History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II, Part 7

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

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Colonel Sylvester Blish, the grandfather of James K. Blish and a son of Dea- con Thomas and Prudence (Hubbard) Blish, was born December 31, 1790, at Glastonbury, Connecticut, and on the Ist of January, 1812, at South Manchester, Connecticut, wedded Rhoda Cheney, who was born December 5, 1794, at South Manchester, a daughter of Timothy and Rhoda (Skinner) Cheney. Colonel Syl- vester and Rhoda (Cheney) Blish were the parents of Charles C. Blish and Wil- liam H. Blish and the grandparents of James K. Blish, whose name introduces this review. As Colonel Sylvester Blish and his descendants have been promi- nently identified with the history of Henry county they are mentioned more at length on another page of this volume.

James K. Blish, whose name introduces this record, acquired his early educa- tion in the Union school of Wethersfield and Kewanee and afterward became a student in the preparatory school at Ann Arbor, and in 1862 he entered the Uni- versity of Michigan, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1866. His college days being ended, he returned to his home in this county and was identified with farming interests in Wethersfield township for three years. His alma mater conferred upon him the Master of Arts degree in 1876. After devoting three years to farming he went to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he entered the firm of Kiter, Bonar & Blish, manufacturers of blank books, his identification with that house continuing for two years, after which he dis- posed of his interest there and went to Chicago, where he entered the employ of J. W. Middleton, engaged in the same line of business, until the disastrous fire of 1871. He then returned to Kewanee and with the determination of entering upon a professional career became a law student in the office of Howe & North, the senior partner being Judge John H. Howe, who a year later was appointed by President Grant as chief justice of the territory of Wyoming. Mr. Blish then continued his law studies under the direction of Hon. Levi North, and while pursuing his law course was elected justice of the peace, being the youngest man who has ever filled that position in Kewanee.

In 1873 Mr. Blish passed the required examination before the judges of the supreme court at Springfield, among whom was the venerable Sidney Breese, and being thus admitted to the bar opened a law office in Kewanee, where he has since successfully followed his profession. He is today one of the oldest repre-

HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY

sentatives of the bar of this city in years of continuous practice here. He has won for himself very favorable criticism for the careful and systematic methods which he has followed. He has remarkable power of concentration and applica- tion, and his retentive mind has often excited the surprise of his professional colleagues. As an orator he stands high, especially in the discussion of legal mat- ters before the court, where his comprehensive knowledge of the law is manifest and his application of legal principles demonstrates the wide range of his pro- fessional acquirements. The utmost care and precision characterizes his prepara- tion of a case and has made him one of the most successful attorneys of Henry county. Mr. Blish has also become known in business circles and since 1894 has been the honored president of the First National Bank, which was organized in 1870, at which time his father was elected president and so continued for about twenty years. Various other corporate interests have benefited by his wise counsel and sagacious judgment in business affairs. He took a leading part in the organization of the Kewanee Building & Loan Association and was chosen its first secretary. He also assisted in organizing the Kewanee Electric Light Company and has been prominently identified with a number of other business enterprises that have promoted the welfare of the city.

While the life work of Mr. Blish has been preeminently that of a successful practitioner of law, he has ever been mindful of his duties and obligations of citizenship and has labored earnestly and effectively for the benefit of the city along many lines. He was one of the organizers of the Kewanee public library and served for twelve years on its board of directors. For thirteen years he was president of the Kewanee Fair Association, which he had aided in organizing, and for four years he was a member of the board of county supervisors, during which time he served on the building committee for the erection of the Henry county courthouse. His service as a member of the school board covers eighteen years, during which period he acted for a part of the time as its secretary and at all times was a stalwart champion of the cause of public education, promot- ing its interests through the employment of competent teachers and the adoption of improved methods of instruction. Called to the city council, he served as al- derman for several years and exercised his prerogatives in support of every measure which he deemed of municipal benefit. In politics he is a democrat but not an advocate of free silver. He has been a delegate to nearly all the state conventions of his party and in 1888 was one of the presidential electors. His highest political honors were conferred upon him in 1902, when he was elected minority representative to the general assembly of Illinois for the thirty-seventh district composed of Bureau, Henry and Stark counties.

