History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II, Part 80

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

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where his widow lived to the advanced age of ninety-six, and where one of his sons, an uncle of Jesse L. Lamont, of this review, is still in possession of the old homestead. In 1864, Daniel Lamont brought his family to Illinois and located in Como, Whiteside county, where he followed his trade until his death, which occurred in November, 1901. His wife is still living in Como at the age of eighty-six years. They had ten children: Asenath, who married James Hopkins and lives at Como, Whiteside county, Illinois and they have five chil- dren; Flora, who unmarried lives at Sterling, Illinois; John, who married Miss Josephine Bradford and lives in Freeport, Illinois, where he is rearing a family of five children; Jesse L., of this sketch; Susan, who was the wife of Joseph Morrison and died at Stewart, Iowa, leaving three children; Elizabeth, who died in infancy; Charity, who was the wife of Henry Partridge and died in Whiteside county, leaving five children; Emily, who passed away while still unmarried; Washington Marion, a bachelor, living in Silver City, South Dakota; and Mary Ida, who died single.

Jesse L. Lamont was about sixteen years of age when his parents came to Illinois, and as he had received a good common school education in the land of his birth he here began to work for his living. He was permitted to keep all of his wages, the greater part of which he hoped to be able to save. After working for different farmers of Whiteside county, he came to Henry county, where for two years he herded cattle. In 1872, he married and began his life as a farmer. For two years he rented land and then bought ninety-one acres in Yorktown, which he sold four or five years later and engaged in mercan- tile business in Annawan. The venture was most unfortunate, however, for in five years he had lost all his property and was compelled to return to rent- ing. For a period of eight years he toiled as a tenant in Atkinson township and then bought some land south of Geneseo, on which he farmed for about four years. Selling that he went to Whiteside county, where he had purchased two hundred and forty acres, on which he lived for seven years, coming at the end of that time to the place he owns in Geneseo township. This consists of eighty acres on section 22, for which he paid at the rate of one hundred and ten dollars an acre, but which in 1909 brought two hundred and twenty-five dollars, the banner price. In the latter '8os Mr. Lamont began the breeding of a high grade of Hereford cattle and in 1899 began to breed pure blooded animals en- tirely and has since devoted himself to that phase of the stock business. He has exhibited at the various fairs in Cambridge, Kewanee, Princeton, Aledo and Kankakee, winning first prize in each. He also exhibited at the state fair in Des Moines, Iowa, where his animals received fourth place. Ambitious and a man of executive ability, he has attained to a high place in the ranks of the agriculturists of his township. He has recently disposed of his farm here and contemplates retiring to the city of Geneseo, but he still retains possession of the two hundred and forty acres of arable land he owns in Clarke county, Iowa, and so will not soon lose his sense of relationship with the life to which the best years of his manhood have been devoted.

In Atkinson, March 19, 1872, Mr. Lamont wedded Miss Mary J. Pritchard, of Alba township. She was born in County Down, Grey Abbey, Ireland, and was eleven years of age when her parents, Henry and Mary (Boyd) Pritchard,

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came to America. The family were eleven days in crossing the ocean, and after reaching our shores located in Alba township, Henry county, Illinois. Mrs. Lamont was the ninth in order of birth in a family of ten children born to her father through his two marriages: William, died at Mitchellville, Iowa, leaving one child; James, lives in Oregon; Samuel, is a resident of Alba township; Henry, passed away, leaving six children; Alex also died, leaving three chil- dren; Alice became the wife of John Pritchard and lives in Ireland on the old home place; Robert, is a resident of Geneseo and has four children; Hugh also lives in Geneseo and has two children; Mary is now Mrs. Lamont; and Sarah is the wife of Samuel Mccullough and lives in Marne, Iowa, where she is rearing her six children.

Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Lamont. Myrtle married Walter Cady, whose sketch appears in another part of this work. William H., married Miss Lavinia Hill and lives near Prophetstown, Whiteside county. They have three children: Lloyd, Irene and Millard. Alice Mabel became the wife of Clarence Arnett, of Whiteside county, and has a daughter, Alice M. May Ida died at the age of five years. Edwin Lloyd is at home, as is Maude Irene, the youngest of the family.

