History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II, Part 91

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

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gressive in his own interests, he is also an advocate of public improvements, be- lieving that only through the espousal of the cause of advancement may a com- munity claim to be in the fore rank of modern civilization. Mrs. Baum shared in the good will and respect bestowed upon Mr. Baum, but she was called to her eternal rest December 9, 1906, and was buried in the cemetery at Colona.

DAVID FIRCH.

David Firch, who died September 26, 1909, was then living retired in Gene- seo after thirty-five years spent in tilling the soil in Edford township. He was born in West Prussia, Germany, March 30, 1840, and is the son of Michael and Emma (Sierodt) Firch. The parents were also natives of West Prussia, where the father was born in 1817 and the mother in 1815. In 1867 they came to the United States, and upon their arrival in Henry county, Illinois, Mr. Firch took up farming in Edford township. He was permitted to enjoy the advantages of the new country but three years, however, for he died in 1870. His widow, on the other hand, lived until 1899 and witnessed the success which her son at- tained here. They were the parents of ten children, two of whom died in the old country, and two are now living: Caroline, the wife of George Hohen- bocken, of Geneseo; and Frederick, of Edford township.

David Firch received his education in the schools of West Prussia, and farmed with his father until he became of age. In 1865, two years before his parents, he came to the United States and in Edford township began farming. He bought first sixty acres, to which, after four years he added one hundred and eighty acres, and then in fifteen or twenty years purchased one hundred and sixty acres more. He later disposed of all of this but still owned about seven hun- dred and ten acres embraced in three farms in the state of Minnesota. In the thirty-five years he lived in Edford township he brought his fields to a high state of cultivation and greatly improved the farm by the erection of substantial build- ings. In 1893 he retired from active life and the next year removed into the house which he had rented to tenants from 1880, it being located on Geneseo and Main streets, Geneseo.

In 1867 Mr. Firch married Miss Ottilie Oelke, who was born in West Prus- sia, September 26, 1849. Her parents, John L. and Emma (Fenske) Oelke, were also natives of Prussia and lived there until their deaths, which occurred in the case of the mother about eight years ago, but that of the father several years previous. They had ten children, four now living: Augusta, the wife of Fred Abraham, of Prussia Ottilie, now Mrs. Firch; Anna, the wife of Charles Ha- mann, now of Osco township; and Frank, who lives in Berlin. Of Mr. and Mrs. Firch's six children, four are living. Augusta is the wife of Henry Ha- mann, of Edford township, and they have five children, John, Walter, Lily, The- resa and Leona. Amelia is the wife of Henry Wiese, of Edford township, and they have two children, Rosa and Roy. Emma is the wife of Charles Blank, of Edford township, and they have five children, Martha, Ida, Elmer, Olga and Mildred. Louise is the widow of Emiel Ruhnke, who died in Chicago. She has

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no children and lives with her mother in Geneseo. All of the children received their education in the district schools of Edford township. .

The family are members of the German Lutheran church, in which Mr. Firch was collector for six years until his health failed and he was compelled to resign the position. In political matters he gave his support to the republican party but never took any part in public affairs. When he came to this country he had no money, only the clothes upon his back. But he was ambitious and in- dustrious and through the help of his good wife accumulated over seven hun- dred acres of good land and a comfortable home, and made a host of friends, who witnessed his struggles and the manner in which he surmounted them, and were unanimous in according to him their good will.

EUGENE C. O'CONNOR.

Eugene C. O'Connor, who has always identified himself with the labor move- ment and striven to work toward a general uplifting and betterment of. the men who toil, is one of the representative citizens of Kewanee, where he is at present conducting an undertaking establishment and picture framing and art goods store. He is a native of the city, having been born December 26, 1859, and is a son of Owen and Mary (Handibode) O'Connor.

