USA > Illinois > Henry County > History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II > Part 53
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JAMES McBROOM
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forts into other fields and became the first president of the First National Bank of Geneseo. His name was long an honored one on commercial paper in this part of the state and his business activity, keen discernment and sound judg- ment made him regarded as one of the foremost men in Geneseo.
On the 6th of October, 1855, Mr. McBroom was united in marriage to Miss Margritha Kaiser, a daughter of John and Maria (Simmons) Kaiser. Mrs. McBroom was born in Leuzingen, Oberamt, Bueren, Canton Berne, Switzer- land, June 28, 1830, and when a young girl of thirteen years came with her parents to America in 1843. They settled first in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, where they lived on a farm for eleven years and then removed to Henry county, Illinois, taking up their abode here in 1854. They settled on a farm in Annawan township and a short time prior to their demise removed to Shabbona Grove. Her father had been a teacher in Switzerland and was ever a great student, read- ing broadly and thinking deeply. He held various local offices and was a promi- nent figure in the home locality. His death occurred in 1871 when he was sev- enty-five years of age, while his wife survived him until 1873 and passed away at the age of seventy-six years. They had a family of eight children who reached mature years: Elizabeth, who became the wife of Stephen Hanni ; Marian, the wife of John Walter; John S .; Frederick; Mrs. McBroom; Alex- ander; Albert; and Jacob.
The paternal grandfather of Mrs. McBroom was Ursus Kaiser who died in Switzerland at the age of eighty-four or eighty-five years. His wife bore the maiden name of Maria Offolter. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. McBroom was John Simmons, who was a farmer and died in Switzerland when well ad- vanced in years. His wife bore the maiden name of Maria Loeffel.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. McBroom was blessed with a family of six sons, Alexander K., now deceased, married Jennie Remington of Geneseo, who is now living in Spokane, Washington. They have one son, Cassius Remington McBroom. William John, the second son, now vice president of the First National Bank of Geneseo, married Myrtle Angell and they have two sons, William J. and James Henry. Frederick K., living in Spokane, Washington, wedded Margaret Mae Ryder and they have one son, Roderick J. Charles Em- mett, who has been cashier for a number of years in the Exchange National Bank of Spokane, Washington, married Florence Homer Green. Isaac Newton, who is engaged in farming, married Laura M. Drehmer and they have three daughters, Irene Genevieve, Grace D. and Margaret Charlotte. James Her- bert, the youngest son, married Emma Moore, of Joliet, Illinois, and is now deceased. There was one daughter of that marriage who died at the age of five years.
The death of the husband and father occurred in 1895 when he was in his sixty-seventh year and he is still survived by Mrs. McBroom. They attended the Unitarian church and were very prominent in the social circles of the city, having many warm friends who esteemed them highly for their genuine personal worth. Mr. McBroom was not only regarded as a substantial and reliable business man but also as a citizen of public spirit whose efforts constituted a forceful factor in the substantial growth of the community. For two years he served as mayor of Geneseo and gave to the city a public-spirited and business-
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like administration characterized by substantial reform, improvement and progress. He was not easily discouraged, sought ever to accomplish his ends by honorable means and never sacrificed truth or justice to policy. Mrs. McBroom is an in- tellectual lady, well preserved, naturally refined and of noble mind and bearing. She has reared a family of whom she has every reason to be proud. She has also done good work in connection with the philanthropic movements and charities of the city, responding readily to any tale of sorrow or distress.
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VICTOR L. HEDMAN.
With tireless energy, keen perception and ability to devise the right thing at the right time and with power to plan and to perform, Victor L. Hedman has come to be recognized as one of the representative business men of Geneseo where, as the senior partner of the firm of Hedman & Anderson, he is engaged in the lumber business. Henry county has a large percentage of citizens who are of Swedish birth or parentage. To this number belongs Victor L. Hedman, who was born in Gysinge, in the province of Gestrekland, Sweden, March 10, 1861. He was the younger of the two sons of Jonas and Christina (Sodestrom) Hed- man, both of whom were natives of Sweden. The other son was Carl Johann. The paternal grandfather was Mats Hedman and his wife was Anna Du Hon, a lady of French lineage. Both lived to advanced age and the grandfather followed the occupation of farming that he might provide a good living for himself and his family, numbering his wife and two sons, Jonas and Lars. The maternal grandfather of Victor L. Hedman was Charles Sodestrom, who was employed in different smelters in Sweden. Both he and his wife, Mrs. Caroline Sodestrom, died in that country at an advanced age. They were the parents of two daugh- ters: Christina and Sophia.
