USA > Illinois > Lee County > History of Lee County, together with biographical matter, statistics, etc. > Part 84
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" WHEREAS, Robert Hunt, son of Robert and Abigail Hunt, of Evesham Township, in Burlington County, in the Province of West. New Jersey, Deceased, and Abigail Pancoast, Daughter of Samuel Pan- coast, of Salisbury, in the County of Bucks and Province of Pennsyl- vania, Deceased, and Abigail his wife, now Abigail Duer, have declared their Intentions of Marriage with each other before Several Monthly Meetings of the people called Quakers, at the Falls, in the County of Bucks and Province aforesaid, according to the good Order Used amongst them, and having Consent of Parents and Relations concerned, their said. Proposals of Marriage was allowed of by the said Meeting. Now, these- are to certify all whom it may concern, that for the full accomplishing their said Intentions, this Nineteenth Day of the Twelvth Month, in the- Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty Four, they the said Robert Hunt and Abigail Pancoast, appeared in a Publick Meeting of the said people at Makefield, in the County and Province aforesaid, and the said Robert Hunt taking the said Abigail Pancoast by the Hand, did in a Solemn manner openly declare he took her
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HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY.
the said Abigail Pancoast to be his Wife, promising thro' the Lord's assistance to be unto her a loving and faithfull Husband untill Death should seperate them ; and then and there in the said Assembly, the said Abigail Pancoast did in like manner declare that she took the said Robert Hunt to be her Husband, promising thro' the Lord's assistance to be unto him a loving and faithfull Wife untill Death should seperate them. And moreover, they the said Robert Hunt and Abigail Pancoast (she according to the custom of Marriage assume- ing the Name of her Husband), as a further Confirmation thereof, did then and there to these presents set their Hands. And we whose Names are hereunder also Subscribed, being present at the Solemni- zation of the said Marriage and Subscription has as Witnesses there- unto set onr Hands the Day and Year above Written.
ROBERT HUNT, ABIGAIL HUNT.
John Jenlay,
Samuel Eastbern,
Abigail Duer,
Jos. English, jr., Benjamin Aronson,
Bernard Taylor,
Hannah Palmer,
David Barton,
Sarah Dean,
Benjamin Taylor, jr.,
Mercy Beaumont,
Agness Jenlay,
Rebeccah Beaumont,
Wm. Bidgood, jr.,
Pehbe Jolly,
John Simpson,
Hannah Bates,
Hannah Taylor, Benj. Linton, jr., Jane Linton, jr., Hannah Linton, Margaret Pearson, Joshua Linton,
Hannah Tayler, sr.,
William Taylor, Deborah Duer,
Jno. Hunt,
Hannah Taylor,
Samuel Pancoast,
Esther Hunt."
Samuel Yardley,
Saml. Linton
Joseph Dner,
James Jolly,
Benjamin Taylor,
John Taylor, Phebe Longsliore, Abigail Evans,
Wm. Pearson,
Timothy Taylor, Rachel Duer,
The marriage of Robert Hunt and Abigail Pancoast took place on December 19, 1764, in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, as shown by the foregoing copy of the marriage certificate, and resulted in the birth of the following children : Joshua, William, Samuel, John, Joseph, Seth, Mary, and Abigail. Joshua died at the age of sixty-two, and his only surviving son, Samuel, is and has been a prominent physician, but has now retired from practice and resides at Richmond, Indiana. The de- scendants of William and Samuel both reside in the State of Ohio, the former in Columbiana county, consisting of Elizabeth Coy, Martha Mall, and John Hunt; the latter resides in the southern portion of the state. John died at the age of twenty, and Joseph, who served in the army during the war of 1812, died at the age of thirty-one, soon after leaving the service in 1815. Abigail was the wife of Judge Henry, of Wooster, Ohio, and was the grandmother of the Henry family, of
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ADDITIONAL MATTER.
