USA > Illinois > Lee County > History of Lee County, together with biographical matter, statistics, etc. > Part 87
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THOMAS GILBERT, Franklin, was born in England, May 1, 1760, and after growing up was engaged as a shepherd, following that business principally through life. September 29, 1783, he was married to Sarah, his wife, who was born December 31, 1761. Of their children, one they called Junia, was born in Northamptonshire, England, June 13, 1800, and like his father, was reared a shepherd. May 1, 1820, he was
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united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Cobley, who was also a native of England. She was born Angust 16, 1797. After his marriage Mr. Gilbert engaged in teaming and timber hanling, and was also engaged as a grazier. In 1859 he set sail for America in the steamship City of Baltimore. For one year he stopped at Courtland in this state, and then came to Lee county, where he went to work on rented land near Franklin. He soon after bought land and farmed with his son George, for a number of years. He then sold out to George and came into the village of Franklin, where he now lives, at the advanced age of near eighty-two years. His wife died in 1869.
ABRAHAM GILBERT, son of the above parents, was born in North- amptonshire, England, November 9, 1828. His educational advan- tages consisted of about one month to a day school, and the balance of a fair education was obtained by attending night and Sunday-school, the latter being taught many years by his father. At the age of twenty- one he enlisted in the British army, serving nearly four years, being in Russia in the early part of the Crimean war. In the summer of 1856 he was married to Miss Lucy Smith, also a native of Northamptonshire, England, and in 1858, with his wife and family, bade farewell to his native land and sailed for America in the steamship Kangaroo. He first stopped in Kane county, Illinois, but soon after came to Lee county, rented land and engaged in farming, working as a renter six years. He then bought his present home farm in Sec. 23, T. 22, R. 10, in China township. To this he has kept adding till he now owns 320 acres of good land, all earned by his own hard work and the help of an industrious wife. They are the parents of eight children : Caroline E., Lanra E., Junia T., Evasta A., Joseph J., Unice L., Lucy M. and Rebecca.
THOMAS GILBERT, son of James and Elizabeth Gilbert, was born in Northamptonshire, England, January 25, 1833. He was reared at a mixed business of teaming, farming, etc., and received a limited educa- tion in the common schools of his native place. In 1852 he sailed for America in the sailing ship Albert Gallatin, an American vessel. His first two years in America were spent in the wood business in the State of New York, after which he went to Chicago, and engaged in the railroad business, in the capacity of brakeman, fireman and engineer, which he followed fifteen years. Part of this time was spent in the south during the war as engineer. In 1870 he bought land in Brad- ford township and engaged in farming. Recently he bought a piece of land in China township, south of Franklin, where he now lives. December 5, 1861, he married Miss Ellen Gorman, a native of London, England, who was born July 12, 1847. They are the parents of ten children, and are members of the Lutheran church. The children are
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George W., Abram G., John J., Charles A., Rosa E., Jessee P., Carrie M., Thomas J., Nathan N. and Florence G.
GEORGE GILBERT, son of Junia and Elizabeth Gilbert, was born in Northamptonshire, England, November 13, 1839, and was reared in the village of Warkton, engaged in attending school and teaming till 1856. He then left his parents and native land, sailing for America in the vessel City of Washington. After landing in New York he at once went to Chicago, and soon after came to Lee county and engaged in working out by the month. In 1859, his father coming here, they farmed together, first on rented land, but later bought a farm in Sec. 26, T. 22, R. 10, where they continued to farm together for a number of years. After this George bought his father out, and now owns and occupies the old home. He now owns over 500 acres of farming and pasture land, and is extensively engaged in stock raising, dealing in horses. He has introduced on his farm some of the best blood of Ken- tucky. He is also giving some attention to sheep and swine raising.
JAMES W. PANKHURST, farmer and stock raiser, Franklin Grove, was born in London, England, April 14, 1841. At the age of eleven years he quit school and went to work in a wagon shop, where he remained till the age of sixteen years. He then, seeing no prospect for the future by remaining in the land of his birth, set sail in the ship City of Washington for the United States, landing in New York in June 1857. He at once came on to Lee county, and soon after hired out to work for John Leake by the month, where he remained till tlie outbreak of the war of the rebellion. August 13, 1862, he enlisted in the service of his adopted country in Co. E, 75th Ill. Vol. Inf. He was honorably discharged June 30, 1865. After his return home he again engaged in working out by the month till 1868, when he bought eighty acres of land in Sec. 27, T. 21, R. 10, and began farming for himself. For the four years following he lived the unenviable life of a bachelor, being his own cook and housekeeper. Marelı 27, 1873, he married Miss Louisa, daughter of William and Ann (Wenham) Law- rence, who was born in Sussex, England, September 15, 1849, and came to America in the fall of 1872. Mr. Pankhurst has by hard work and economy made for himself a good home of 200 acres of land, which he is now improving in good shape. The success which has crowned the efforts of Mr. Pankhurst is but an evidence of what pluck and a determined will will accomplish.