Mr. and Mrs. Lamont and their children are members of the Congregational church, of which he is a trustee. While he lived in Atkinson township and in Whiteside county he was for a number of years superintendent of Sunday schools. Politically he is a republican and a man deeply concerned for the public welfare, especially for the advancement of schools. For four terms he served as school director, while he was a resident of Atkinson township. In that period he served as assessor for two years, fulfilling his duties with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of his constituents. While a citizen of Annawan, he joined the ranks of the Masons and is now a loyal member of Stewart lodge.

SAMUEL MOCROFT.

Samuel Mocroft, who is engaged in farming his fertile one hundred and sixty acres of rich Henry county land, is an excellent type of the agriculturist who has devoted his life to this line of business activity. All of his energies have been directed toward the improvement and development of his property, and he has succeeded in gleaning from his land a good annual income. He was born in 1850 on his present farm in Kewanee township and is a son of William and Jemima (Botcrell) Mocroft. The father was a native of England, who came to the United States in search of a broader field of endeavor for he was a Methodist minister as well as a farmer.

Samuel Mocroft's boyhood was spent upon the farm his father bought in Kewanee township, and he attended the school of his neighborhood, of which later he became school director and held that office for ten years, during which time he tried to advance its standard of excellence and yet at the time not run the district into any unnecessary expense.

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In 1880 Mr. Mocroft married Mary Kirman, of Neponset, and they have had three children, as follows: George P., a farmer; and Fannie E. and Carrie May, both at home. In politics Mr. Mocroft is affiliated with the republican party, and he is interested in securing its success. He located on his father's homestead in 1876 and it is a satisfaction to him that this has always been his home and that his friends are those of a lifetime. By them he is respected and he is recognized as one of the good farmers of his township.

DANIEL SNYDER.

Daniel Snyder, deceased, who was one of the best known men of Henry county and a true-hearted, loyal friend and kindly neighbor, was numbered among the pioneers of this part of the state, having come to the county in 1851. He was born in Stromsburg, York county, Pennsylvania, December 15, 1824, and was one of ten children born to Michael and Ann Snyder. There were six sons and four daughters and in 1909 two sons and one daughter still survive.

In 1829, when he was five years old, Daniel Snyder's parents removed to Steubenville, Ohio, and there he attended the primitive school of the day during the winter months. The boys often played tricks upon their teacher but profited by his instruction. In 1845, Daniel Snyder, went to Coolville, Athens county, with his father, and there he was married February 24, 1847, to Margaret Col- lins, who passed away August 4, 1902, nearly five years before her husband, who died June 4, 1907, at the age of eighty-three years. Their children were six in number, as follows: Aurilla, born July 17, 1849, married James Beebe, and died October 9, 1908; Le Roy P. was born March 27, 1852; Rollin F., was born November 27, 1854; Laura A., born November 9, 1856, married Robert Martin and died August 2, 1887; Charles E., was born July 3, 1859; and Frank- lin D., was born December 28, 1863.

On April 1, 1851, Mr. Snyder left Ohio for Illinois, and arrived here on the fifteenth of the same month. The journey was made down the Ohio river and up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, landing being made at Peoria. When he arrived there, he had only five dollars and he had borrowed it from his brother-in-law. A party of seven left immediately for Henry county, all but the women walking most of the way. They went direct to the home of William Collins, who had come to Henry county in 1850, and here they remained until Mr. Snyder built a house on his own land at the edge of the timber. This land he had purchased during the summer and was forty acres in extent, on the old State road in Burns township, still in possession of the family. He spent his first Christmas day in Illinois in the newly completed house and was thankful to get settled. That winter was bitterly cold, and the ink froze on his quill pen as he used it in writing. He rented a log cabin while building his house and paid thirty-seven cents for its use. The first Fourth of July in this state was spent by the neighbors in Coulter's timber east of Kewanee, near John Ladd's farm.

