USA > Illinois > Henry County > History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II > Part 65
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JOHN CURRAN.
Andover township acknowledges itself a debtor in the highest sense to County Donegal, Ireland, for one of its most valuable citizens. There in August, 1844, was born John Curran, his parents being William and Celia (McFadden) Cur- ran. These worthy people lived and died in their native country, and John Cur- ran must have been a youth of unusual pluck, for in the spring of 1861, when only seventeen years of age, he started out as a soldier of fortune, leaving the parental roof to cross the seas to America. He remained throughout the sum- mer in Philadelphia, but in the fall journeyed to Cambridge, Illinois, where a brother, Barnard, and a sister, Ellen, had preceded him. The sister is still a res- ident of Henry county, but the brother went west with the opening of the coun- try and is now a citizen of Oklahoma. After his arrival in Henry county, Mr. Curran was for some years engaged in farm work by the month. For five years after his marriage in 1870 he devoted his energies to the cultivation of a tract of land in Western township and in 1876 took possession of his present farm in
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Andover township. Starting with no capital whatever except that valuable adjunct, a determination to succeed, he exercised the strictest economy and bought land until he is now the owner of two hundred and two splendid acres, all well improved and cultivated.
On December 16, 1870, Mr. Curran was united in marriage to Miss Carrie S. Linn, a daughter of Samuel and Christine Linn, who came from Sweden in the early '50s. Mr. Linn became a prosperous farmer, but both he and his wife have passed to their reward. To Mr. and Mrs. Curran have been born five children: Mary E., now Mrs. Charles Holtman, of Andover township; John L., a resident of Henry county ; and Lenore, Esther and Daniel F., at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Curran and their children are members of the Catholic church, and exercise an influence for good in the community. In politics Mr. Curran is democratic, but though interested in public matters has never played an active part in their management, except that for several years he gave his services as a member of the township school board. He is the embodiment of genuine Irish wit and keenness, with a lively appreciation of the foibles of human nature. In addition to this quality, which adds to his attractiveness, he is everywhere re- garded as a man of honor and integrity, a robust exponent of what is best among men. In short the life of Mr. Curran in its every aspect is worthy of emulation.
GUS J. JACOBSON.
Gus J. Jacobson, a well known agriculturist of Hanna township, was born on a farm near Christinehamn, Sweden, December 31, 1861, and is a son of Peter and Emma Frederica (Nelson) Jacobson. The father came to America about 1867, made his way to Illinois and in the mines at Kewanee found employment. For two years he toiled diligently and by strict economy was able to send the money to Sweden which would bring his wife and six children to this country. The family located in Kewanee and then two years later removed to Cleveland, Hanna town- ship, where for several years the father continued to mine coal. Then he rented some land from Howard Deming and engaged in farming, removing subsequently to Phenix township, where he remained two years, and later to Colona township, where he continued to operate a rented farm. He subsequently bought eighty acres in the last mentioned township and has there since made his home.
Gus J. Jacobson received but a limited education for he was early called upon to assist in the work of the farm. At the age of twenty-one he undertook to make his own way in the world. For one season he remained at home in the employ of his father and then engaged in mining both in this county and in Fulton. He be- came a skilled and industrious workman and was given the position of weigher in both mines. In 1898 Mr. Jacobson purchased the farm on which he now lives. It embraces one hundred and twenty acres, on section 33, Hanna township, and, though considered improved when he bought it, has greatly increased in value in the eleven years it has been in his possession. This is but natural for he has put up a number of good buildings, has remodeled and improved those already stand- ing, and by methodical cultivation has enhanced the fertility of the soil.