WILLIAM G. BELL, farmer and stock raiser, Franklin Grove, is a son of James and Jane (Brown) Bell, and was born near Perth, Can- ada, in the Province of Ontario, April 30, 1830. He was reared on a farm, and followed farming, lumbering and rafting on all the great rivers of that romantic region of northern Canada. In 1855 he went. .
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west as far as the borders of Lake Huron, where he remained till 1861, when he came on to Lee county and hired out on a farm, working faith- fully for what is so much coveted by a young man having a spirit of enterprise, independence. February 14, 1867, he married Miss Free- dom Johnson, a native of Ohio, who was born September 13, 1840, and came to Lee county in 1866. They have one child, Maud, born July 5, 1880. After his marriage Mr. Bell rented land and engaged in farming, at the same time turning his attention to raising hogs, which he made a success. In 1871 he bought eighty acres of the farm where he now lives, in Sec. 23, T. 22, R. 10, to which he has since kept adding, till he now owns 200 acres of good land in this township. Success will crown the efforts of faithful industry.
LUTHER F. RAMSDELL, farmer and stock raiser, Franklin Grove, is a son of Farrington and Sarah (Fish) Ramsdell, and was born in Wash- ington, Orange county, Vermont, September 20, 1833. He was reared a farmer, and educated in the common schools of his native state. December 24, 1857, he was united in marriage with Miss Harriet M., daughter of Ransom and Rebecca (Darling) Eastman, who was born in Orange county, Vermont, January 29, 1836. After his marriage Mr. Ramsdell became a partner with his father in the ownership and man- agement of the old homestead, and followed farming till 1868, when they sold out, in view of coming to Illinois to secure a home on its beautiful prairies. In August of that year Mr. Ramsdell found him- self in Lee county looking about where he might suit himself in a piece of land on which to make a future home. After a short time he decided on a 160 acres in Sec. 23, T. 21, R. 10. Here he permanently located and engaged in farming and stock raising, making the business a success. That he is a man of economy, thrift and enterprise is evi- denced by the neat appearance of his farm and its surroundings. Even the wind which passes over his farm is utilized in grinding grain by day and night. He has one son, Ferrie R., born in Washington, Ver- mont, October 31, 1858. Mr. Ramsdell's father died here December 18, 1874, and is buried in the Pines Cemetery, on the farm, and his mother died April 14, 1867, in Vermont, and is buried in her native state. Mr. Ramsdell is a descendant of one of three brothers of that name who came from England to America about the middle of the seventeenth century.
ERSKINE A. BLISS, son of Austin and Unice (Pease) Bliss, was born near Springfield, Massachusetts, November 13, 1824. His early youth was spent on a farm, receiving a common school education. Also during the years of his minority he learned the trade of carpenter. January 1, 1851, he married Miss Jane C. Ferre, a native of Spring- field, Massachusetts. After his marriage Mr. Bliss worked at his trade
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in a sash and door shop till 1853, when he came west, stopping in Chicago five years, where he worked in the car shops of the Rock Island & Chicago and Burlington & Quincy railroads. He then, in 1858, came to Lee county and bought land in the south end of China township, and there engaged in farming and stock raising. This he followed till 1871, when he quit the farm and went to Minneapolis, where he engaged in railroading and the lumber business till 1881, when he returned to his farm. He has one son, Frank E., now at home on the farm.
