History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II, Part 57

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

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On the 29th of October, 1896, was celebrated the marriage of Robert E. Taylor and Miss Charity R. Palmer, of Kewanee, a daughter of Grove and Hannah Eliza- beth (Livingstone) Palmer. Her father, a farmer by occupation, died in the year 1902. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have two children, Margaret Elizabeth and Rob- ert R. They are prominent socially, and Mr. Taylor holds membership in the Baptist church and his wife in the Congregational church. He is also connected with the Knights of Pythias. His has been an active career in which he has ac- complished important and far-reaching results, contributing in no small degree to the expansion and material growth of the city and from which he himself has also derived substantial benefits.

FREDERICK FRANCIS.

Frederick Francis, with highly developed artistic perception, takes genuine pleasure in having everything about him as perfect as his own good taste and skillful fingers can make it and therefore his is an attractive home amid beau- tiful surroundings. The material things, however, are not given undue promi- nence with him but are only a feature in that existence which should present the best that can be attained along material, intellectual, artistic and moral lines. He was born in Kewanee township, January 21, 1856, and was reared upon the home farm of his parents, Sullivan R. and Mary (Gardner) Francis. During his youthful days he attended district schools and at the age of eighteen entered the State University, from which he was graduated in 1878, being the first student that Kewanee sent to that institution. When he left he had placed his mark upon the seven foot dial clock in the west tower of what is now the oldest of the uni- versity buildings, for he made the drawings for that time piece, built the escape- , ment and assisted in setting it up and it is still keeping excellent time. The clock was donated as a memorial by the class of 1878.

Having completed his scholastic course, Mr. Francis entered the employ of the Elgin Watch Company and after eleven years spent in its factory returned to Kewanee. The love of the beautiful and the artistic has ever been a dominant quality in his life and with a desire to establish a beautiful home he secured one of the best sites in Henry county, four and a half miles east of Kewanee. Thereon

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he erected a residence of stone and brick after designs and plans made entirely by himself, doing every detail of the building alone, not paying out one cent for help, and the place is appropriately named Woodland Palace. It is one of the most artistic homes in the county and is supplied with many conveniences of his own design, including a filter for rain water, by means of which he secures a water supply system that provides the family with absolutely pure water. Mrs. Francis, who presides with gracious hospitality over this attractive residence, was Jeanette E. Rice and afterward Jeanette E. Crowfoot. She was formerly a resident of Elgin, Illinois, and on the 10th of August, 1890, gave her hand in mar- riage to Mr. Francis.

Having a great love for the sixty acres of forest trees that was left him by his father, Mr. Francis has not cleared his land or done any farming but lets it only for pasture. He has been an interested student of mathematics, having among the wall decorations of his home a frame containing about a square yard of draw- ing paper, on which is the abbreviated form of a difficult problem of circles that was solved after eight years of seeking and then only by an original method not found in the text-books. The work required the finding of an unknown quantity, which if put in the form of an equation, would be of about the twentieth degree and contain about one thousand terms. Not content with development alone along the line of the practical, however, Mr. Francis has studied oil painting and some of his works display a high order of talent. He has also devoted considerable time to literary work and has contributed a number of articles to various maga- zines on the subject of physical culture.

A man of wide reading and deep thought, those questions of vital national interest have always elicited his attention and that he thinks out along original lines is indicated in an article from his pen which appeared in the Physical Cul- ture Magazine, entitled Our Idea of Arbitration. In this he said: "I have read what you have to say about Arbitration and Japan, and it makes me wish to ex- press an idea that I have in regard to the disarmament of nations. To illustrate, let me suppose a country of individuals without law, each carrying a gun for defense. Now somebody suggests that these individuals arbitrate instead of us- ing guns. The difficulty is that it takes two to arbitrate and this they will do or not as they feel like. The individuals could not be expected to discard their guns unless they had something more certain than this to take their place. When law is established this supplies the need and the guns are useless. This is the prin- ciple that should be applied to the nations of the world. They should be controlled by an international law which should be as supreme over nations as the laws of a country are over its individuals. This international law should be backed by an army and navy, if necessary, which should be the only ones on earth. Any other military force would be as much out of place as an individual or set of individuals taking up arms against their government or against each other. Any nation not wishing to be controlled and protected thus would be dealt with the same as an individual who does not respect the laws of his country. He must yield for the best good of the majority. I believe this is the way and the only way that nations ever will or can be expected to disarm. The individual would be a fool to lay down his gun in a country without the law to protect him. So a nation would be foolish to disarm without a supreme international law to protect it."