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On the Ist of October, 1887, Mr. Jacobson wedded Miss Albertina Eleanora Stohl, of Hanna township. She was born near Gardner, Grundy county, Illinois, and is the daughter of John M. and Mary Stohl. Five children have been born of this union : Roy, William, Verne, Gertrude and May. Mr. Jacobson has always given his support to the candidates of the republican party, in whose platform he sincerely believes, and has always taken a vital interest in public affairs. While he was a resident of Cable, Mercer county, he served on the village board and also as a school director. When he removed to Sherrard the interest he evinced in local matters was rewarded by his election to the position of village trustee. In the spring of 1908 he was elected supervisor of Hanna township and appointed to the committee on county accounts. Fraternally he is connected with the Masons and belongs to the lodge at Colona, in which he has served as senior deacon and senior warden, and in which he held the chair of worshipful master for three years. On the occasion of the holding of the Grand Lodge in Chicago he repre- sented his Colona brethren and has frequently been accorded other marks of their esteem. The lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Colona also in- clude him upon their roll-call, and with Mrs. Jacobson he belongs to the Eastern Star and to the Daughters of Rebekah. A man who has prospered in his own affairs, he has won the respect and confidence of all who have come in contact with him, and has gained the esteem of those who know him more intimately as a friend.
HENRY W. NELSON.
Where one finds the Swedish element largely assimilated, one is apt to find an intelligent, upright, prosperous community and this is particularly true of Lynn township. Henry W. Nelson, born May 19, 1866, is of Swedish stock, his parents, Nels and Anna Sophia (Johnson) Olson, having come to America from Sweden in 1864 as young married people with one child. They made their way westward to Illinois and settled in Lynn township, Henry county, where some relatives had preceded them. The father made his livelihood in agriculture. In his family were eight children, some of whom died in infancy. Josephine is now Mrs. W. H. Gay, of Los Angeles, California; Henry W. is the subject of the sketch; Theodore died in August, 1903 ; and Ida is now the wife of Theodore Wangstrom, of Clover town- ship. The father was a loyal republican and interested in public affairs, and he and his wife were faithful supporters of the Lutheran church. His death, which occurred January 16, 1895, deprived the community of a citizen of high standing. His widow survived him until September 26, 1909, both of them being buried in the Andover cemetery.
Henry W. Nelson enjoyed the wholesome advantages peculiar to country life, attending the Andover schools in the winter months and in the summer time work- ing upon the farm. In the summer of 1885 he left the parental roof and went to McPherson, Kansas, where he was engaged as the foreman of a large farm. When the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway was built from Belleville, Kan- sas, to Colorado Springs, Mr. Nelson secured employment on the construction work. Finally he began to think of returning to Illinois, but deferred his return about two months in order to cast his first vote for president, which he gave to
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Benjamin Harrison. Upon his return to Andover township he resumed his agri- cultural activities. In 1891 he removed to an excellent farm in Lynn township (section 12, range I, township 15) and remained there for seventeen years, in the enjoyment of much material prosperity. In 1908 he decided upon the impor- tant step of changing his location and took up his residence upon his present prop- erty, one and one-fourth miles west of Lynn Center, the land being known as the George B. Pillsbury farm. Here he engages in general farming, paying special attention to the breeding and feeding of cattle and hogs. By this change Mr. Nel- son finds himself lord of a fair domain of six hundred and thirty-two fertile, well cultivated acres.
On February 21, 1893, some four years after his return from Kansas, Mr. Nelson was united in marriage to Miss Amanda Johnson, a daughter of Charles P. and Charlotte (Anderson) Johnson, Swedish people who came to the United States in 1864. The father was a farmer and at one time a large landowner and very prosperous. He died in January, 1901, and his widow, who survives him, makes her home with Mr. Nelson and his wife. Seven children have come to bless the Nelson home, these being Hazel I., Rachel O. J., Floyd H., Elva Leona, Ervin W., Doris Emogene and Beatrice Eveline.
Mr. Nelson is a stanch republican and a decidedly active one. His record furnishes eloquent proof of the high regard in which he is held by his fellowmen. He is a member of the republican central committee, on which he has served for several years; he has been a delegate to county, district and state conventions ; he has served on the election board for six years; from 1905 until 1906 he was presiding judge ; in 1906 he was made township clerk and each year since has been reelected ; he was township collector in 1900; and served seven years on the school board, his connection with it only being severed upon his removal from Lynn township. He is a valued member of Sherman Lodge, No. 535, A. F. & A. M., at Orion, and has filled some of the offices. Since 1894 he has been a member of the Modern Woodmen of America at Andover. The entire family are active in church work, holding membership in the Lutheran church at Andover. Mr. Nel- son may be counted upon always to give his support to public improvements and to all measures tending to the general good. Having the interest of society at heart, he is a student of conditions and remedies. A "pusher" in every sense of the word, his influence is always actively at work for whatever he believes is right and as actively at work against whatever he believes to be wrong.