Prominent among the early settlers of China township now living is Mr. JACOB RIDDELSBARGER, who was born of true German ancestors in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, March 30, 1816. He was reared a farmer. He had very limited means of procuring an education, though by close observation and extensive reading he has gained a fair business education and on all subjects. Pertaining to practical business he is one of our best posted men. In the fall of 1837 he was united in marriage with Miss Hannah Foreman, a daughter of Mr. Abraham Foreman, a second cousin, who is also of German ancestry. After his marriage Mr. Riddelsbarger engaged in a mixed business of farming, butchering and saw-milling till 1845, when he came to Lee county, justly believing that on the broad, beautiful prairies of Illinois he would find ample room to bring into practice that early training which has characterized his principles through life. After his arrival here he at once bought a farm and engaged in farming and stock raising, living on his first farm thirty years, and then fulfilled a long-cherished desire to see settled on the old home one of his children. He sold out to his son-in-law, Mr. J. L. Miller, and built himself a residence on a little farm of eleven acres near Franklin Grove, and is now enjoying the blessings which result from a life of industry and conscientious living. His children are Catharine, wife of J. L. Miller; Susan M., wife of Peter Brechunier, and Daniel F., now an engineer in Chicago. One daughter, Mary E., died in March 1880. Mr. Riddlesbarger and family are members of the German Baptist church, an organization for which he has given liberally.
JACOB L. MILLER, farmer and stock raiser, Franklin Grove, is among the few young men who came to Lee county poor and without means many years ago, and have since by industry, hard work and close attention to business, become wealthy, prosperous, and comfortably estab- lished in life. He is a son of Samuel and Mary (Lalıman) Miller, and was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, June 23, 1835. He was reared on a farm and received a common school education. In 1854, in company with Samuel Lahman and family, he came to Lee county and hired out to work on a farm for $12.50 per month. This and car-
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penter-work he followed till 1858, when he rented land of H. Hansen and engaged in farming for himself. December 18, 1860, he married Miss Catharine, daughter of Jacob and Hannah (Foreman) Riddlesbar- ger, who was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, April 27, 1841. In about 1861 Mr. Miller bought his first land, and after buying and selling two farms he bought out his father-in-law and permanently located on Secs. 35 and 29, T. 22, R. 10, near Franklin Grove, and actively engaged in farming and stock raising. Of their four children two are living, Elmer E. and Orvil P. The parents are members of the German Baptist church.
JOHN D. LAHMAN, farmer and stock grower, Franklin Grove, was born in Maryland, June 22, 1834, and is the son of Christian and Eliza- beth (Emmert) Lahman. In 1845 his parents emigrated to Lee county, and with their family made a start in the new country. Here young John grew up to manhood, early educated in all that pertains to the principles of industry, economy, and hard work. His first start for himself was made by working for his father by the month at his flour mill on Franklin creek. This he followed three years. He then in company with his brother, J. C. Lahman, bought the mill of their father and successfully carried on the business a number of years. No- vember 11, 1860, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary C., daughter of John C. and Elizabeth (Diehl) Haughtelin, a native of Adams county, Pennsylvania, who was born September 20, 1840, and came to Lee county in 1857. They are the parents of two children living, Clarence W. and Vinna A. In the spring of 1861 Mr. Lalıman moved on his present home farm, where he is permanently located and engaged in farming and stock raising, making graded short-horn cattle a specialty. His farm of 160 acres is in Sec. 26, T. 22, R. 10, and indi- cates its owner to be a man of industry and good taste.
CHARLES BRACKETT, deceased, was born in Orange county, Ver- mont, May 9, 1799, where he lived till 1854, following the business of buying cattle and sheep for the Boston markets. He was first married to Armina Bowman, a native of Vermont, by whom he reared one child, who is now Mrs. Marion Bates, of Amboy. His second mar- riage was to Miss Julia A. Spear, also a native of Vermont, born March 7, 1816. In 1854 Mr. Brackett came to Illinois, and after looking around for some time decided to buy land near Aurora, and accord- ingly bought 160 acres near town, the same land on which the seminary now stands. This he sold the next spring, and on receipt of a letter informing him that the Temperance Hill farm could be bought, he came at once and made the purchase. This farm is located in the southwest part of China township, and is said to be the highest eleva- tion in Lee county. Here Mr. Brackett actively engaged in farming
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and stock raising, making Spanish Merino sheep a specialty, following the business closely till within the last few years. He died August 14, 1881, and is buried in the Temperance Hill Cemetery. Besides his wife he left three children who were born to him by his last wife, Julia M., now Mrs. Dr. Charles Gardner, who removed to Dakota in 1881; Mary E., wife of Job Bates, and Charles S., who was born on the farm at Temperance Hill, July 29, 1860, and is now owner of the farm and engaged in farming and stock raising. He is an enterprising young man for whom we expect a successful future. He began for himself when about thirteen years of age by renting his father's farm. He now has what promises to be one of the leading farms in this part of the county.