Jonas Hedman worked all his life in the iron smelters and died from illness which was brought on by becoming overheated in 1867 when he was forty-six years of age. His wife died six months before at the age of forty-five years and both were members of the Swedish Lutheran church.
Victor L. Hedman was reared and educated in Sweden and spent his youth- ful days on the farm. At the age of nineteen years he came to the United States and settled near Cambridge, in Henry county, where he worked by the month at farm labor. He then engaged in cultivating rented land for two years, during which period he lived alone, attending to the household affairs himself as well as to the duties of the fields.
On the 13th of March, 1888, however, Mr. Hedman completed arrangements for having a home of his own in his marriage to Mrs. Gustava Greenlee, the widow of James Greenlee, and a daughter of Swan Wallin and Christina Wallin. Mrs. Hedman was born in Falkoping in the province of Westergotland, Sweden, and in 1866 came to the United States, while in 1869 her parents also made the voyage across the Atlantic to the new world and settled in Munson township, Henry county, Illinois. In 1870, however, they removed to Page county, Iowa, where both died. Mrs. Wallin, however, lived for sixteen years in Henry county
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after her husband's death and passed away at the venerable age of ninety-eight years. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hedman were born two children, Hilda and Harold.
The parents are members of the Swedish Lutheran church which is indica- tive of the attitude which they also maintain towards vital questions. Their in- fluence is ever on the side of right, progress, justice and truth and in many ways they seek the good of the community. Politically Mr. Hedman is a republican and is now serving as a member of the city council from the fourth ward, being elected on the temperance ticket. Although he started out in life a poor boy, by industry and good management he has won success and is now one of the leading business men of Geneseo. His wife has always been a most faithful companion and helpmate to him since they started on life's journey together and her good counsel and help have encouraged him in every way. They have a beautiful home in Geneseo and other property which has been accumulated through their honest toil and industry and they enjoy in unlimited measure the respect of the entire community. Theirs is a most hospitable home and the circle of their friends is almost coextensive with the circle of their acquaintance.
JOHN F. SODERBURG.
One of the prominent farmers of Osco township is John F. Soderburg, who operates a three hundred and twenty acre farm on sections 33 and 34, which he rents from Mrs. Delia Andrews. He is rapidly making a reputation for himself as a breeder of pure blooded Shire and Clyde horses, and as a feeder and shipper of cattle and hogs. He was born in Sweden, September 19, 1875, and is a son of Jonas and Charlotte (Peterson) Soderburg. He was about eight years old when his parents came to the United States and he grew to manhood in the town of Orion, in which they located upon their arrival in Illinois. He received a fair education in the common schools there, though he was only four- teen years of age when he began the serious business of life as a farm hand in the employ of a man in the vicinity of Orion. When he attained his manhood he and his father together engaged in agriculture on land in Colona township, and then removed to the place where Mr. Soderburg now lives, taking a lease for sixteen years. In the eleven years that it has been his home he has had no cause to regret his venture, for he has found that the soil produced richly and he has met with success in the stock business, in which he has engaged extensively and to which he will devote more and more of his attention.
Mr. Soderburg was married in Andover, March 9, 1904, to Miss Annie Fredericson, who was born in Osco township. Her parents, John and Louisa Fredericson, were natives of Sweden and are now living in Cambridge, Illinois. Three children-Gladys, Dorothy and Frederick-have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Soderburg.
When he became of age, Mr. Soderburg chose the republican party as his guide in political matters and since casting his first presidential ballot for its candidate McKinley, in the election of 1896, has given to it its unswerving alle- giance. He has taken an active part in the local affairs to Osco township, for
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in 1906 he was elected collector, and upon the expiration of his term was, in 1908, elected highway commissioner, in which capacity he is serving his second year. During his incumbency of the office contracts have been let for the con- struction of concrete bridges which will be the first to be built in the township. Fraternally he is connected with the Mystic Workers of Cambridge and with the Osco Camp of the Modern Woodmen of America, and plays a conspicuous part in the meetings of these bodies. He and his wife were both reared in the Methodist faith and are devout members of the church at Andover. Progressive in his ideas and conscientious in his performance of duties, Mr. Soderburg en- joys the respect and confidence of the citizens of Osco township and can look forward to a life which should be crowned with the success that comes inevitably as the result of hard work.
