Mr. Fitch has resided continuously in Henry county for more than a third of a century and has been a prominent factor in its educational progress and in its public life as a representative of the press, for through the columns of his paper he has labored conscientiously and effectively for the betterment of con-

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ditions that affect the general welfare. To make his native talents subserve the demands which conditions of society impose at the present time is the purpose of his life, and by reason of the mature judgment which characterizes his ef- forts at all times he stands today as a representative and valued citizen of his adopted county, to whom business is but one phase of life and does not exclude his active participation in and support of the other vital interests which go to make up human existence.

MRS. MARY MALMGREN OLSON.

Mrs. Mary Malmgren Olson is a lady of many estimable qualities, now making her home in Bishop Hill, having occupied a nice residence in this vil- lage for about five years. She has the distinction of being the first child born in the Bishop Hill colony, her birth occurring December 27, 1846. Her father, Jonas Malmgren, came to Henry county in 1846 from Woxna, Sweden, he being a member of a colony that came about that time. He had started across the Atlantic the year previous, but owing to a shipwreck, was forced to return but the following year the trip was successfully made. He had engaged in the milling business in Bolnas, Sweden, and after coming to Henry county he oper- ated the first grist mill in the colony, continuing work along this line until others came in who could relieve him. He was also a blacksmith by trade and did work along this line for the colony until its dissolution, after which Mr. Malm- gren opened a blacksmith shop on his own account and operated the same until his death, which occurred when he was seventy-four years of age. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Anna Catherine Quarnstrum, died in 1849.

The daughter Mary was educated in the colony school and was trained in the duties of the household, so that when she took charge of a home of her own she was well qualified to conduct it in a capable manner. After reaching years of maturity, she was married, December 22, 1866, to Olaf Olson, a young man who had emigrated from Alfta, Sweden, with his parents in 1849. At the time of the Civil war he offered his services to the government, becoming a member of Company I, One Hundred and Forty-eighth Illinois Volunteer In- fantry, with which he served until the close of hostilities. Prior to going to war he had worked as a farm hand and soon after he returned home from the field of battle, he purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres south of Bishop Hill. On this tract he and his bride began their domestic life, and Mr. Olson cultivated the soil throughout his remaining years. He became quite suc- cessful and was numbered among the worthy Swedish-American citizens of Weller township. After a happy married life covering thirty-eight years, they were separated by the death of Mr. Olson, which occurred in April, 1904, when he was sixty-one years of age. Personally, Mr. Olson was quiet and unassuming in manner, preferring rather to spend his time at his own fireside than to mingle with the public. At his death he left to his family a good farming property, and more than that, he left an untarnished name.

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Upon the death of the husband and father Mrs. Olson took up her abode in Bishop Hill, where she occupies a nice home and is surrounded by many friends. She has one son and two daughters: Henry, who operates the home farm in Weller township, and who is mentioned on another page of this work; Emma, the wife of P. L. Johnson, who is engaged in the hardware business in Bishop Hill; and Jennie, the wife of E. L. Swanson, the efficient postmaster of this' village. Mrs. Olson has one sister, Ulrika, who wedded Olaf Nordstrum and makes her home in Burbank, Alabama.

HENRY G. OLSON.

Henry G. Olson is an enterprising and progressive young man of Weller township, making his home on the farm which was also the place of his birth. His natal day was May 30, 1875, his parents being Olaf and Mary (Malmgren) Olson, whose sketch appears above.

Henry G. Olson, the only son of the family, was educated in the public schools of Bishop Hill, while his training at farm labor was received under the direc- tion of his father on the home place, during the periods of vacation. He con- tinued to assist his father until the latter's death, since which time he has oper- ated the land on his own account. The place consists of one hundred and five acres and he also cultivates another tract of forty acres and he owns twelve acres of timberland. He thoroughly understands his work, is systematic and methodical, and keeps everything about the place in repair, and altogether is a successful and representative business man.

When Mr. Olson took charge of the home farm he sought a companion and helpmate in Miss Almeda Arnquist, a daughter of Andrew Arnquist, a leading merchant of Bishop Hill. After completing her education, Mrs. Olson engaged in teaching for eight years in the primary department of the village schools prior to her marriage, which was celebrated on the 18th of October, 1904. She is the mother of two sons and a daughter: Donald, born July 5, 1905; and Roland and Dorothy, twins, born December 20, 1906.

Mr. Olson does not consider himself bound by party ties but votes for men and measures rather than for party. His fraternal relations are with the Mod- ern Woodmen and Select Knights. Both he and his wife are well known in this section, where their entire lives have been spent and where they have a wide circle of friends.

JAMES H. ANDREWS.