Mr. Blish has been married twice. On the 25th of December, 1867, in Chi- cago, Illinois, he was married to Miss Mary E. McManus, who was born Jan- uary 31, 1846, in Sherburne, New York, and died September 18, 1883. There were three children of that marriage: Carrie Elizabeth, who was born February 7, 1869, at Wethersfield, Illinois, died June 8, 1870, at Council Bluffs, Iowa. James Louis was born July 18, 1871, in Chicago. Bertha Belle was born Sep- tember 19, 1877, in Kewanee, Illinois. Mr. Blish's first wife died September 18, 1883, and he was again married October 5, 1886, in Cambridge, Illinois, to Miss Amy Mason Rhodes, who was born in Providence, Rhode Island, September 15,

HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY

1855, and is a daughter of Albert and Ann Elizabeth (Read) Rhodes, who came to this state during her infancy and settled on a farm at Bunker Hill, Bureau county. There Mrs. Blish attended the local schools until the failing health of her father compelled him to quit farming and the family removed to Buda, Illi- nois. She finished her education in Providence, Rhode Island, and at once began teaching, which she followed for more than ten years, during most of which time she was first assistant in the high schools of Buda, Sheffield and Cam- bridge. Since her marriage she has been an active participant in social, charitable and literary circles of Kewanee, is a member of the Ladies Reading Club and was the organizer and for several years the regent of the Kewanee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. For fifteen years she was an officer and one of the managers of the Dorcas Society, an organization supported by voluntary contributions for the benefit of the worthy poor. By her marriage she has become the mother of three children: Elizabeth, born March 22, 1888; Matthew Rhodes, born April 28, 1889; and Asa Rhodes, born June 8, 1893.

Mr. Blish is numbered among the pioneer residents of Henry county, where he has spent his entire life and has served for several terms as president of the Old Settlers Association. The county might well be proud of her native sons if their records were all as clean and honorable and their work as valuable in the upbuilding and promotion of public interests as that of James Knox Blish -a man respected and honored wherever known and most of all where best known.

MRS. SUSAN HULSE JENNINGS.

The desire on the part of many friends of Mrs. Susan Hulse Jennings is in harmony with the wish of the publishers to present to our readers her history, for through forty years she bore a prominent part in the life of the community not only in its social relations but also in the larger field of business, where she displayed remarkable energy, foresight and capability in management. She made her home on section 12, Cambridge township, where she and her husband located on a tract of four hundred acres of land in 1849 and there she remained until her de- mise in February, 1898, her influence being a beneficent force in the community. She was born August 20, 1813, near Chillicothe, Ohio, and was a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Van Meter) Shepherd. Her paternal grandfather, Thomas Shepherd, was a pioneer of Jefferson county, Virginia, and a prominent factor in all the general interests of that part of the state, being closely associated with its settlements and the development of its agricultural and business affairs. He built and operated what was then known as a merchant mill and in the conduct of his agricultural and industrial interests won prosperity. Through his efforts the town of Shepherdston, Virginia, was laid out and became a place of more than ordinary pretensions. This successful and enterprising business man in his early manhood was fortunate in winning for his bride Miss Susan Hulse, the belle of Wheeling, West Virginia, and to them were born eight children. Two sons of the family, two sons-in-law and the father all enlisted as soldiers in the

HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY

war of 1812, and the latter gave a drove of cattle for the use of the army. His granddaughter, Mrs. Jennings, whose name introduces this review, first opened her eyes to the light on the day when her father returned from the war.

Her father, John Shepherd, was born February 16, 1776, and married Eliza- beth Van Meter, a daughter of Isaac and Rebecca (Wright) Van Meter. Her parents were prosperous people so that the splendid opportunities of education and culture were afforded her. Her father was one of the most prominent and influential citizens of the county in which he made his home and was highly esteemed for his sterling worth as a man and for his unfaltering integrity in every relation of life. Unto John Shepherd and his wife were born eight chil- dren. The parents when still young went to Ohio and the father served as sheriff of the county in which they settled. In the fall of 1835 they removed westward to Vermilion county, Illinois, where the death of Mr. Shepherd oc- curred April 3, 1841. He had devoted his life to farming and milling and his industry, energy and reliability were factors in his success .. His wife was born May 4, 1783, and died in Pickaway county, Ohio, September 5, 1835.