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That Mr. Francis possesses considerable ability as a writer of poetry as well as prose is indicated in one of his poems which he styles Early Recollections :

"No carpet of tapestry, Brussels or ingrain, In palace of millionaire, lord or of king, Can ever compare with that velvety blue grass That grew 'neath my feet in life's beautiful spring.

The parlor and bedroom we had in our playhouse, In corner of that old Virginia fence, In front of the yard of our earliest homestead,

Has never been equalled at any expense.

The old log stable with corn crib attachment, That sheltered the horses so noble and grand, That pulled the great loads with their smooth wooden collars, Or broke up the sod of that primitive land.

And then the great hogs that were out in the hogyard, They had a log shed with the roof made of hay,

And even the mud-holes where they used to wallow Had wonderful charms on the long summer day.

The old stoned up well that was close to the doorstep, Where water was hoisted with windlass and chain; No fear was there then of the terrible microbe, That water was cold and as pure as the rain.

And there was the attic up under the rafters, Such a wonderful place to romp and to run; · When the raindrops came down on the roof with a patter And added sweet music to noise and to fun.

Now with hair turning gray and with step growing slower, We are looking again for the picture so fair; Seeking the viewpoint of life's early morning ; Father Time only answers with echo of-where?

Last even' while out for a short recreation, With fancies turned backward again o'er the ground, I wandered adown by the home of my childhood; But alas! what a change in the scene there I found.

A father, a mother, a brother, a sister ; I look for in vain to meet at the door ; A few decayed logs mark the site of the cabin, They are fast disappearing and the dream will be o'er.

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And so Father Time beckons onward, still onward, Returning no moments to be lived anew ; 'Tis well for us then to have this recollection, They may come to the light when stern judgment is due.

And so to all friends and all brothers and sisters, Who still may unite on a reunion day ; I would send kindest thoughts and congratulations ; For soon from this earth we must all pass away."

While all this indicates much of the ability of Mr. Francis, there is perhaps nothing that so clearly indicates his position in life as the little poem clipped from one of the current magazines, entitled The Gates of Gold. Kindly and considerate, always mindful of the feelings of others, anything bordering on gossip is utterly distasteful to Mr. Francis, and the little poem given below indicates the guiding spirit of his life.

"If you are tempted to reveal A tale some one to you has told About another, make it pass, Before you speak, three Gates of Gold.

Three narrow gates-first, 'Is it true ?'

Then, 'Is it needful?' In your mind

Give truthful answer. And the next

Is last and narrowest, 'Is it kind ?'

And if, to reach your lips at last, It passes through these gateways three, Then you may tell the tale, nor fear What the result of speech may be."

FRED BACH.

The success which has crowned the efforts of Fred Bach, making it possible for him to live retired, is an indication of what may be accomplished by a man of determined spirit and unfaltering energy, for without special aid at the outset of his career, Mr. Bach has steadily worked his way upward. He was born in Furstentum, Waldeck, Germany, April 13, 1841, and is the only survivor of a family of three children, whose parents, Christian and Christina Bach, were also natives of Germany. The father was a stonebreaker and died in Germany in 1851, when in middle life. His wife afterward married William Yager, and in 1859 they crossed the Atlantic to America, settling in Edford township, Henry county, where they secured a farm of one hundred acres, upon which they con- tinued to reside until called to their final rest. They had three children, Charlie, Caroline and Fred, but Charlie died at the age of fourteen years. Caroline be-

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came the wife of Herman Stensel, and both have passed away. They had four sons and a daughter, Mrs. Mary Long, William, Fred, Albert and Henry.