The father was born in County Wexford, Ireland, in 1823, and like so many of his countrymen he sought a better opportunity for advancement under the stars and stripes, coming to the United States in 1850, and to Kewanee, Illinois, in 1854. Almost immediately he secured employment as a teamster on the con- struction work of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad and later engaged in general teaming until his death, which occurred in 1887. In 1857 he mar- ried Mary Handibode, born in West Meath, Ireland, who came to the United States in 1855, locating in Kewanee. She bore her husband eleven children, as follows : James, who lives in Kewanee; Eugene C., of this review; Mary, who married P. F. Howard, of Greensburg, Pennsylvania; Martin R., who also re- sides in Greensburg; Margaret, who married F. B. Stanton, of Kewanee; Rosa, the wife of P. H. O'Brien, of this city ; John P., a contractor of Chicago; Agnes, who married M. J. Brennan of Kewanee; Joseph W., also a contractor of Chi- cago; Thomas M. and Stephen Edward, who are living in Kewanee.

Eugene C. O'Connor was educated in the city schools and when still a boy began working in the coal mines and as a farm hand. He has met and mingled with many classes of men, having learned the carpenter's trade at which he worked for some years. Afterward he was connected with various lines of busi- ness until 1905, when he established himself in an undertaking business, and he also handles art goods and frames pictures. His undertaking establishment is one of the most complete in Henry county and every facility is afforded for the proper conduct of the last sad rites. He has been successful in his ventures, for he possesses indomitable will and perseverance and forces through issues he believes are right and proper.

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In 1890 Mr. O'Connor married Mary Keeney, of Kewanee, who died Sep- tember 15, 1898. Three children were born to them: Eugene, who passed away at the age of fourteen months; and Marjorie and Lawrence R., both students.

In 1903 Mr. O'Connor was elected mayor of Kewanee and served the city faithfully during two years. It was while he was in office that so many improve- ments were made. There were fourteen miles of sidewalks laid at that time. South Main street was paved with asphalt; North Main street and South Chest- nut with brick; and Willard street with concrete. Nine and one half miles of sewerage were put in, and a large amount of water mains were laid. After much agitation, Mayor O'Connor managed to have the water works refitted with com- pressor and new boilers, and he had the city purchase a new chemical engine for the fire department. During his administration more brick crossings were put in than under any other mayor and he was only stopped in his plans by lack of cooperation and funds. His whole administration was marked by a business- like system that worked for the ultimate benefit of all interested.

However, it is as a labor leader that Mr. O'Connor is best known. He has affiliated himself with many fraternal orders and holds office in nearly all of them, belonging to the Knights of Columbus, of which he is district deputy; the Catholic Order of Foresters, of which he is deputy high chief ranger; of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, of which he is county president; of Boss Lodge, No. 858, Mystic Workers, of which he is secretary; and of the Improved Order of Red Men, the Elks and the Eagles. His religious connections are with the Catholic church. Socially he belongs to the Commercial Club and he is one of its directors and also a director of the Kewanee Baseball Association. There are few men who have done more than he with their lives, considering that he began as a boy worker in the coal mines, and has risen to the highest office within the gift of his fellow townsmen. While in office Mr. O'Connor justified every trust placed in him, he carried out every promise and made Kewanee a paying corporation. Kind-hearted, genial, with a warm spot in his heart for all who need help or comfort, he is an ideal citizen and well fitted to carry on his pres- ent business.

WALTER W. SMITH.

Walter W. Smith, one of the native agriculturists of Henry county, who is conducting his father's farm of three hundred and twenty acres, lying on section 9, Osco township, was born in Western township, near the village of Orion, January 25, 1880. His parents are John F. and Mary Elizabeth (Smith) Smith, of whom extended mention is made in another part of this volume.

Walter W. Smith spent his boyhood days upon the home farm, and as he was the eldest of the six children born to his parents, he was early initiated into the work of the farm, assisting in its operation as soon as he was strong enough to handle the farm implements. After completing the course of study prescribed by the country schools he attended the Geneseo Collegiate Institute, from which he was graduated with the class of 1899. He then went to Knox College, Gales-

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burg, and after a three years' course returned to his father's farm, where he took up his life work. To this place he brought his bride, about four years ago, and here he has since lived. Although still in the early years of his man- hood, Mr. Smith possesses those qualities that should make him one of the sub- stantial agriculturists of his locality, for he has many things to his credit, being industrious, progressive in his ideas and not afraid to exert himself in the pur- suit of the success which he hopes to attain.