DANTE MILTON STAMM.
Dante Milton Stamm, of the firm of Clouse & Stamm, druggists of Geneseo, was born in Dover, Bureau county, Illinois. His parents were Martin and Emeline (Clouse) Stamm, the former a native of Canton Schaffhausen, Switzer- land, and the latter of Ohio. She was, however, of Pennsylvania German descent. The ancestry of the Stamm family can be traced back to Martin Stamm, who was born in 1675 and was mayor of Schleitheim, Switzerland, during a part of his residence there. John Stamm, the grandfather, was born at Schaff- hausen, Switzerland, November II, 1805. He became a master cooper and manufactured wine vats of five thousand gallons capacity, in the district where wine-making was the chief industry. He had an equity in some real estate there, which he lost after leaving Schaffhausen by reason of non-payment. In the year 1851 he came to America with his family in consequence of the revolution- ary movemenet of 1848. They settled first in New York, where they lived until 1858, and then went to Kankakee, Illinois, where John Stamm passed away in 1883 at the age of seventy-eight years. For a long period he had survived his wife, Mrs. Barbara (Wanner) Stamm, who died in 1867 at the age of sixty years. They were the parents of eight children, five of whom came to America : Agnes, Vincent, Anna, Martin and Christian. The last named served three years in the Civil war, in Company G, Twentieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry and his discharge papers show he was a faithful soldier.
The great-grandparents of D. M. Stamm in the maternal line were Michael and Anna Maria (Bonewitz) Clouse. Michael Clouse was only a year old when his parents came from Alsace to America in 1791 and in the years of his man- hood he became a well-to-do farmer of Fayette county, Pennsylvania. His wife's father was Jacob Bonewitz, who received an honorable discharge after having faithfully served in the Revolutionary war. He was a son of Conrad Bonewitz, who left Strassburg, Germany, prior to 1743 for his son Jacob was born in America in that year. They settled in Reading, Berks county, Pennsylvania, and Conrad Bonewitz was the founder of this branch of the family in the United States. The maternal grandfather of D. M. Stamm was Jacob Clouse, who was
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born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, and was of German lineage. He went to Ohio when that state was covered with the native growth of timber and there he assisted in clearing farms, but by trade was a shoemaker. It was then cus- tomary for a shoemaker to go from family to family and make shoes for the different members of the household according to measures which he took. After a time, as the result of his industry and economy, Mr. Clouse acquired a farm of his own in Wayne county, and removing there carried on shoemaking, his trade being sufficient to justify his employment of two men. He resided there until 1851, when he came with relatives to Illinois, settling at Dover, Bureau county. There he purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, which he improved. He died, however, in 1860 when forty-seven years of age, on the day on which he had expected to vote for Abraham Lincoln. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Sarah Byers, was born in Cumberland county, Penn- sylvania, in 1820 and died in 1891. They had a family of five children : Matilda, who became the wife of Jesse Henney; Emeline, now Mrs. Stamm; Eliza D., the wife of John N. Knoblaugh, who served in the Civil war as a member of Company B, Ninety-third Illinois Volunteer Infantry; George Newton, formerly a member of the drug firm of Clouse & Stamm; and Esli H., who is living in Topeka, Kansas. The ancestry in the maternal line can be traced back to a still more remote period, for Sarah Byers was a daughter of David Byers, who was the son of David Byers, born 1755 and died 1831, a native of Gettysburg, Penn- sylvania, who was born in a two-story log house that was built in 1669 on the old homestead of the family about four miles west of the town. The wife of David Byers was Elizabeth Stambaugh, whose father, Philip Stambaugh, was one of the humble heroes of the Revolutionary war. His father, too, was a member of the same company. Both father and son bore the name of Philip and be- longed to the York county militia. The father came to America from Alsace in 174I. It was from him that Sarah Byers was descended. She was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, in 1820 and gave her hand in marriage to Jacob Clouse, whom she survived, passing away in 1891.