OSCAR F. GLENN.
Oscar F. Glenn, a farmer, stock raiser and feeder, whose home is on section 12, Western township, where he operates two hundred and forty acres belonging to J. W. Stearns, of Orion, is one of the successful younger agriculturists of his section of the county. He is descended from a race of men who not only braved the hardships of the pioneering days but were eager to give their lives in the sup- port of the Union when it was in need of the loyalty of every son. However, he is the only member of the family, bearing the name, who is now living here, where
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his great-uncle, James Glenn, is said to have been the first man to make a plow and turn a furrow in Henry county. He was born in the city of Hannibal, Missouri, January 1, 1873, and is a son of Thomas W. and Mary (Holshue) Glenn. One of the stories his father enjoys telling to this day, is how at the age of fifteen or six- teen, no older, he enlisted in the One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Illinois Infantry, determined that despite his youth he would assist in winning some battles for the nation which had been formed in the name of freedom. His service lasted three years. It was an incident in his childhood, and as the years rolled by seemed ever farther from the realities of life which accosted him daily in his endeavors to make a home for himself and his family. When his son Oscar was about three years of age, he brought his family to Henry county, locating in Colona township, where he had procured a tract of one hundred and twenty acres. It remained his home for upward of twelve years, when he took his wife and children to Dawson county, Nebraska. At first he secured only one hundred and sixty acres, but in the course of years he became the owner of about twelve hundred acres in that state, which has remained his home to the present, the place of his residence being the town of Plattsmouth.
Oscar F. Glenn, who was three years old when his parents came to Illinois, grew to manhood upon the farm in Colona township, receiving a fair education in the public schools of his district. He was about eighteen when his father went to Nebraska and three years later he began his own career as a farmer in that state. One season's experience upon a tract of land he rented from his father sufficed to discourage him from trying to make his fortune there, for the crops failed entirely and he was compelled to start at the beginning again. Accordingly he returned to Henry county, found employment as a farm hand, and in the course of three years, having saved his wages carefully, he amassed a sum sufficient to warrant his renting another tract of land. For a time he lived in Edford township, then spent two years in Osco township, and finally in 1902 removed to the place on now lives. His operations here have met with pronounced success, so that in 1908 he was able to go to Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, where he purchased two hun- dred and sixty-six acres, paying at the rate of fifteen dollars per acre.
In Osco township, October 1, 1899, Mr. Glenn wedded Miss Maude Chamber- lain, a daughter of Nathan V. and Margaret J. (Calhoun) Chamberlain. The for- mer was a native of Missouri, and through his grandmother, who belonged to the Allen family, was a descendant of Ethan Allen, famous in the annals of the Revo- lutionary war. He came to Henry county with his parents shortly after the close of the Civil war, and here met the woman who, later became his wife. She, Miss Margaret J. Calhoun, before her marriage, was born in Perry county, Pennsyl- vania, and came to Henry county, Illinois, with her parents after the culmination of hostilities between north and south. In that struggle her brother, W. F. Calhoun, had participated, having served throughout the four years, and received the rank of sergeant in recognition of his valiant deeds. Her son, Allen Dill Chamberlain, was also a soldier, for he enlisted in the army that was recruited for the Spanish war, being enrolled as a member of Company B, Sixth Illinois Infantry. He died after the close of the struggle in Evansville, Indiana.
Mrs. Glenn was born in Geneseo, July 5, 1878, and grew to maturity in this county, in whose public schools she received a fair education. At the time of her
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marriage she was making her home with a sister, Mrs. W. E. Weidlein, of Osco township. Our subject and his wife have three children: Gladys Mary, who was born in Edford township, January 6, 1901; Doris Elizabeth, born in Western township, July 29, 1907; and Grace Gretchen, also born in Western township, May 16, 1909.