While in college Mr. Smith became acquainted with Miss Velmya Donizetta Howlett, a daughter of Dr. G. C. and Sarah Elizabeth (Smith) Howlett. She was born and reared in Atkinson and attended the high school in Geneseo and . at West Superior, Wisconsin. On the 5th of June, 1906, in Atkinson, were pro- nounced the words which made the young people man and wife, and their union has been blessed with two children: Karl, born in Geneseo, February 11, 1907; and Zona, born in Osco township, August 2, 1909.

Mr. Smith is a member of the English Lutheran church at Morristown, while his wife is an equally consistent adherent of the Congregational faith. Although he is interested in public affairs and keeps himself informed in regard to national issues, he does not give implicit allegiance to any party, for he pre- fers to decide upon the merits of each candidate and each question as it is pre- sented to him. He is a zealous Mason, and is almost invariably present at the meetings of Stewart Lodge, No. 92, A. F. & A. M.

J. LUTHER LOUGH.

The invariable law of destiny accords a successful career to tireless energy and honest labor, and this statement finds verification in the life record of J. Lu- ther Lough, who for more than thirty years has been closely identified with farming and stock-raising interests in Henry county. A native of West Vir- ginia, he was born on a farm near Morgantown, Monongalia county, and comes from an old Virginia family, the grandfather and great-grandfather on the pa- ternal side having been numbered among the pioneers of the Old Dominion state. The grandfather, Joseph Lough, was born in Scotland and came with his father to America in his youth. They resided in Pennsylvania for a time and later moved to Virginia. There the father of our subject, Mathew Lough, was born, on a farm within a half mile of that upon which the son's birth occurred, while the mother, who in her maidenhood was Malinda Cordray, was born in the same county. J. Luther Lough was one of twelve children. Harvey, a brother, who resides in Osco township, Henry county, is mentioned on another page of this volume. Mathew Lough, the father, passed away in 1886, at the age of eighty- one years, while the mother survived until March 4, 1905, when she had reached her eighty-eighth year. Both are interred on the home farm in West Virginia.

. No event of special importance came to vary the routine of life for J. Luther Lough during the period of his boyhood and youth, which were spent on his father's farm. His education, acquired in the district schools, was necessarily limited, for his father was not an able-bodied man, and it was necessary for him

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to assist in the cultivation of the home farm. He remained under the parental roof until he attained his majority and during that time gained large and com- prehensive knowledge of the best methods of carrying on agriculture, experience which proved very beneficial to him in later years. In 1879 he left his native state and came to Henry county, Illinois, where he became engaged as a farm hand near Cambridge, working by the month. His time was thus employed until his marriage, after which, desiring that his efforts might more directly benefit himself, he engaged in agricultural pursuits as a renter, operating the farm which is now his own in that capacity for four years. He then rented a farm near Osco for three years, at the expiration of which period, in 1895, he returned and purchased his present place, consisting of one hundred and fifty-six acres on section 30, Osco township. The purchase price was seventy-five dollars per acre, and at that time he had nothing with which to pay for it except some land in Kansas, valued at about one thousand dollars. He immediately set about the further development of his property, however, and in the course of years brought it under a high state of cultivation, his fields returning rich harvests as the re- ward of the care and labor bestowed upon them, while as he prospered he was able to meet every obligation. He made many improvements upon the place, and that it proved an excellent investment is indicated by the fact that in 1909 he sold the farm for one hundred and sixty dollars per acre, a great advance over the original cost. In the meantime he engaged in general agricultural pursuits and also devoted considerable time and attention to breeding and shipping stock, both branches of his business proving most gratifying sources of remuneration. Having sold his farming interests in Osco township he expects to remove to Herrington, Kansas, in the spring of 1910, where he will make his home in the future.