Waterloo, Iowa, and of the Cummins family, of the same town, and of Des Moines, Iowa. The Painter family, living near Salem, Ohio, are descended from Mary. Seth Hunt, the youngest son of Robert and Abigail Hunt, was born in Culpepper county, Virginia, whither his parents had removed on February 2, 1788. When he was four years of age his parents removed to Winchester, Virginia, and some time after went to Brownsville, Pennsylvania. In 1804 they again changed their habitation, this time going to Ohio, where his father died the following year. Seth was left in an almost unbroken wilderness, surrounded by wild beasts and savages, to earn a subsistence for his mother and him- self from a tract of land which was still unpaid for, but by the time he had attained his majority he had cleared off the debt and made a comfortable home. After residing here six years he sold this place and bought a quarter-section near Massillon, Ohio. His brother John, who had entered 140 acres in the vicinity, died in 1813, leaving Seth a part of his land, and he was now on the high road to prosperity, but by indorsing for one of his brothers he lost all he had accumulated. He then engaged in the manufacture of carding and spinning machines for several years at Millersburg, Ohio, of which town he was one of the founders. He also invented a machine for carding flax and engaged in their manufacture, investing all he had, some $1,600 in the business ; but this venture proved unfortunate, and he again lost everything and was in debt some hundreds of dollars. He then commenced selling dry-goods on commission, and made money. He remained in the dry- goods business for about ten years. His mother died early in 1827, and on September 20 of that year he was married to Miss Rebecca Hull, of Coshocton county, Ohio, who was descended from an old Virginia family. Her parents removed to Ohio in 1808, and her father dying soon after, her mother took charge of the farm, and after many trials and hardships became wealthy, leaving at her death seven well improved farms. After his marriage Seth Hunt read law, was admitted to the bar, and eventually became one of the associate judges of the circuit court of his district, which position he held for fourteen years. He died in July 1864, at the age of eighty-four, and was buried in the Methodist cemetery at Nashville, Ohio. He left three surviving chil- dren : Mary A., now the wife of Col. E. J. Pocock, a merchant of Coshocton, Ohio; Robert B., a resident of Columbus, Ohio, and Charles Cummins Hunt, of Dixon, Illinois. The latter was born in Millersburg, Holmes county, Ohio, on November 25, 1840. He was reared on a farm and attended the neighboring schools. At the age of fourteen he entered Spring Mountain College, Coshocton county, Ohio, where he remained for two years. He then became a teacher at Holmesville, Holmes county, and taught for twenty-six days a month,
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HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY.
and from eight in the morning until five in the afternoon. He was also a hard student at this time, remaining at the school-house during the evening and pursuing his studies by the light of the fire, feeling he could not afford the luxury of candles. It was at this time he first began his medical studies, going to Millersburg, Ohio, five miles dis- tant, each week, to recite to his preceptor, Dr. Thomas McEbright, one of the most prominent physicians in that part of Ohio. After remain- ing at Holmesville for two years he was appointed principal of the high school at Jefferson, Wayne county, Ohio, which position he occu- pied two years. He then entered the office of Dr. McEbright, at Millersburg, for the purpose of continuing his medical studies, and remained there, with the exception of one term, during which he taught at Jefferson, until the spring of 1863, when he entered the Long Island Hospital, at Brooklyn, New York. Here he attended a course of lectures, and was then made assistant-surgeon of the 137th Ohio Vols. He had charge of the post hospital for several months, and was then detailed to Fort Ethan Allen, on Arlington Heights, where he was soon after placed in charge of the right wing of the bri- gade by the brigade surgeon. His regiment was mustered out in the fall of 1864, and he immediately entered Bellevue Hospital Medical College, where he remained during the ensuing term, and received the degree of M.D. in March 1865. Dr. Hunt then settled at Wooster, Ohio, and engaged in the practice of his profession, and after remain- ing there for two years he went to Philadelphia and New York, and received private instructions in the colleges and hospitals of those cities. On November 1, 1867, he came to Dixon and engaged in prac- tice, which he has continued since, with the exception of three monthis in the winter of 1873-4, during which he was receiving special instruc- tion in the hospitals of New York city. Dr. Hunt was first married on March 1, 1871, to Miss H. Jennie Pinckney, of Dixon. She died on December 17 of the same year, leaving an infant son, who died some months later. He was again married on September 16, 1874, to Miss Lucy I. Webster, of Polo, Ogle county. They have two children : Relura P., born July 18, 1875, and Nannie T., born October 9, 1876. Dr. Hunt has been a typical successful practitioner. Coming to Dixon young and unknown, he has built up an extensive and prosperous practice, and has made a host of friends. At the urgent solicitation of prominent and influential friends in New York city he has taken the question of his removal to that metropolis into consideration, expeet- ing to find there a wider field for the exercise of his talents; and in the event of his removal, those who know him best are the most posi- tive in the belief that a successful and honorable career will reward his efforts.