Mr. Glenn has espoused the cause of the republican party but has evinced no desire to participate in the public life of the township. His work, however, and the fair name and success which he is rapidly winning for himself entitles him to the respect and good will of his fellow citizens which he now enjoys.
BENJAMIN F. WASHBURN.
The name of Washburn is well known and honored in Colona township where the family has been prominent in agricultural circles since early pioneer times, and Benjamin F. Washburn, of this review, has made a most creditable record that has at all times been in harmony with the upright and honorable methods which have ever characterized the business dealings of the representatives of the name. His birth occurred on his father's farm in this township, in the same locality where he now makes his home, on the 28th of February, 1853, his parents being Abisha and Isabella (Clapp) Washburn. An extended and complete history of the fam- ily will be found on another page of this volume under the name of George Wash- burn, giving full information concerning the active and helpful part which representatives of the name have taken in the transformation and development of the district since an early date in the pioneer history of the county.
Amid the scenes and environments of rural life Benjamin F. Washburn spent the period of his boyhood and youth, acquiring his education in the district schools of Colona township. His educational advantages, however, were somewhat lim- ited, for as soon as he was old enough to handle a team his attendance at school was confined to a few weeks during the winter months, for from early spring planting until late autumn harvest he was busily engaged in the work of the fields, assisting in the operation of the home farm. He thus acquired a practical and comprehensive knowledge of the science of farming that later proved of great value to him in the conduct of his own business interests. He remained at home giving his father the benefit of his aid until he attained man's estate, when hè took up agriculture on his own account, since which time he has continued to make it his life work. He now owns a highly cultivated farm of one hundred and sixty acres upon which he makes his home, the place being equipped with a fine modern residence, substantial barns and outbuildings and all of the conveniences and ac- cessories that go to make up a model farm of the twentieth century. He also is the owner of an equally well improved tract of one hundred and sixty acres in Ne- braska, which is the source of gratifying annual revenue. In connection with his general farming pursuits he devotes considerable time and attention to his stock- raising interests and both branches under his careful and wise management are proving most remunerative.
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In November, 1873, Mr. Washburn was united in marriage to Miss Maria Williams, a daughter of William A. and Harriet (Anderson) Williams. The father is descended from Welsh ancestry while the mother is of Scotch descent. They came from Wisconsin to Henry county at a very early date, being numbered among the early pioneers of this district. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Washburn were born six children, namely: Jessie, the wife of George Montgomery, of Colona township; Mabel, who married Mike Sharp, also of this township; Arthur and Suella, the widow of Manville Jones, at home; Mary, who married Wesley Jones and resides in Colona township; and Sadie, who is still under the parental roof. In November, 1880, the wife and mother was called to her final rest, and on the IIth of September, 1895, Mr. Washburn was again united in marriage, his second union being with Miss Agnes Carson, a daughter of David and Jean Carson, of Western township. The Carson family are of Scotch origin, coming from Scot- land to America in 1852, the home first being established in Yonkers, New York, where they resided for nine years, when the daughter Agnes was born. The fam- ily then came west to Henry county in 1861, locating in Western township, where Mr. Carson became a prosperous farmer and a very influential and prominent citizen. The family was especially interested in educational matters, three of the daughters having been at one time popular and progressive teachers in the schools of Henry county. Mrs. Washburn taught school for six years prior to her mar- riage, and was a very capable and successful instructor. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. Carson passed away on the 4th of January, 1902, and is still survived by her husband, who makes his home in Western town- ship.
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Mr. Washburn's political views are in accord with the principles of the demo- cratic party and he served the township as road commissioner for a number of years. He is now filling the office of township assessor and has for many years been a member of the district school board. He has ever been a public-spirited citizen, deeply interested in all matters involving the general welfare, and is a strong advocate of public reform and improvement along lines in keeping with the progressive spirit of the age. His career has ever been such as to warrant the trust of the business world, for he has ever conducted all transactions according to the strictest principles of honor and integrity, and he enjoys the unqualified respect and confidence of his friends and neighbors, who know him as an honor- able and upright gentleman and a true and loyal citizen.