It was on the 22d of February, 1888, in Orion, Illinois, that Mr. Lough was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Howell, a daughter of Charles G. and Sarah C. (Holland) Howell. She was born in Monongalia county, West Virginia; on the 6th of September, 1861, and when a little maiden of eight summers came with her parents to Henry county. Her father still survives and is living retired in Oklahoma, while her mother passed away on the 10th of April, 1905, in Olathe, Kansas, her remains being interred at Orion. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Lough has been blessed with six children. Cecile M., the eldest, was born on the 4th of January, 1889, and after attending high school in Cambridge for three years, en- tered Geneseo Collegiate Institute, from which she was graduated with the class of 1908, after which she taught school for one term. Edgar H. was born on the Ioth of January, 1891, and after attending the common schools, took a course in bookkeeping in Geneseo Collegiate Institute. Grace D., born October 24, 1894, has completed her eighth year in school, while Mary C., born on the 12th of November, 1896, is now in her seventh year. Charles M. and Helen M., were born on the Ist of March, 1899, and the 28th of February, 1901, respectively. All are still under the parental roof.

Mr. Lough belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church, while his wife is a member of the Baptist church, the former having served as a church trustee for some time also taking an active part in the Sunday-school work. Fraternally he belongs to Orion Post, No. 648, I. O. O. F., of which he is a charter member,

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and also to Camp No. 2248, M. W. A., at Osco, having filled all of the chairs in both organizations. In politics he gives stalwart support to the republican party, having cast his first presidential vote for Hayes in 1876 He has ever been a warm champion of the cause of education and served for nine years as school trustee of Osco township. He also served on the educational committee and was a member thereof when an expert was employed to audit the books. In 1902 he was elected to the office of supervisor and occupied that office for four years continuously. In all matters relative to the progress and improvement of the community he is interested and gives his support to many measures for the public good. Progressive and energetic in his business, all that he now possesses or enjoys has come to him as the reward of earnest labor. Early realizing that success is not a matter of genius but is rather the result of experience and in- dustry, he has therefore learned life's lessons well, made good use of his oppor- tunities, and, through his persistency of purpose, actuated by a laudable ambi- tion, and his straightforward dealings he has gained high rank among the coun- ty's substantial and desirable citizens.

GEORGE BAXTER DUNCAN, M. D.

The physician of today occupies a very responsible position with regard to his community. Owing to changes in methods of living, increased danger to life and limb, and the necessity of better sanitation, the people generally are very dependent upon the intelligence and skill of the physicians and surgeons who are among them. One of the best known physicians of Henry county is Dr. George Baxter Duncan, who has lived in Kewanee since 1897 and is now recog- nized as one of its leading medical men. He was born in Waukesha county, Wisconsin, October 26, 1854, a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Cation) Duncan. The father was a native of Scotland, who came to the United States when twenty- five years old, about 1830. Although a tailor by trade, he began farming upon his arrival in the new world. He had learned his trade in Edinburgh. His death occurred when he was eighty years old, but his wife died when sixty-two years old.

Dr. Duncan was educated in the country schools and remained on the farm until he was twenty-three years old, when he decided to begin the study of medi- cine at Milton, Wisconsin, and was graduated in 1896 from what was then the National Medical College of Chicago but is now the Homeopathic Medical depart- ment of the Northwestern University. Subsequent to his graduation, Dr. Dun- can went to Constantine, Michigan, but in 1897 located in Kewanee and has been in active practice here ever since. He is a member of the Physicians Club of Kewanee, of the Galva District and the Henry County Medical Societies, and fraternally he belongs to the Masonic Order, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Mystic Workers and is medical examiner for the last named lodge.

In December, 1877, Dr. Duncan married Ella Whitbeck, a daughter of Jacob and Margaret Whitbeck, of Floyd, Iowa. She was graduated from the

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same school of medicine as her husband in the same class but has retired from active practice. Three children were born to Dr. and Mrs. Duncan, namely : Maud, who married Arthur Caverno, of New York city, manager of the Ke- wanee Water Supply Company; Edith, who married Fred Steer, of Kewanee, assistant foreman of the National Tube Works of Kewanee; and Ida, who mar- ried Thomas M. Biddlecombe, principal of schools of La Fayette, Illinois.

Dr. Duncan is an excellent physician but not a surgeon and is a typical rep- resentative of his school of medicine. He is a man of dignity of character, hon- esty of purpose and sympathetic manner that makes him welcome in the sick- room. His practice is a large one and is increasing with each year of his resi- dence here.