Fred Bach came to America in 1859 when eighteen years of age with his mother and stepfather and the other children of the household. He had secured a good common-school education in Germany, was reared as a farm boy and lived at home until twenty-one years of age. In 1862 he responded to the coun- try's call for troops, enlisting as a member of Company K, One Hundred and Twelfth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, with which he served for about three years. He was seriously injured in the left hand in the battle of London, Kentucky, in 1863, and he participated in the engagements at Franklin, Nashville, Atlanta and Dalton, and many other hard fought battles of the war. He went with Sherman to Atlanta and then turned back to Nashville, the army going into winter quar- ters at Pulaski, Tennessee. He was mustered out at Newburn, North Carolina, at the close of the war, and his military record is one of which he has every reason to be proud, for he never faltered in the performance of any duty whether it led him to the firing line or stationed him on the lonely picket line.

After the war Mr. Bach returned to Henry county, Illinois, and took up farming in Osco township, where he purchased forty acres of land. Prompted in all of his business affairs by laudable ambition he steadily worked his way upward, and making further and judicious investments in property he became the owner of a valuable and productive farm of two hundred and eight acres, on which he lived until 1901. He then rented the place and removed to Gen- eseo, purchasing a nice home on Mechanic street. He still owns the farm, how- ever, and it is well improved, so that it rents at a good figure and materially increases his income. That he possesses the indispensable factors of success is. indicated in the results which have followed his labors, making him one of the men of affluence of the county.

On the 4th of July, 1867, Mr. Bach was united in marriage to Miss Bertha Zabel, who was born in Prussia, Germany, October 6, 1848, and is a daughter of Frederick and Julia (Detman) Zabel. Her parents were both natives of Ger- many, and her father died in that country near the village of Schwetz-Kreis- Marienwerder, when about sixty-seven years of age. His wife, surviving him for a number of years and coming to America, settled in Henry county, Illinois. She died in 1898 at the age of sixty-seven years. There were four children in the family-Bertha, Theressa, Paulina and Albert Zabel. Mrs. Bach came to this country when sixteen years of age, and her mother and brothers and sisters followed later. She has lived in Henry county for forty-five years and has there- fore been a witness of its growth and progress. Her maternal grandparents were John and Caroline Detman, and the former died in Germany at the advanced age of eighty-four years. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bach have been born seven chil- dren : Theodore, who married Bessie Hampton; Lizzie, the wife of Henry Small, of Geneseo, by whom she has one son, Arthur; Mary, who died at the age of twenty years; Minnie, who lives at home; Anna, the wife of John Wagler, by whom she has two children, Burtie and May ; and Fred and Carrie, twins. Carrie died when six months old, but Fred is still living and resides on a farm.

Mr. and Mrs. Bach belong to the Evangelical church and are deeply interested in all that pertains to its growth and progress or promotes the moral development

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of the community. Mr. Bach belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic and thus maintains pleasant relations with the soldiers who wore the blue uniform while he was fighting for the defense of the Union on the battlefields of the south. Politically he has always been a republican, standing loyally by the party which was the support of the Federal government during the dark days of the Civil war and has always been the party of reform and progress. For many years he was a school director in Osco township, has also been tax collector and highway commissioner, and the duties of these positions have been discharged with promptness and fidelity. Loyalty to any trust reposed in him has always been one of his strong characteristics, and he is known as a public-spirited citizen, whose cooperation can always be counted upon to further any movement for the general good.

SULLIVAN R. FRANCIS.

Sullivan R. Francis, who, combining farming and teaching, rounded out a useful life and had the satisfaction of knowing that his influence had always been directed toward the uplifting of his associates, was for many years numbered among the residents of Henry county. His birth occurred in Lunenburg, Massa- chusetts, in 1816, and he came of a family of English descent that was founded in the new world as early as 1630.

Thinking to enjoy better opportunities than were offered in New England by a removal to the west Mr. Francis came to Illinois about 1840 and soon there- after located in Henry county, where he purchased eighty acres of land from the government. It was entirely wild and unimproved, not a furrow having been turned. On that tract he built a little log cabin and at once began farming, break- ing the sod and tilling the fields so that in course of time the place returned to him bounteous harvests. Being a man of education his services were required during the winter months as teacher in the early schools and he did much toward shaping the educational progress of the county in pioneer times. His summers, however, were devoted to tilling his land and improving his home. In later years he became one of the school directors in his district.