Mrs. Jennings was the fourth child of her parents and the other members of the family were Abraham, Rebecca W., Isaac V., Rachel, Mary, Elizabeth and Joseph L., all now deceased. She spent her girlhood days under the parental roof and on the 6th of March, 1835, gave her hand in marriage to Levi Jennings, who was born in Virginia, March 10, 1794. They began their domestic life on a farm in Peoria county, Illinois, where they continued to reside for fourteen years, after which Mr. Jennings disposed of his property there and returned to Ohio, where they remained for one summer. They then became residents of Canton, Fulton county, Illinois, and in April, 1849, arrived in Henry county, where they purchased four hundred acres of land and two thousand head of sheep. This was still a pioneer district and their primitive home was a log cabin barely large enough to accommodate the members of the family. They occu- pied it for five years, however, bending their energies to the improvement of their farm, Mrs. Jennings wisely managing the household affairs while her husband had charge of the work of cultivating the fields.

The death of Mr. Jennings occurred December 28, 1859, at Henderson, Min- nesota. The original purchase of four hundred acres remained in possession of the family and Mrs. Jennings prosecuted the interests of the estate with character- istic energy. Not only did she make the home farm a profitable enterprise but from time to time as her financial interests increased made investment in other property until she became one of the large landowners of Henry county, her possessions ag- gregating thirteen hundred acres. Of this eleven hundred and twenty acres were included in the home farm, while the remainder was timber land about three miles distant. Mrs. Jennings gave personal supervision to all the work of the farm and stock raising was made a prominent feature of the place, about three hundred hogs and two hundred head of cattle being fattened annually, while at one time sixty head of horses were kept on the place.

Mrs. Jennings proved a most devoted and faithful mother to her children, who were four in number, namely: Annie V., who was born February 20, 1836, and is now the widow of James Bush, residing in Winterset, Iowa; Mary J., who was born November 14, 1838, and is the widow of Nathaniel B. Gould; John

HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY

L., who was born December 25, 1840, and died January 6, 1908; and Ella, who was born in May, 1854, and died at the age of eighteen months.

The death of Mrs. Jennings occurred in February, 1889, when she was in the seventy-sixth year of her age. She was a remarkable woman, possessing notable business tact, enterprise, the keenest discrimination and sound judgment. Her memory was retentive and her knowledge of detail most accurate. She saw and recognized the possibilities for judicious and profitable investment and her business ability made her the peer of the successful men of the county, while in all those true womanly traits of sociability, kindliness and consideration she was richly endowed.

ROBERT A. MANGUSON.

Among the representative citizens whom Sweden has given to the new world is Robert A. Manguson, who belongs to a family that, like many another that has come from across the water, sought the opportunities of the new world that advancement might be made in business lines and better advantages given to the members of the household. Born on the IIth of October, 1856, in Got- tenburg, he is a son of Eric and Sarah Stena (Samuelson) Manguson, the for- mer a native of Kisa, Sweden, born there on the IIth of February, 1822.

The parents, in company with four brothers of Mrs. Manguson, came to America when the subject was but a year and a half old. The vessel upon which they embarked foundered and was lost at sea, and they were rescued by another ship. They were eleven weeks in making the journey but finally landed in New York city, where they resided for about five years, during which time the father was engaged in the carpenter's trade. Later they came to Henry county, where the brothers of Mrs. Manguson had already located. The home was established in Western township and there the father was employed as a laborer and at the same time operated a rented farm which belonged to the Samuelsons, his wife's brothers. About the year 1866 he purchased eighty acres of land on sec- tion 20, Osco township, where he erected a small house and upon which he re- sided for a number of years. He became very prosperous in his agricultural pursuits and as the years passed was able to add to his original purchase. He first invested in one hundred and sixty acres on section 18, Osco township, to which he removed and upon which he made many improvements, continuing to reside thereupon for several years. Later he purchased one hundred and nine and a half acres on section 30, this township, upon which farm our subject now resides. His entire life was given to general farming pursuits and he never had occasion to regret his determination to seek his fortune in this country, for here, where individual effort is unhampered by caste or class, he prospered and through industry, thrift and perseverance gained a place among the substantial agricul- turists of the township. He was a stalwart republican in politics but not an aspirant for public office, and his religious faith was indicated by his membership in the Swedish Lutheran church. Death came to him on the 30th of December, 1905, at the advanced age of eighty-three years, having survived his wife about

HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY

two years, her death occurring on the 21st of October, 1903. Their family con- sisted of nine children, eight of whom grew to maturity and seven are still living. They are as follows: Matilda, the wife of Samuel Peterson, who with their ten children reside in Orion; Caroline, who married August Hart and passed away in Merced, California, leaving five children; Charles, who wedded Christine Swanson, by whom he has six children, and makes his home in Rolfe, Iowa; Robert A., of this review; Alfred, who resides in Osco; Ida, the wife of Frank Elm, of Cambridge, by whom she has three children; Emily, the wife of John Westerlund, of Elliott, Iowa; Frank, who married Emily Shellberg, and with his wife and one child resides on section 29, Osco township; and one who died in infancy.

Coming to America in very early childhood, Robert A. Manguson has there- fore spent almost his entire life in this country and in the schools of Osco town- ship, Henry county, acquired a very good knowledge of the various branches of English learning. His entire boyhood and youth were passed under the parental roof and he early became familiar with the tasks that fall to the lot of the country lad. He continued to give his father the benefit of his assistance until twenty-two years of age, when he launched out in an independent venture, renting one of his father's farms for a year or two and during that time making his home with his parents. He then laid the foundation for a happy home life in his marriage on the 2d of July, 1889, at Orion, to Miss Minnie Johnson, a native of Tiersom, Sweden, and a daughter of Jonas Diederic and Charlotte (Nelson) Johnson. She was sixteen years of age when she accompanied her parents on their removal to Amer- ica, settlement being made in Orion, Henry county, Illinois. The father still survives and makes his home in Osco township, while the mother passed away September 16, 1905.

After his marriage Mr. Manguson came to his present farm, which he oper- ated in the capacity of renter until his father's death, when he purchased the property from the estate, paying for it one hundred and fifty-four dollars per acre. It consists of one hundred and nine and a half acres located on section 30, Osco township. It was in excellent condition when it came into his possession and he has since directed his efforts towards its further cultivation. He has fully equipped it with the modern conveniences and accessories for facilitating farm labor and it contains all of the modern improvements which go to make up a model farm. He engages in general agricultural pursuits. Up-to-date and pro- gressive in his methods, possessing excellent business ability, he has, through his close application and good management worked his way upward in the agri- cultural world until today he ranks among the progressive, prosperous and rep- resentative farmers of the township.

As the years have come and gone four children have come to bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. Manguson, namely : Robert Clyde, who was born on the IIth of November, 1890; Ralph Amos, born May 22, 1895 ; Hazel Delsina, whose birth occurred on the 7th of May, 1898; and Alice Lorena, born on the 3Ist of Au- gust, 1900. The parents are both members of the Swedish Lutheran church of Orion, the teachings of which form the guiding principles of their lives. Mr. Manguson is stalwart in his support of the republican party, doing all in his power to further its influence in the community, although he has never sought nor de-

HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY

sired public office as the reward of party fealty. He has, however, served as a director on the school board, the cause of education finding in him a stanch champion. In his business affairs he has ever displayed sound judgment and keen discrimination and at the same time has ever been straightforward and honor- able, basing his business principles and actions upon the rules which govern strict and unswerving integrity. He is a man of many friends and has long been num- bered among the valued citizens of the township.

ISAAC SPROUSE.