Martin Stamm, the father of D. M. Stamm, remained a resident of Switzer- land until 1851, when he accompanied his parents on their emigration to the new world. After living for seven years in New York the family home was estab- lished in Kankakee, Illinois, and Martin Stamm has since resided in this state. About the time of the outbreak of the Civil war he took up the work of the ministry and for forty years was connected with the Evangelical Association. He has been most zealous and earnest in his labors in behalf of the church and has not been denied the liberal harvests nor the aftermath in that his influence and his diligence have been a most potent factor for good in the lives of many with whom he has come in contact. He and his wife now reside in Chicago and several of their children are with them there. Their household numbered six children, namely : Dante Milton, of this review; George C., of Chicago; Carlton, who died in infancy; Flora Lula, living in Chicago; Charles Raphael, who is in Douglas, Wyoming; and Wallace Martin, of Chicago.
D. M. Stamm, whose name introduces this record, came to Geneseo in 1881 and his since been twenty-eight years in the drug business. He was reared in Illinois and he is indebted to its public-school system for the educational privi-
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leges which he received and which qualified him for the practical duties of the business world. In 1892 he became associated with George N. Clouse and they continued together in the drug trade for seventeen years under the firm style of Clouse & Stamm. On June 1, 1909, Mr. Stamm became sole proprietor and now has a well appointed store, supplied with excellent fixtures and most attractive in its arrangement. He carries a large and well selected line of goods and his success is due to honorable methods, earnest efforts to please customers, judi- cious advertising and an attractive display of the drugs and druggists' sundries which he handles.
Mr. Stamm belongs to Stewart Lodge, No. 92, A. F. & A. M .; Geneseo Chapter No. 275, O. E. S., Geneseo Chapter, No. 12, R. A. M .; Rock Island Commandery, No. 18, K. T; and Kaaba Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Daven- port He is now acting as senior warden of Stewart Lodge. He was married September 5, 1909, to Miss Eliza Harper Shaw, a daughter of George W. Shaw, of Geneseo.
HUGH HUTCHINSON.
Hugh Hutchinson, pleasantly located in Munson township, where he has a farm covering the southwest quarter of section 10, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, May 2, 1867. His parents were Robert and Jane (Livingston) Hutchinson, who left the Keystone state about 1869 and came with their family to Henry county, Illinois. The father secured a farm in Munson township, and thereon established the family home. With characteristic energy he began the cultivation and development of the fields and as the years passed by transformed the place into an attractive tract, from which he annually gathered good harvests for many years. He continued to reside there until about 1899, when he went to Geneseo, where he is now living retired, enjoying in well earned rest the fruits of his former labor.
Hugh Hutchinson was only about two and a half years old at the time of the removal of the family to this county, and on the old homestead he was reared, working in the fields from the time that he was old enough to handle the plow. Broad practical experience therefore well qualified him for farm work when he started out in life for himself. He had also acquired a fair education in the schools of the neighborhood. On attaining his majority he rented land for a year and at the end of that time purchased one hundred and sixty acres in Cornwall township, there making his home until 1890, after which he rented that farm. He bought two hundred and eighty acres east of Cambridge but has never lived on that property. He next purchased one hundred and sixty acres on the northwest quarter of section 2, Munson township. He removed to his present home from Cornwall township and has here made good improvements in keeping with the modern ideas of progressive farming. He has good buildings upon the place, and the latest machinery facilitates the work of the fields as he plows and plants his land and gathers his harvests.
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Mr. Hutchinson was married March 27, 1890, in the city of Geneseo to Miss Hattie Swiger, a daughter of Carl and Theresa (Mueller) Swiger, both of whom are living in Geneseo. They have a family of four children : Carl, who was born in Cornwall township July 1, 1892; Gale, born February 24, 1895; Mina, born October 1, 1897; and Dean, born October 1, 1901.