EZRA WITHEY, one of the early settlers of China township, was born in Somerset county, Maine, October 22, 1813. His parents, Isaac and Polly (Russell) Withey, went far back into the wilderness on the Ken- nebec river when Ezra was about twelve years old, and there followed hunting, trapping and lumbering. Here the boy was reared to the wild life of a hunter, chasing the moose and bear, always depending on his trusty rifle, and trapping the beaver, otter, sable, and other animals of the fur tribe. To him schools were institutions known by tradition, and only in later years has he seen their benign influence shed over our land. January 1, 1838, he married Miss Abigal Bradberry, who was born in Somerset, county, Maine, September 15, 1811. After his marriage Mr. Withey engaged in enterprises of various kinds till he secured the means to carry him to the western prairies, green fields de- lightfully beautiful, and in 1847 left the wilderness of the Kennebec, and came by team, a distance of one hundred and fifty miles, to Boston, and from there, by way of Albany, Buffalo, and the lakes, to Chicago, where he hired teams to bring himself, family and baggage to Grand Detour. Soon after his arrival Mr. Withey bought eighty acres of land on credit in Sec. 22, T. 22, R. 10. This he paid for, and has kept adding till he now owns a farm of four hundred and forty acres well improved. Mr. Withey's first team here was a yoke of oxen, which, however, he soon after exchanged for horses. In 1850 he, in company with his brother-in-law, bought a Pitts threshing machine (the first of the kind in all this part of the country) and engaged in threshing, tak- ing for toll every tenth bushel. This was hauled to Chicago and sold for 25 cents a bushel, but later, after the railroad opened up an outlet for the produce, they got cash for threshing and times became better. Mr. Withey, with his estimable lady, are now enjoying the fruits of a life of industry. They have three children : George C., on part of the farm ; Abigal, wife of J. L. Strock, of Franklin, and John, born July 12, 1850, and married Mary E. Negles, January 16, 1876. The last named
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was born August 6, 1856, in Grand Detour. They have two chil- dren, Leo J. and Clida L.
JOHN SEEBACH, farmer and stock raiser, Franklin, was born in Ger- many, December 30, 1836, and is the son of John S. and Anna C. See- bach. He was reared on a farm and educated in the common schools of his native country. Early in life he learned the trade of millwright, which he followed till 1855, when, in company with his brother, he set sail in the sailing vessel Republic for America. They landed in New York, but at once came on to Lee county, where he engaged in work- ing out on a farm by the month. This he followed two years. April 22, 1858, he married Miss Catharine, daughter of Casper Weishar, who was born in Germany, April 25, 1839. They are the parents of eight children : Conrat, Fredrica C., Catharine E., John S., Christian, Charlie, Anna B. and Martha. After his marriage Mr. Seebach farmed on rented land for awhile with his brother, and then bought a farm in Bradford township, which he sold and in 1870 bought the farm he had long wished to own in Sec. 25, T. 21, R. 10. Since then he has bought another piece adjoining and now owns a fine farm of 184 acres, which with the help of a faithful wife and industrious family he has earned by hard work and careful management.
SINGLETON W. RIEGLE, farmer and stock grower, Franklin, though not one of the early settlers of the county, is one who came to the prairie without money or means, and by industry and good manage- ment has made for himself a home and a name for which any man should have just reason to be proud. He was born in Fredrick county, Maryland, November 11, 1831, and in 1837 with his parents, Peter and Elizabeth (Wilt) Riegle, removed to Adams county, Pennsylvania. During his early youth his time was spent attending school. At the age of eighteen he began teaching, which he followed in connection with attending school till twenty-four years old. In 1859 he came to Lee county, prospecting with a view of finding a place suited to his taste for farming. In the fall of the same year he returned to Penn- sylvania, and on December 28, 1859, was united in marriage with Miss Caroline M., daughter of David and Margaret (Moritz) Herman, who was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, November 6, 1838. In the spring of 1860 Mr. Riegle came to Lee county, rented a farm and en- gaged in farming. He continued renting till 1868, when, after an ex- tended tour of prospecting, he finally bought land and permanently settled on Sec. 10, T. 21, R. 10. In 1876 he built his fine brick resi- dence, which adds much to improve the appearance of this part of China township. Mr. Riegle is farming strictly on the principle of feeding his produce and yearly driving it to market in live stock, thus constantly keeping his farm up to a high standard of cultivation. His
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home is blessed with six children : Stella M., Willis L., Charlie P., Paul S., Vergie C. and Hermione E. Mr. Riegle is a member of the Masonic and Odd-Fellows fraternities, and himself and wife are mem- bers of the Lutheran church.