ANDREW ERICSON.

Andrew Ericson, who for upward of a score of years has operated success- fully a large tract of land in Weller township, was born in Helsingland, Sweden, December 23, 1860. His parents, Eric and Christine (Johnson) Ericson, were also natives of the same province, where they spent all of their lives. The father was an agriculturist during the years of his activity. He passed away December 23, 1904, but the mother is still living in Sweden at the age of sixty-six years.

Andrew Ericson received his early training under the guidance of his parents at his home and in the public schools of his native land. In 1880, when he was about twenty years of age, he started for the United States, feeling confident that here he could better his fortunes. After crossing the Atlantic he made his way almost directly to Weller township, this county, where he secured work as a farm hand. After two years' experience, he went to Anoka, Minnesota, obtaining employment in the sawmills there. But Bishop Hill seemed to him to offer better opportunities for advancement, so he returned after a sojourn of three years in the northern state and again found work upon a farm. It was two years after that, in 1887, that he began farming on his own account. First he leased a tract of eighty acres near the village of Bishop Hill, and then, while he retained that land, he rented another tract of equal area, to which he re- moved. Two years later, while still renting those two farms, he leased a tract of two hundred and thirty-five acres, on which he has lived and worked for the past sixteen years. For the first two years of his residence here, he operated all three of the farms bitt at the expiration of that time, in order to be able to de- vote more attention to the larger place, he relinquished the first two places, culti- vating the tract on which he now lives exclusively. In the past he gave much time to the raising of broom corn, but of late years he has raised general crops, and has raised about thirty head of full blooded cattle annually. From all of his industries he has derived a comfortable income.

Mr. Ericson has been twice married. On the 29th of May, 1885, in Bishop Hill, he was united to Miss Erica Ericson, a daughter of Eric N. Ericson, a well known farmer of Bishop Hill. Three children were born to them: Selma C., who is the wife of Fred Anderson, an agriculturist of Bishop Hill; Ernest E.,

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now engaged in farming in Dakota; and Leroy A., who is still at home and assists his father on the farm. Later Mr. Ericson wedded Miss Elizabeth Sand- berg, a daughter of Peter Sandberg, a blacksmith of Bishop Hill. Four children have been born of this union: Estella M., Herman T., William C. and Laura R.

While generally Mr. Ericson gives his support in political matters to the re- publican party, he is not infrequently non-partisan in his views, casting his vote and influence as he deems best after having made a thorough investigation of the question at issue. He has, through a period of three years, rendered efficient service as highway commissioner, but in no sense of the word could he be called an office seeker. In fraternal matters, he has so far confined his affiliations to the Modern Woodmen of America, being an active member of the camp at Bishop Hill.

NELSON H. LOWRY, M. D.

Dr. Nelson H. Lowry, one of the best known physicians of Henry county, whose skill and sympathy have distinguished his practice and made him an hon- ored resident of Clover township, was born February 1, 1847, in Erie county, Pennsylvania, a son of Samuel and Ruth Ann (Parsons) Lowry. The father, who was a shoemaker, gave his son but few advantages and, as he lost his mother when he ws eight years old, he was taken by his uncle, Dr. Ephraim Parsons to Muscatine, Illinois, in 1855. Dr. Parsons practiced in Altona and Kewanee for many years and under his instruction Nelson H. Lowry began to study the rudi- ments of his profession, even while attending the public schools of Altona. However, the Civil war interrupted them and he enlisted in Company G, One Hundred and Thirty-second Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry for one hun- dred days. The regiment saw active service with the Army of the Cumberland. After being mustered out the young man returned to Kewanee and began seriously to study medicine under the direction of his uncle. One year later he entered Cornell University of Ithaca, New York, as a member of the class of 1869, which was the first to be graduated from that institution. After leaving the university he entered the Hahnemann Homeopathic Medical College at Chi- cago, graduating in the class of 1872, and he began the practice of his profession at Woodhull, March 8, 1872, and here he has continued ever since. He is en- gaged in general practice and has been very successful, numbering the best peo- ple of Clover township among his patients.

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History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II, Part 91

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