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ADDITIONAL MATTER.
DANIEL W. McKENNEY, liveryman, Dixon, is a native of Canada, where he was born May 17, 1830, and is the son of Jacob and Mary (McCall) McKenney. His parents removed to Illinois and located near Dixon in 1848, where his father engaged in farming, which occu- pation he still follows. Daniel remained on the farm until 1852, when he went to California. He returned in the fall of 1853 and again engaged in farming until 1862, when he removed into Dixon and engaged in the livery business and has carried it on up to the present time. In 1878 he took in as a partner Mr. Vinal Hackett, under the firm name of D. W. McKenney & Co. Two of the uncles of Mr. McKenney were among the earliest settlers of Dixon, where one of them, Fred. C. McKenney, still resides. Mr. McKenney was married about twenty-five years ago to Miss G. A. La Porte, a resident of Wyo- ming township, Lee county, Illinois. Both Mr. McKenney and his partner, Mr. Hackett, are stalwart republicans.
PALMER ATKINS, merchant, Dixon, was born in Rome, Oneida county, New York, August 28, 1841. His parents were Seth and Jane (Palmer) Atkins, who were among the earliest settlers of Oneida county. . His father is still living at Monmouth, Illinois, but his mother died in April 1857. Mr. Atkins was chiefly educated in his native town, and when about fifteen years old his parents removed to Chicago, but in 1857 Mr. Atkins went to Mendota, Illinois, where he began to learn the printing trade. In December, 1858, he came to Dixon and entered the office of the "Republican and Telegraph," where he remained until the breaking out of the war, when he enlisted in the 13th reg. Ill. Inf. May 24, 1861. He served for over three years, dur- ing most of the time being detailed as staff printer at the headquarters of Gens. Grant, Thomas and Curtis, his position giving him an excel- lent opportunity to become acquainted with the peculiarities and char- acteristics of these famous leaders. When mustered out of service he returned to Dixon and resumed his connection with the " Telegraph," where he continued until August 1876, when he engaged in the grocery business. He was elected collector of taxes in 1870, and is now serving his third term as town clerk. Mr. Atkins was married April 8, 1865, to Miss Cynthia Tillman, and they have one child living, Louis B. Atkins, fourteen years of age. In his political views Mr. Atkins is an out-and-out republican of the straightest sect.
JOHN HESS, real estate dealer, Dixon, is the son of Jacob and Salome (Fenstermaker) Hess, and was born in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, April 3, 1831. His father was a farmer, and both parents died in Pennsylvania. Mr. Hess was reared and educated in Columbia county, Pennsylvania, whither his parents removed during his infancy, and when seventeen years of age became a clerk. In 1852 he went to California
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HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY.