JOSIAH HUGHES, proprietor Hughes' Hotel, Franklin Grove, was born in Otsego county, New York, February 17, 1808. His parents were William and Sallie (Dilly) Hughes, born of English ancestry. The subject of our sketch spent his early youth in a cotton factory, where he worked prior to the invention of the first power loom in the United States. January 1, 1831, he married Miss Lydia, daughter of Ephraim and Lydia (Wheaton) Barry, who was born in Madison county, New York, February 16, 1809. In the summer of 1844 he gathered up his little means and, with his family and a team, started west, arriving in Chicago September 30. He at once pushed on to St. Charles, Illinois, where he bought a farm and engaged in farming. This he followed, together with teaming, selling stoves and other goods all over northern Illinois, till 1854, when he sold out his farm and removed to Lee county, Illinois, where he bought a small farm adjoining what is now the village of Franklin. Here he at once engaged in the stove and tinware business, the first of the kind ever started in Franklin. The year following he built a large stone house and engaged in hotel keeping. This business he has never abandoned, and is now the oldest landlord perhaps in Lee county, if not on the Northwestern railroad between Chicago and Omaha. Of his five children one only is living, Oscar, born September 22, 1832. He is married to Mary A. Dick. They have one child, Minnie. Mr. Hughes is the right man in the right place, as his house is always an enjoyable home for all who choose to come.
ROBERT HULLAH, farmer and stock raiser, Franklin Grove. As an illustration of what can be accomplished by an indomitable will and a determined, persevering push-ahead character, we here give a few brief points in the life of this worthy citizen of Lee county, who was born of poor but honest parents in Yorkshire, England, February 14, 1813. His parents were William and Elizabeth (Sugdon) Hullah, also of English birth. Until the age of twelve years he was principally engaged in attending school, after which he was put to farm labor for the space of three years. At this time it was determined that he should learn the business of cloth making, and accordingly he was put to the trade, which he completed in five and a half years. He then, at the age of twenty-one, began for himself at his trade as a hired hand, and the fall following his release as an apprentice married Miss Ann, daughter of William and Sarah Pollard, also of England. By close application to his business in a few years he became a jobber, but after a time, the
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trade becoming so poor, abandoned it and took what little money he had saved and embarked in a small mercantile business. He had fol- lowed this new enterprise but a short time when he found himself in- solvent and in debt. This failure was brought on by trusting his goods to men whom he thought honest, but who never paid. Not discour- aged at finding himself again at the foot of the hill, he went to work and was soon (with the help of a friend) able to buy a horse and cart. With this he went to work at odd jobs, and was after awhile able to buy another horse, and so kept on until he owned a number, and then went into the railroad business as a contractor. This he followed for a number years with great success, turning his attention (after paying his debts) to buying real estate and building houses, till he became the independent owner of twenty houses, and with a fair prospect of soon being able to retire to private life. But unfortunately for himself he again entered into the cloth manufacturing business for the purpose of teaching the trade to his sons. This time he took into the business with him two men, friends, who in a few years swindled him out of all his hard-earned money. Again he gathered together a little means and started in the old trade of cloth making for the third time. After following the business closely for a few years he was again successful, but was induced to sell his goods in India through a commission mer- chant, by whom he lost his all, and for the third time became bank- rupt. He then, in 1866, gathered together a few shillings and, with his family, took passage on the steamship Etna for the United States. After seventeen days' sailing they landed in New York, and pushed on to Lee county, Illinois, where he at once rented a farm for three years. Thus he started in what was to him a new business in a strange country. Before his time expired as a renter he purchased a farm in Sec. 27, T. 21, R. 10, containing 160 acres, for the sum of $4,000, pay- ing down $25, the balance to be paid as convenient, with 10 per cent interest. Some years later he bought 160 acres adjoining it of L. G. Fish, and now, with his son, Elijah, owns one of the finest farms in China township. His first wife died in 1853, aged forty-two years. His second marriage was with Miss Mary Appelby, a native of Leeds, England. He has five children : Elizabeth, David and Elijah by his first wife, and Ruth and Josiah by his present wife.
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