On the roll of Henry county's honored dead appears the name of Isaac Sprouse, who was for many years actively identified with the farming interests of this section of Illinois. He was a man of kindly purpose and unbounded sympathy and all who knew him felt honored by his friendship. Born in Staun- ton, Virginia, November 17, 1839, he was a son of Mr. and Mrs. McCady Sprouse. The father served in the war of 1812 and afterward received a soldier's grant of land in Henry county, this tract constituting the farm which has since been in possession of the Sprouse family. He died on the old homestead, at the age of sixty-seven years. The mother, who bore the maiden name of Patterson, and was born in Kentucky, departed this life when eighty years of age.

Isaac Sprouse was reared in Staunton, Virginia, to the age of fourteen years, when he accompanied the parents on their removal to Henry county. His studies, begun in the schools of the south, were completed in the public schools of Nekoma, this state. Being the youngest of ten children, he remained with his parents on the home farm, caring for them in their declining years. After the father put aside business cares, the son managed the homestead place and continued to render such assistance to his widowed mother after the father passed away. Following her demise, he purchased the interest of the other heirs and thus became owner of one hundred and seven acres in Weller township. When the place came into his possession he replaced the old buildings with new and modern ones and made it a valuable farming property. He carried on farming for many years, the only interruption to his business being at the time of the Civil war, inheriting his father's loyal and patriotic spirit, he joined the army on the 25th of August, 1862, and served until June 10, 1865, when he received an honorable discharge. His death occurred August 15, 1903.

It was prior to his service in the Civil war that Mr. Sprouse was married, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary Anderson, a daughter of Samuel Ander- son, a prosperous farmer of Orion, this county. The wedding was celebrated in Cambridge, Illinois, on the 25th of November, 1860. Their union was blessed with five sons and three daughters: William G., forty-seven years of age, is farming in Worthington, Minnesota. Charles E., who is forty-two years of age, lives in Cameron, Missouri, and also gives his attention to agricultural pursuits. J. Franklin, forty years old, farms near Osco, in Henry county. Emma, thirty-six years of age, is the wife of George Wingader, of Galesburg, Illinois. Carrie M., who is the wife of W. S. Whitney, of Nekoma, is thirty-

HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY

three years old. Melvin O., thirty-one years of age, is also a farmer of Henry county, making his home near Woodhull. Mary J., passed away on the 30th of December, 1907, when twenty-six years old. Elmer L., an enterprising young man of twenty-six years, operates the old homestead farm.

Mr. Sprouse was independent in politics, voting for the man whom he deemed best fitted and most worthy of office regardless of his platform. His fraternal relations were with the Modern Woodmen and the United Workmen of America, and while he was deeply interested in these organizations, he yet found time to devote to matters of a public nature, filling the office of constable for many years, while for thirty-three years he was a school director. He always advocated a good school system in order that his own and other children of the neighbor- hood might receive an education suited to the demands of the times and that they might start out in life well equipped for the strenuous service of this ex- acting age. Last, but none the less important, was his church relationship. Mr. Sprouse was a charter member of the Methodist Episcopal church organized at Nekoma and from that date until his death he served on the board of trus- tees. For many years he likewise acted as superintendent of the Sunday school and in every movement and department of church work, whether of a busi- ness or social nature, he gave freely of his time and means. It is a difficult task to offer a fitting memorial to the life and accomplishments of a man of his character. Of broad and comprehensive views, of indomitable perseverance and strong personality, his life was as an open scroll, inviting the closest scrutiny. He directed his efforts in those lines where his judgment led him and carved his name deeply on the record of the political, agricultural and moral history of Henry county, which owes much of its advancement to his efforts.

CHARLES K. LADD.

A man of national prominence in democratic politics, with a state-wide repu- tation as a member of the bar, and honored and respected wherever known by reason of his eminent ability and his fearless defense of his honest convictions, Charles K. Ladd in his home city of Kewanee occupied a position almost unique in the opinion of his fellow townsmen. His own clear convictions and frank expression thereof caused many to differ from him in opinion on vital questions, and yet those same people entertained for him warm and friendly regard, recog- nizing his large heart, his generous nature and his public spirit.

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History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II, Part 7

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