Mr. Snyder had many experiences and loved to dwell upon them as de- clining years gave him time for talking over pioneer days. One year he sold

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corn for ten cents per bushel, and at the close of the war he sold his hogs at fourteen dollars per hundredweight. He split the rails to fence his one hun- dred and sixty acre farm and later cross fenced his place with hedge. When he arrived in Henry county there were no roads and when they wanted to reach a certain point, they simply drove across the prairie in the direction it was supposed to be. Mr. Snyder hauled all the lumber he used in building his first house from Henry on the Illinois river, and all of the dry goods and gro- ceries used by his family were purchased by him at the two little stores in Wethersfield. In the fall of 1854 he saw the first locomotive on the newly built Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. During all of the years between 1851 and 1887, when he moved to the Vormouth place on the Cambridge road and built the house that remained his home until his demise, he followed his trade of carpentering with the exception of a few years in the '6os when he farmed. Be- tween 1856 and 1860 he built the schoolhouse known as the Bobtown school, where most of his children attended, this being the first in Kewanee township.

Mr. Snyder cast his first presidential vote for Franklin Pierce, and he saw Lincoln, Grant, Hayes, Mckinley and Roosevelt, while in the presidential chair and was an enthusiastic republican. He had the privilege of hearing the Lincoln- Douglas debate and well remembered the Swedish settlers passing through the township walking to Bishop Hill. One time he bought a cow with the un- derstanding that he was not to pay for it until fall, but the man, needing money, came to collect, and so scarce was money that he gladly accepted the ten cents Mr. Snyder gave him, in part payment. This ten cents was all the money Mr. Snyder had at that time. For years he was known as "Uncle Dan" and was beloved by all who knew him. Up to the time of his death he was in moderate health and could easily read common print with the aid of glasses. He never aspired to be a great man, but possessed simple tastes and those honest char- acteristics that were often found among the sturdy pioneers of Henry county when a man succeeded only through hard work and rigid economy.

WILLIAM ALBERT OFFERLE.

William Albert Offerle is well known as a member of the firm of Lager & Offerle, successful clothing merchants. He was born in this city, October I, 1872, and is a son of Albert F. and Caroline J. (Dannenfelser) Offerle, who were natives of Pennsylvania and Geneseo, Illinois, respectively. The paternal grandfather was George J. Offerle, who came to America from Alsace, which was then under the dominion of France, but the family was of German lineage and the members of the household spoke both the German and French languages. Having crossed the Atlantic, George J. Offerle settled in Warren, Pennsylvania, where he was married, the lady of his choice being Magdalene Reig. Both he and his wife died in Geneseo when more than sixty years of age. They had a family of nine children who reached mature years, namely: Albert; Lena, the wife of Philip Rapp; Edward, deceased ; Frank; Belle; Anna, the wife of J. V. Laver; Louis; Freeman; and Hattie, the wife of C. E. Hapgood.

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Tracing back the maternal ancestry of Mr. Offerle, it is found that he comes in that line from ancestors who lived in Lorraine, also one of the border provinces which at times has belonged to Germany and again to France. The grand- father was Frederick Dannenfelser, who cast in his lot with the early settlers of Phenix township, Henry county, Illinois. His original home there was built of logs and he lived in true frontier style but as the years passed he added good buildings to his place and improved it according to more modern methods. A number of years later he removed with his family to Geneseo where he died at the age of eighty-one years, while his wife passed away at the age of eighty- four. They had a large family, as follows: Jacob, deceased; William; Eliza- beth, the wife of John O. Freed; Fred; Christina, the wife of F. E. Gresser; Caroline J., the mother of our subject; and Julia, the wife of S. S. Ott.

Albert F. Offerle, the father of William A. Offerle, became a shoemaker in Warren, Pennsylvania, and when, a young man accompanied his parents on their removal to Geneseo, where he continued to reside until the closing years of his life which were passed in Helena, Montana. He died in the 'gos and is still survived by his wife. They belonged to the German Evangelical Associa- tion and their many substantial qualities won for them high regard wherever they were known. There were three children in the family and the younger, son, Roy G. F., is represented elsewhere in this volume. Another son, Perry, died in infancy.