FRANCIS MARION HAY.
Although he has passed the seventy-fifth milestone on life's journey Francis Marion Hay still retains active supervision of his agricultural interests. He owns a fine farm of three hundred and eighty acres on sections I and 12, Annawan township, on which he lives, and also a tract of one hundred and thirty-three acres on section 4, and his methods of cultivation are so thorough and his business is conducted with such good judgment that he is numbered among the more pros- perous farmers of Henry county. Nor is his reputation confined by county lines,
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but he is widely known through the state, not only for the excellence of his dairy products, but also for the exemplary character of his life. He was born in Saluda township, Jefferson county, Indiana, January 22, 1833, a son of Thomas and Sarah (Maiden) Hay. The former was born on a farm in the vicinity of Edinburgh, Scotland, October 26, 1800, and was a lad of eleven when his parents joined a company of about a hundred who emigrated to America. They landed at New York, whence they went to Philadelphia, thence to Pittsburg, where they secured a flat boat and floated down the river to Hanover, Indiana. There they disem- barked and William Hay, the grandfather of F. M. Hay, secured a tract of land from the government, which remained his home during the rest of his life. He died at the advanced age of eighty-six years.
Thomas Hay, the father of F. M. Hay, grew to manhood upon the homestead in Jefferson county, Indiana, and there was married to Miss Sarah Maiden. In 1854 he came to Annawan on a visit, and despite the fact that it was the year of the great snow storm he was so favorably impressed with the country that in 1855 he returned, bringing his family with him, and bought some land on section 13, Annawan township. Thereon he lived the rest of his life, save for two years he spent in the village of Annawan, and his active years were busily occupied with agricultural pursuits, wherefrom he derived a gratifying success.
Francis Marion Hay lived in the township of his birth until he reached ma- turity, obtaining such an education as the district schools of his locality afforded at that time. As a boy he learned the use of tools and before he became twenty had become skillful at carpentering, so that he was able to secure bridge work on the Jeffersonville and Indianapolis Railroad and which is now part of the Big Four. In 1854 he came by rail to Henry county, while his father drove a few horses overland, intending to sell them after he arrived, and here again engaged in car- pentering. A couple of years later he turned his attention to farming, for he had traded some raw land he had entered from the government in Benton county, Iowa, for forty acres in Annawan township, Henry county. That tract was the nucleus about which later accretions were made until the home farm comprised two hun- dred and ten acres, for a large measure of success attended Mr. Hay's labors and as he saw opportunity he put his money in that safest of all investments, real estate. He engaged in general farming, but at one time he was extensively engaged in dairying, frequently milking fifty cows daily. He had only Jersey cattle in his herd, and the butter he made was justly celebrated for its quality, receiving the gold prize at the union dairy fair held at Milwaukee. Now this business is not carried on on as extensive a scale, although the excellence of the dairy prod- ucts is still maintained.
On Thanksgiving day, November 26, 1868, in Annawan township, Mr. Hay was married to Miss Hannah A. Tower, a native of New York. Her parents, Samuel Nelson and Hannah (Lewis) Tower, left the east in 1852, and coming west located in McHenry county, Illinois, where Mr. Tower engaged in farming and taught music. Later he became superintendent of the Washingtonian Home, in Chicago, but in 1865 came to Henry county, where he again followed agricul- tural pursuits and taught music. His daughter, Mrs. Hay, inherited some of his talent along musical lines and enjoyed special training in the art.
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Mr. and Mrs. Hay have three children. Mark, who was born September 28, 1869, after leaving the country schools, took a short course in Bryant & Strat- ton Business College, Chicago, and then studied architecture at the University of Illinois. For a time he was employed by the board of education of Chicago, but after the earthquake in San Francisco, California, believing that there were larger opportunities there, he removed to that city, where he is still engaged in his pro- fession as architect. He has not married. Louis M., who was born January 16, 1872, received a good education, and is now the owner of eighty acres on section I, this township, where he is carrying on farming. Cranston Roy was born Au- gust 16, 1874, and died, unmarried, December 13, 1907.
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