via Cape Horn, and remained there about a year and a half, most of the time in the mining districts. After returning to the east he again engaged as a elerk, but about a year later removed to a farm which he had purchased. He sold his farm in 1858 and about a year later came to Lee county, where he decided to locate, and in 1860 brought out his family, and the next four years were about equally divided between farming and clerking. He then engaged in the real estate business, which he has since carried on. For the last three years he has done an extensive business selling railroad and speculators' lands west of the Mississippi, having taken out several excursions, which resulted in the sale of large tracts of land. Mr. Hess was married in 1855, to Miss Eliza M. Hogenbaugh, whose family are residents of Columbia county, Pennsylvania. They have three children living: Leander, born May 17, 1856, Albert, born March 8, 1864, and Royce, born April 17, 1873. They have also lost four children, all of whom died before reaching five years of age except Adele M., who was born October 13, 1857, and died June 27, 1879. In his political sentiments Mr. Hess is a repub- lican.
GEORGE M. BERKLEY, farmer, Dixon, was born in Clinton county, Ohio, May 15, 1834, and was the son of Gideon and Mary (Bowring) Berkley. His father followed the trade of a millwright, and moved into Bureau county, Illinois, in 1836, and died there a year after. His mother died in Lee county in May 1881. His father was a lineal de scendant of Sir. William Berkley, one of the governors of the province of Virginia, and both parents were natives of that state, but after their marriage removed to Ohio. The family removed to Lee county in 1844 and located in Sublette township, where Mr. Berkley was reared and educated. He also attended the normal school at Bloomington for a year. After growing to manhood he engaged in farming, but rushed to arms at the outbreak of the civil war, enlisting in April 1861, in Co. C, 13th Ill. Vols., and after serving faithfully for more than three years was mustered out of service in June 1864. He then re- turned home and resumed his agricultural pursuits, but in 1866 was offered the position of deputy sheriff, which he accepted and took up his residence in Dixon. In 1868 he was elected sheriff and reëlected in 1870, 1872 and 1874, holding the office for eight years. He then purchased the farm in Dixon township on which he now resides. He was first married July 4, 1860, to Miss Minnie M. Douglass, a dangh- ter of John L. Douglass, of Sublette, who was born in Genesee county, New York, in 1837. She died April 10, 1865, leaving one child, Min- nie D., who was born November 4, 1864. He was again married Sep- tember 20, 1868, to Miss Jane Adams, a native of Worcester, Massa- chusetts, but then residing at Sublette. They have three children :
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Daisy A., born September 30, 1871; Imo, February 23, 1873, and Maud, May 4, 1877. Mr. Berkley is a supporter of the republican party, and his repeated elections to a responsible position attest the es- teem and confidence in which he is held by his fellow-citizens.
HENRY C. HIGGINS, Dixon, joint proprietor with his brother, Thom- as Higgins, in the Dixon Gas Works, was born in Ireland, December 18, 1848, and is the son of Thomas and Mary (Gannon) Higgins. His parents came to the United States when he was five years of age, and settled at Freehold, New Jersey, where he was reared and educated. In 1864 he came to Illinois and engaged in farming in Whitesides county, and remained there until about 1870 when he became interest- ed in contracts upon the Baltimore & Ohio and Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne & Chicago railroads, and continued in this line of business until 1876, when he commenced the erection of gas works in different towns, which business he still carries on. He has made his headquarters at Dixon since 1876, the works there being the first built by him. Mr. Higgins is a democrat, but broad and liberal in his views, and is a young man of much enterprise and energy.