William A. Offerle was reared in Geneseo where he has made his home to the present time. The public schools afforded him his educational privileges un- til he had mastered the branches of learning therein taught and later he pur- sued a business course in Northwestern Normal. He then began clerking in the store of E. A. Cragin, spending little more than a year in that employ, after which he secured a clerkship in the clothing store of M. Nusbaum & Company in 1890. In 1893, he formed a partnership with Carl J. Lager and they pur- chased the business of Nusbaum & Company. In 1897 they erected what is known as the Lager & Offerle block, a fine brick structure in which they now carry on their clothing business. They have, however, two fine stores in Geneseo, one of them being conducted under the name of the Model, while the other is carried on under the firm style of Lager & Offerle. They are en- terprising merchants whose business ability is manifest in the success which is attending their efforts, their patronage being extensive and desirable.

On the Ist of June, 1898, Mr. Offerle was united in marriage to Miss Lois J. Hall, a daughter of William H. and Naomi (Brush) Hall. There is one son of that marriage, Robert Hall Offerle. The parents are members of the Unitarian church and Mr. Offerle is prominent in Masonry, having attained high degree in the craft. He belongs to Stewart Lodge, No. 92, F. & A. M .; Geneseo Chapter, No. 12, R. A. M .; Rock Island Commandery, No. 18, K. T .; and Kaaba Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine at Davenport.

His political endorsement is given to the republican party and while he does not seek office he is interested in matters of citizenship to the extent of giving generous support to every measure or movement calculated to prove of public good. He has always lived in Geneseo and the fact that many of his

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stanchest friends are numbered among those who have known him from his boyhood to the present time is an indication of the fact that his life has dis- played many sterling characteristics, being in conformity with the high prin- ciples of honorable manhood. A genial manner, unfailing courtesy and social disposition have also rendered him popular with all with whom he has been brought in contact.

ANSON CALKINS.

Anson Calkins, deceased, who during the years of his activity was one of the farmers of Oxford township and the founder of the village of Alpha, was born in Columbia county, New York, November 14, 1818. His parents, Elijah and Philina (Coleman) Calkins, came to Illinois in 1856, after their son Anson had returned from this state to his old home to get them. They lived for a, time with him in Alpha and then went to live with a daughter, Mrs. Cyrus Robbins, in Knox county. There the father died in the spring of 1858, though his widow lived almost twenty years longer, her death occurring in August, 1878, at the home of her son in Alpha.

Anson Calkins came to Illinois in 1841 and two years later located in Ox- ford township, Henry county, where he purchased two hundred and eighty acres of land, on part of which the village of Alpha now stands. A carpenter by trade, he put up his own house, which is still standing, though it had been enlarged and remodeled. In 1847 he married and commenced farming, though he still followed his trade whenever there was demand for his services. He also established a nursery in connection with his agricultural interests, which was the first, and for many years the only one, in this part of the state. The venture proved successful, but as the responsibilities of his farm and stock in- creased, he was compelled to abandon it. With the foresight of the true man of business he invested heavily in land and at one time owned sufficient to be able to give each of his five surviving children a farm of two hundred acres, while he still retained a good sized tract of land for himself. But it is as the father and founder of the village of Alpha that he deserves to be remembered, for he had the ground surveyed and plotted and when the town was estab- lished he became very active in all of its affairs. Although on account of his age he could not enter the ranks of the Union army, he rendered his country just as efficient service by encouraging the younger men to enlist and by aiding the government in all possible ways. In short his life was one of wide-reaching activity, and when, on the 20th of July, 1895, he was released from the cares of this world he enjoyed the respect and confidence of all who knew him.

On the 20th of April, 1847, Mr. Calkins wedded Miss Hulda Griffin, a daughter of John and Mary (Hoag) Griffin. The father was a native of Berk- shire county, Massachusetts, while his wife was born in Columbia county, New York. They were married in the latter state and then went to live in Berkshire county, Massachusetts, where their eight children, five sons and three daugh- ters, were born. In 1841 the family removed to Illinois, locating in Mercer

ANSON CALKINS

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county, at what was then known as Stewart's Corners but now has the name of Viola. There Mr. Griffin bought land and engaged in farming, but as he was in poor health most of the work devolved upon his sons, who were just entering manhood. He was a soldier in the war of 1812 and his son, Henry G. Griffin, fought on the Union side in the war of the Rebellion. During the progress of the latter war, although he was beyond the age limit, Henry G. Griffin enlisted in the One Hundred and Twelfth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and, being cap- tured, was confined in Libby prison, at Macon, Georgia, and at Charleston, South Carolina, in all a period of sixteen months. Toward the close of the war he was liberated and as might be expected his return home was greeted with great rejoicing. But even then he did not resign himself to the arts of peace; on the contrary he rejoined his regiment and served throughout the remainder of the war with distinction, being mustered out with the rank of lieutenant.