James H. Andrews of Kewanee, practicing at the Henry county bar as a member of the firm Anderson, Andrews & Welch, and also well known as a local leader of the democracy, was born in Geneseo, Illinois, December 18, 1870, and is one of a family of ten children, all of whom reached years of maturity.

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His parents were James and Marietta (Campbell) Andrews, the former a farmer by occupation. In the country schools the son pursued his early educa- tion and afterward benefited by instruction in the Geneseo Collegiate Institute and in Knox College at Galesburg, Illinois, graduating from the former in 1891 and the latter in 1895. When his more specifically literary education was com- pleted he began preparation for the practice of law and attended the Illinois Col- lege of law in Chicago, where he qualified for a professional career being then admitted to the bar on the 5th of December, 1901.

In the meantime, however, Mr. Andrews had come to Kewanee and was identified with newspaper interests here. He arrived in this city in August, 1897, and soon afterward purchased the Kewanee Democrat. He was also owner and publisher of the Kewanee Daily Verdict, a democratic paper which he is- sued for three years. In 1895 he organized the Geneseo Arena, which he pub- lished for two years, and all this time through his persistent efforts and also through the columns of the paper he was exerting a wide-felt influence in demo- cratic circles. In the fall of 1900 he was elected on the democratic ticket to represent his district in the lower house of the state legislature and served for one term, giving to each question which came up for settlement thoughtful and earnest consideration.

Since admitted to the bar in 1901 Mr. Andrews has engaged continuously in the practice of law and has made steady progress along professional lines. He has never specialized in any particular branch of the profession but has given his attention to general practice, and the ability he has displayed has led to his retention as council for the defense or prosecution on many important cases. He is strong in argument, logical in deducation, and his devotion to his clients' interests stands as an unquestioned fact in his career. Moreover, he possesses marked oratorical ability, and his fluent and earnest speech is a factor in his suc- cess. In 1906 he entered into partnership with Nels F. Anderson, of Galva, under the firm name Anderson & Andrews. This partnership has existed to the present time, with the addition to the firm of Thomas J. Welch in 1908, under the present firm style of Anderson, Andrews & Welch.

On the 2d of February, 1907, Mr. Andrews was united in marriage to Miss Eva M. Russell, a daughter of Samuel and Matilda Russell, the former now a retired farmer residing in Kewanee. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews have one son, Rus- sell Harper. They are members of the Congregational church and are promi- nent in the social circles of the city, enjoying in large measure the regard and esteem of all with whom they have been brought in contact.

JAMES M. BROWN.

James M. Brown, who is remembered as a progressive farmer and one of the representative and respected citizens of Henry county, lived for twenty- one years in Osco township, and his substantial qualities gained him the good will and respect of those who knew him and cause his memory to be cherished

JAMES N. BROWN

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by those who counted him as a friend. He was born in Fairview township, Ful- ton county, Illinois, on the 15th of November, 1834, his parents being John and Sarah (Kirkpatrick) Brown. The father, who was born in Philadelphia, Penn- sylvania, was of Irish descent, while the mother came of Scotch-Irish ancestry. In their family were five sons and a daughter, including T. Scott Brown, who was first sergeant of Company G, One Hundred and Third Illinois Volunteer Infantry in the Civil war. He lost his right arm at the shoulder in an engagement at Congree Creek, South Carolina, on the 15th of February, 1865. He par- ticipated in many of the most hotly contested engagements of that long and sanguinary strife and has a record equaled by few. He enlisted on the 9th of August, 1862, and continued at the front until his injuries prevented his fur- ther service. He now makes his home in Cambridge, Illinois. George C., the next of the family, a retired farmer of Osco, this county, died April 24, 1906. John G. Wedded Anna M. Negley and spends his summer months in Marshall- town, Iowa, while the winter seasons are passed in Daytona, Florida. He, too, defended the Union cause when the south rose in rebellion and became sergeant major of the Fifty-fifth Illinois Regiment. Prominent in the public life of his community he represented his district in the state legislature of Iowa for sev- eral terms. Mary L., the only daughter of the family, is the wife of Walker Hitchcock, of Orion, Illinois. James M., was the next in order of birth, and one son of the family died in infancy.

Reared upon the old home farm James M. Brown early became familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. From time of early spring planting he worked in the fields, and after the harvests were gathered in the autumn he pursued his education in the public schools. At the call of his country for aid to crush out the rebellion in the south he enlisted as a member of Company B, One Hundred and Fifty-first Illinois Volunteer Infantry, join- ing that command on the 7th of February, 1865. Soon afterward he was pro- moted to the rank of sergeant and participated in several of the hotly con- tested engagements during the latter part of the war. He continued with the army until January 24, 1866, when he received an honorable discharge. When the country no longer needed his aid he resumed farming in his native county, where he continued to reside for several years.

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History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II, Part 46

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