JAMES W. REARDON, Dixon, was born in Manchester, England, September 5, 1829, and is the son of Hobbs and Margaret (Cunning- ham) Reardon. His father entered the British army in 1800 as a vol- unteer, and was shortly after made an ensign. He participated in the campaign on the Spanish peninsula which resulted in the complete de- feat of Marshal Soult, of the French army, by the Duke of Wellington. He was in almost every battle fought in that campaign, among others those of Vittoria and Corunna. After the overthrow of Bonaparte he was on duty at St. Helena for some time during the confinement of that great chieftain. He was still in the service at the time of his death, which occurred in 1847 in the north of Ireland. James W. Reardon, when a little over two years of age, was sent to live with an unele in Tipperary, Ireland, and remained there until twenty-one years old, when he came to America. He soon after came to Lee county, and becoming acquainted with Gov. Charters, he, at his suggestion, de- cided to make his home here, and with the exception of several trips to Europe he has since been a continuous resident. In 1863 he re- cruited a company for the 69th Ill. Vols., of which he became captain. After serving some three months he was mustered out, their term of service having expired. He was married in County Waterford, Ireland, in 1860, to Miss Alicia J. Stokes, and has two children : Clifford C., aged twenty, and Annie S., aged fourteen years.
HARRIET E. GARRISON, physician, Dixon, was born in Dixon town- ship, and is the daughter of William and Amelia (Omen) Garrison. Her father is a farmer, and resides in Nachusa township. Dr. Garrison
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HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY.
was partly educated at the Dixon public school, and partly at Rock River Seminary, at Mount Morris, Ogle county, Illinois. After leav- ing school she entered the Women's Medical College, at Chicago, from which she graduated in 1876, and at once entered upon the practice of her profession at Dixon. She is a member of the regular school of medicine, and has met with gratifying success in her career as a physi- cian.
ALEXANDER CHARTERS, deceased, was a native of Belfast, Ireland, where he was born July 7, 1800. He was the son of Alexander and Eleanor (Mackey) Charters. He was reared and educated in his native city, and when sixteen years of age came to America and located in New York city, where he had two brothers established in business as linen importers. He entered their store, and in the course of time was made a partner, the firm name being J. A. Charters & Co. In 1838 he retired from business and removed to Dixon, where he pur- chased a section of land unsurpassed by any in the state for natural beauty and fertility. He erected a house on a bluff of Rock river, from which views can be obtained of the surrounding country for many miles, and abounding in. scenery of the most lovely and picturesque description. Here he exercised an unbounded hospitality, and his genial yet dignified address, and imposing personal appearance, well entitled him to the appellation of "Governor" Charters, by which he was so long and so widely known. Many of the political and literary celebrities of our own and other lands have met a warm welcome beneath his hospitable roof, among whom may be mentioned William Cullen Bryant and Margaret Fuller Ossoli. His death occurred Sep- tember 18, 1878, and he was laid to rest among the scenes he loved so well, amid the sincere regrets of the multitude of friends by whom he was so loved and honored. He was married in 1827, to Miss Ellen Boomer, of Belfast, who died in New York in 1832. His only son, James B. Charters, is now the able and popular county judge for Lee county.
HENRY C. BROOKNER, farmer, South Dixon, is a native of Hanover, where he was born in 1827. He is the son of George H. and Mary (Engel) Brookner. He came to America when eighteen years of age, and located at Dixon. After attending school for some time he learned the trade of a carpenter, at which he worked until 1849, when he removed to St. Louis, but soon returned to Dixon, and continued working at his trade until the spring of 1859, when he was employed by the Illinois Central railroad to superintend the building of bridges upon their line. He remained with this company for about ten years,
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ADDITIONAL MATTER.
and then entered the employ of the Indianapolis & St. Louis railroad in the same capacity, remaining with them some eight years. During this time he purchased the farm he now occupies, and some two years ago moved upon it and engaged in farming. Mr. Brookner was mar- ried in April, 1875, at Litchfield, Illinois, to Miss Emma R. Keithley, a daughter of Seth M. Keithley, an old resident of Litchfield. They have one child, May D., born February 21, 1876. Mr. Brookner is a republican, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
E. H. AND D. B. RAYMOND, farmers, Sonth Dixon, are the sons of Daniel and Lucy A. (Woodruff) Raymond. Their father was for many years a resident of Greene county, New York, where he carried on a farm, but removed to Michigan in 1833, and followed the same occupa- tion there until his death, which occurred in 1845. The eldest of the brothers, E. H. Raymond, was born in Steuben county, New York, in 1821, and removed to Michigan with his father. Upon the death of the latter he carried on farming operations in Michigan until 1865, in connection with his brother, but in that year he removed to Illinois and settled in South Dixon, Lee county, where he has since resided. He has no family. D. B. Raymond was born in Lenawee county, Mich- igan, in 1833, where he was reared and educated, but came to Lee county with his brother in 1865. He was married in Michigan in the year 1860, to Miss Maria S. Clark, a native of Berkshire county, Massachusetts, and their union has resulted in three children : Daniel E., aged twenty, Agnus C., aged eighteen, and Florence M., aged thir- teen. He is a thorough-going republican, and a member of the Pres- byterian church.