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Calkins began housekeeping on the farm on which the village of Alpha is now situated and in the house which Mr. Cal- kins had built and which is the home of his widow today, though it has been added to and improved as the years have gone by. Their union was blessed with ten children, only four of whom are living today. They were Myra P., deceased; Mary E., the wife of Ira K. Frankenburger, a farmer of Oxford township; James B., of Alpha; Lucia M., deceased; John F., a farmer of Ox- ford township; Owen L., deceased; Orlo E., deceased; Winfield, of Kinder- hook, Illinois; Clarence, deceased ; and Newton, also deceased.

In politics Mr. Calkins was a whig and later became a republican when that party was organized. Active in public affairs, he from time to time served the township in various capacities, among which may be mentioned that of as- sessor and a member of the school board. He was a man whose word was his bond and none stood higher in the community, for he was always ready with his influence and support to aid all movements calculated to advance the best interests of the little village which he did so much to start on the road to a healthy growth. Widely known, he was also highly esteemed and when death called him he was deeply mourned as a citizen, a friend and a husband and father. In the cemetery in Oxford, where five of his children had previously been buried, his remains were laid to rest. He was seventy-seven years of age at the time. His widow still survives.

JOHN F. CALKINS.

John F. Calkins, a son of the preceding and a farmer of Oxford township, was born in the house which is historic in the family annals, for it was the building erected by his father when he first located in this township, that in which he and his wife were married and went to housekeeping and which was his home during his lifetime and is still the home of his widow. The son was born on the Ist of December, 1856, and spent his boyhood upon the home place. As he became able he assisted his father in the farm work and in the various industries in which the older man was interested. He completed the course of

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instruction given by the public school of his native village of Alpha, but on account of weakened eyesight was prevented from continuing with his educa- tion. He accordingly devoted himself to the work of the farm and in 1879, when he married, took up the pursuit of agriculture on his own account. He owns a farm of one hundred and seventy-two acres on the outskirts of the vil- lage of Alpha, and this has been his home and the scene of his labors for the last thirty years. It is well improved and under a high state of cultivation. In connection with general farming, Mr. Calkins has also given his attention to the raising and feeding of stock and as he is progressive and enterprising, he has attained to a high degree of prosperity. The land is regarded as one of the choicest tracts of Oxford township, while the house, with its location and surroundings, is one of the most attractive in the neighborhood.

On the 28th of January, 1879, Mr. Calkins was united in marriage to Miss Elvira Elliott, who was born near Youngstown, Ohio, a daughter of Willard and Mary (Urmson) Elliott. The father was born in New Hampshire and the mother in Virginia. Mr. Elliott died when Mrs. Calkins was but four years old. In the course of years her mother married Charles Elliott, a brother of her former husband, and about 1867 the family came to Illinois, settling in Ox- ford township, Henry county. To Mr. and Mrs. Calkins have been born five daughters : Effie A., the wife of Richard Timberlake, a farmer of Oxford town- ship; Edna P., who lives at home; Mary H., who is the wife of Harry Stitt, of Kansas; Stella and Frances W., who live at home. All of the children have been given the advantages of a good education, the older girls having grad- uated from the Alpha high school, which the youngest is still attending. Their home is one of generous hospitality, and the family are prominent in the social life of the village. Fond of music and good literature, with which they are abundantly supplied, they are also factors in the intellectual and cultured in- terests of the community. Mrs. Calkins and her daughters are members of the Baptist church, of which, though he is not a member, Mr. Calkins is a gen- erous supporter. In his party affiliations he is a republican, although he is not an active participant in political affairs. He is yet ever interested in public matters and is well informed on national as well as local issues, and is regarded as a citizen of great public spirit whose influence is always given to progres- sive measures. Fraternally he belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America and, with his wife and daughter Edna, is a member of the Fraternal Tribune. A man of high worth and sterling integrity, he is widely respected and hon- ored in the community in which he lives.

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History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II, Part 80

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