In 1842 Sullivan R. Francis was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Elizabeth Hayward, who was born in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, and died May 30, 1845. His second wife bore the maiden name of Mary S. Gardner and was born in Bedford, Massachusetts, November 13, 1825, while her death occurred in Ke- wanee, October 22, 1889. For his third wife Mr. Francis chose Anna I. Pelton, a native of England, who survives him and is now residing in Neponset, Illinois. His family numbered eleven children, five of whom are yet living, namely: Fred- erick, a resident of Kewanee township, of whom extended mention is made else- where in this volume; L. S., who is operating a sawmill north of Neponset; Sul- livan F., who is a resident of Kewanee and a dealer in fine horses; W. R. who is living in Adrian, Michigan; and Gladys Galbraith, of Oakland, California. There are also two grandchildren: F. V. Francis, who is proprietor of pattern shops at Atlanta, Georgia; and Clara G. Matheson, whose husband died in Kewanee, December 24, 1909.

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The death of Mr. Francis occurred September 1, 1901. He was a sturdy far- mer of remarkable force of character, an upright and worthy man, who was brought up to hard work and strict discipline on the farm. Probably to the fact that he always worked with all his might is due his wholesome life and the posi- tions of responsibility he was given by the people. While some would have been restricted by the limitations of rural life and pioneer conditions his interests seemed to expand as he met those conditions and shaped them for his own better- ment and the common good. His ambition prompted him to make the best pos- sible use of his opportunities and his life furnishes an example of high purpose and upright manhood. While his religious views agreed with many of the most progressive Christians, he was an ardent spiritualist, and in his last illness ex- pressed the desire that all should know that he lived and died happy in that belief. Whatever may be said of the truth of this doctrine, it was often remarked that if his life was a sample it would be good.

ABRAM. B. SPICKLER.

This is an age of marked commercial activities and the man who wins pros- perity must be alert, energetic and determined; must recognize and improve op- portunities which others pass by heedlessly; and must take advantage of every legitimate chance offered by the trade for the development and expansion of his particular enterprise. Possessing all these requisites of success Abram B. Spickler is making substantial progress as one of the representative merchants of Kewanee, where as a member of the firm of Spickler & Warner he is engaged in business as a dealer in clothing and men's furnishings.

Abram B. Spickler was born in Columbia, Pennsylvania, June 9, 1850, and is a son of Henry and Barbara (Stackhouse) Spickler. His father owned and operated flour mills. The son pursued his education in the public schools and after putting aside his text-books learned the mason's trade, which he followed for four years. He was a youth of seventeen when in the year of 1867 he made his way westward to Illinois, settling in Kewanee. His financial resources were such as to render immediate employment a necessity, and he sought and obtained a situation in the general store of J. L. Platt. Subsequently he was employed with the firm of Shillon & Fezzler and afterward became a salesman in the employ of Lay & Lyman, with whom he continued for eleven years, his long retention in the service standing as incontrovertible proof of his fidelity and ability. Sub- sequently he went upon the road as a traveling salesman, handling agricultural implements for several years, and in 1887 he became identified as proprietor with the mercantile interests of Kewanee, at which time he entered the clothing and men's furnishing goods business as a partner of Henry C. Huntington, under the firm style of Huntington & Spickler. Later Morton K. Warner acquired an interest in the business and the firm name was changed to Huntington, Spickler & Warner. Since the death of Mr. Huntington the firm has been known as Spick- ler & Warner. It is regarded as one of the most reliable and progressive of Ke- wanee, its business constantly increasing. The secret of its success lies in the

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reasonable prices, the fair dealing and the earnest effort on the part of the pro- prietors to please their patrons. They have a well appointed and attractive store and their trade has reached gratifying dimensions.

On the 21st of June, 1876, Mr. Spickler was united in marriage to Miss Addie Anderson, of Kewanee, a daughter of Robert Anderson, proprietor of a flour mill. They have become parents of three children : Blanche, who is now the wife of J. H. Frey, of Bloomington, Illinois, where he is engaged in the drug busi- ness; Maud, the wife of W. F. Ingals, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, who is general manager of sales for the Central Tube Company; and Marjorie, at home.