In politics Mr. Hutchinson is an independent republican and has served as school trustee and school director. His fraternity relations are with the Indepen- dent Order of Odd Fellows. He prefers, however, to concentrate his energies upon his business affairs and is now one of the prosperous farmers of the county. He raises, feeds and ships stock and is well known as a leading live-stock dealer, while in the cultivation of cereals best adapted to soil and climate he is also meet- ing with success.
ALBERT PETERSON.
Albert Peterson is one of the substantial and enterprising agriculturists of Cambridge township, owning a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres on section 36. His birth occurred in Wethersfield township, Henry county, Illinois, on the 27th of September, 1880, his parents being John and Anna (Garey) Peter- son, natives of Sweden and Pennsylvania respectively. The parental grand- father passed away in Sweden when well advanced in years. The maternal grandfather of our subject, Isaac Garey, was of German descent and was born in Pennsylvania, where he followed merchandising. He made his way to this county at an early period in its development and turned his attention to general agricultural pursuits, operating a farm near Kewanee. He was well known and highly esteemed throughout the community as a most respected and worthy citi- zen, and his death, which occurred when he was seventy years of age, was the occasion of deep and widespread regret.
John Peterson, the father of Albert Peterson, crossed the Atlantic to the United States about 1874 and took up his abode in Kewanee, Henry county, Illi- nois. He first worked as a farm hand for a number of years and then purchased a tract of eighty acres in Galva township, where he resided for five years. On the expiration of that period he disposed of the property and bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres on section 36, Cambridge township, on which he made his home until 1902, when he put aside the active work of the fields and removed to Moline, where he has since lived retired. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Lutheran church. He was twice mar- ried, and his first wife passed away in 1884, when about thirty-one years of age. They had two children, as follows: Albert, of this review, and Anna, who is the wife of Albert Burke and resides near Hedrick, Iowa. Subsequent to the death of his first wife John Peterson was again married, his second union being with Mrs. Anna Gabrielson.
Albert Peterson was reared on the home farm in this county and remained under the parental roof until he had attained his majority. He then rented the old homestead farm from his father and operated it for four years, on the ex-
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piration of which period he bought the property and has since devoted his time and energies to its further cultivation and improvement with excellent success. The farm comprises one hundred and sixty acres of rich and productive land, and the well tilled fields annually yield golden harvests as a reward for the care and labor which is bestowed upon them.
On the 18th of February, 1904, Mr. Peterson was united in marriage to Miss Edith Anderson, who was born in Cambridge township, this county, on the 30th of August, 1882, her parents being Olof and Mary (Elm) Anderson, natives of Sweden. On coming to the United States they took up their abode in Henry county, Illinois, among its early settlers. Their children were four in number, namely : Olive, the wife of Andrew Rapp; Elmer; Mrs. Peterson and Maude Amelia. Olof Anderson has been twice married. His first wife bore the maiden name of Celia Nasberg, and they had one son, Charles. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Peterson was John Elm, a native of Sweden. After making the ocean voyage to this country he located in Cambridge township, Henry county, and gave his attention to the work of farming. He passed away at the ripe old age of seventy-six years. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Peterson have been born three children, the first being twin daughters, one of whom died when only a day old. The other is Anna Helen, and their son is Milford Lester.
At the polls Mr. Peterson casts his ballot in support of the men and measures of the republican party. His wife is a devoted and consistent member of the Swedish Methodist church at Bishop Hill. The young couple have an extensive circle of warm friends throughout the county in which they have always re- sided, having won the kindly regard and esteem of all with whom they have come in contact.
ELIJAH STOREY.
One of the prominent men of Henry county, who has won distinction in the stock-raising business and through the exhibition of numerous prize horses, is Elijah Storey, of Kewanee. He was born in this city, October 29, 1851, a de- scendant of one of the respected pioneer families of the county. His father, Jarius Storey, was a native of Oneida county, New York, where his birth occurred March 18, 1828. He attended the common schools of that locality until his twelfth year, when with his parents, Elijah and Louise (Wheeler) Storey ,also natives of Oneida county, he removed to Canada. There he worked for a man who was in the employ of the English government as Indian agent and trader, remaining with him for about five years. Two years later, when he was nine- teen years old, he came alone to Illinois, reaching Kewanee June 18, 1847. His father died about three years after his arrival here and his mother did not long survive. Her parents were natives of Dutchess county, New York, which was their home throughout life.
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