HARVEY E. WILLIAMS, farmer, was born in Onondaga county, New York, in 1817. His parents were Abijah and Lucy (Edwards) Williams, and his father followed farming and died in Onondaga county in 1871. Mr. Williams was reared and educated in his native county, and when grown to manhood commenced taking contracts upon public works in the State of New York. In 1852 he came to Illinois, having a contract on the Northwestern railroad, and the following year took a similar con- tract upon the Illinois Central railroad, and remained upon this road until its completion. He purchased his present farm in South Dixon in 1857, and has ever since been engaged in farming. He was married in 1843, to Miss Wealthy E. Cropsey, in Madison county, New York. Three children were the result of this marriage, of whom two survive: Comelia A., who is the wife of John A. Greene, of Morrison, White- sides county, Illinois, and Ella C., who resides with her parents. A third daughter, Emma, was the wife of A. C. McAllister, of Morrison, Illi- inois, but died in April 1875, leaving one child, a daughter. Politically Mr. Williams is a member of the democratic party.
838
HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY.
BENJAMIN W. HARNISH, farmer, Palmyra, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, December 21, 1830, and is the son of Michael G. and Elizabeth (Warfel) Harnish. His father is a farmer, and both are still living and reside in Lancaster county. Mr. Harnish received his education in his native county and was a farmer there for many years. In January, 1875, he came west and settled in Carroll county, Illinois. After residing there for three years he removed to Nebraska, where he remained until 1880, when he came back to Illinois and located on a farm in Palmyra township. He was first married in 1856, to Miss Mary B. Hess, of Pennsylvania, who died previous to his re- . moval from that state. There are four children by this marriage, all of whom reside with their father, the eldest being Henry, aged twenty- three years ; Michael is sixteen, Samuel fourteen, and Elizabeth eleven years of age. He was married a second time in 1875, to Mrs. Catharine (Klein) Leonard. Mr. Harnish is strongly republican in his political views.
ROBERT J. DRYNAN, farmer, Palmyra, is a native of Canada, where he was born June 12, 1845, and is the son of William and Elizabeth J. (MeMurtry) Drynan. His father was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was a ship-carpenter by trade, though farming was his occupation dur- ing the latter part of his life. He died in Canada in 1851, and his widow was married in 1853, to Mr. Johnstone, a clergyman, and re- moved the same year to Lyndon, Whitesides county, where Mr. John- stone preached for some three years and where he died in 1857. Mrs. Johnstone is still living and is a resident of Palmyra. Mr. Drynan came with his mother and step-father at the time of their removal to Illinois, and in 1855 settled in the town of Palmyra, where he has ever since resided. His principal occupation has been running thresh- ing and corn-shelling machines. He was married September 6, 1867, to Miss Rachel A. Delp, a native of Pennsylvania, but at that time residing in Whitesides county. They have seven children living: Willie A., born May 14, 1868; Otis E., born September 1, 1869 ; Emma E., born May 15, 1871; Gertie M., born January 20, 1873 ; Fremont R., born January 23, 1876 ; Grace E., born December 15, 1878 ; Leone E., born January 20, 1881. Politically Mr. Drynan is a thorough republican.
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