The associations of Mr. Spickler outside of business connections are indica- tive of the character of his interests and the principles which guide him in all his relations. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and is also a loyal representative of the Masonic fraternity and the Elks lodge. He belongs likewise to the Business Men's Association and is in hearty sympathy with its purposes of developing and promoting the trade interests of the city. He stands for progress at all times and seeks his own success and the city's advancement by no devious methods, but along lines of activity which will bear the closest in- vestigation and scrutiny.

WILLIAM GUEST.

William Guest, a retired carriage and wagon maker, has reached the seven- tieth milestone on life's journey, his birth having occurred in Devonshire, England, November 1, 1839. His father, Joseph Guest, also a native of England, was a lime burner and remained in his native country until his demise. His wife bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Pickins and also spent her entire life in England.

William Guest was reared in his father's home and acquired his education in the public schools of his native land but put aside his text-books in his youthful days and at the age of seventeen years was apprenticed to learn the trade of car- riage and wagon making, at which he worked for one year. At the end of that time he went to Canada with the man to whom he had been apprenticed and there finished his trade. He made his home in Canada for six years, but, thinking that there were better business opportunities to be enjoyed in this country, in the spring of 1863 he crossed the border and made his way to Chicago, where he worked until the following August. He then came to Wethersfield, where he resumed work at his trade in the employ of James Wylie, with whom he was connected for four years. He then worked for H. H. Bryan & Son for some time, after which he engaged in business on his own account, manufacturing wagons and carriages and carrying on a general repair shop along the same lines. The years witnessed his growing success, and his capable management and inde- fatigable enterprise brought him a measure of prosperity that in 1904 enabled him to sell his business and retire from active life.

On the 17th of August, 1864, Mr. Guest was married to Miss Diantha Mathews, a daughter of Anson and Sarah Jane (Patterson) Mathews who were natives of Mercer county, Pennsylvania, coming to this county some time in

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the '50s. Eight children have been born unto Mr. and Mrs. Guest, but two died in infancy. The others are: John P., formerly assistant treasurer of the Kewanee Boiler Company and now treasurer of the John Davis Company of Chicago; Mar- garet, who teaches in Kewanee; Alfred M., who is engaged in the jewelry business in Kewanee ; William E., who is proprietor of the Model Laundry of Kewanee; Mabel, who is assists her brother William E. in his office; and Ethel, the wife of Eslie Pettitt, a draftsman with the Hennepin Bridge Company of Minneapolis.

Mr. Guest at one time belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Kewanee and is in sympathy with the principles and purposes of the organization. In politics he is a democrat and has taken an active part in local political interests. His life has been one of industry, determination and perseverance, and these qual- ities have given him standing among the men of affluence in the community and have brought to him a substantial competence which now supplies him with all of the comforts and some of the luxuries of life.

FRANK S. SEARS:

The agricultural and stock interests of Henry county find a worthy represen- tative in Frank S. Sears, who owns four hundred acres of fine land on section 22, Cornwall township, where he makes his home. He was born in the house he now occupies October 13, 1861, and is a son of John and Mary W. (Jewett) Sears. The parents were natives of Connecticut and in that state were reared and mar- ried, coming to Henry county, Illinois, shortly after their marriage, in 1856. In Cornwall township, the father and his brother Vincent bought three hundred and twenty acres of land. Later John Sears purchased the other's share and added thereto eighty acres, and upon this farm of four hundred acres spent his remain- ing years. He was the father of seven children. Mary Jewett is the wife of E. J. Porter, of Nebraska, and they have two children. Frank S. is the subject of this review. John, living in Cornwall township, married Miss Mary Whiffles and they have five children. Sarah A. is unmarried and resides in Geneseo. Nel- lie G. died in childhood. William H. wedded Miss Nona Fick and they live at Cascade, Montana. Jessie is the wife of George Fehlman, of Geneseo and is the mother of one child. Both Mr. and Mrs. Sears lived to see a great change wrought in the character of the country and the latter died in 1888, while the former survived her for ten years and like his wife was buried in Atkinson ceme- tery. He was a stanch republican, and although not an office seeker served ef- ficiently as town clerk and school trustee.

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History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II, Part 57

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