USA > Illinois > McDonough County > History of McDonough county, Illinois, its cities, towns and villages with early reminiscences, personal incidents and anecdotes and a complete business directory of the county > Part 50
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All the advantages in the way of education that could be en- joyed by those dwelling in this new country were given the subject of this sketch. IIe had the benefit of the common schools in his native county, and of the Academy erected at Belvidere at an early day.
In 1843, under the ministration of Elder William Roberts, he made confession of his sins, and was baptized into Christ, by that man of God, some three years after. Having given the subject much thought, he determined upon entering the work of the ministry, giving his time and whatever talents the Lord may have given him for the advancement of his cause. In order that he might specially prepare himself for that purpose, he entered the Divinity School, Meadville, Pennsylvania, where he remained eighteen months. In 1849 he entered upon the regular work, having been set apart for that purpose, since which time he has devoted his entire time to the proclamation of glad tidings. His work has been prosperous to a great degree, and his labors have extended over a large territory, having received calls and served as pastor of churches in the towns of Belvidere, Plano and Industry, and the counties of Kendall and Stephenson, Illinois, Greene county, Wisconsin, Grant county, Indiana. In Industry, where he now resides, he has labored faithfully for nine years, to the satisfaction of the members of his own church and the com- munity in general.
Elder Towner is a hard-working, zealous, Christian man-one who enjoys the respect and confidence of every one knowing him; his Christian integrity is doubted by none. As a preacher, he is plain, practical and earnest ; he talks like one who believes what he speaks, and therefore carries conviction to the hearts of his hearers. In all that he says or does it can well be believed
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that he is conscientious. In tilling his appointments he allows no trifles to interfere with his attendance. As an illustration of this we will state that on one occasion, while going with his wife to an appointment, he found a stream which he had to cross greatly swollen by the rain, so much so that a less zealous person would have turned back before attempting to ford it, and waited until the waters subsided. But he determined to make the attempt, and in doing so, his horse and buggy had to swim ; but they reached the other side in safety, with no damage save the wetting of their persons, wearing apparel and books. Another time he was not quite so fortunate, for in attempting to cross a stream from which the bridge had been carried away, and which was running very fast, his horse was borne down by the swift current and was lost. Mr. Towner, with great difficulty, reached the shore, the stream having in it running ice, and the water being so cold, that when he did make the land he was so chilled that he could scarcely reach a house which was a half mile distant. The horse was valued at one hundred and fifty dollars, which was a total loss, save thirty dollars made up by friends where he had gone to preach.
Elder Towner was united in marriage with Miss Keziah Brown- ell, on the tenth of February, 1850. Two children have blessed their union, a son and daughter, the former now a young man of considerable talent that will doubtless be used to a good purpose. In the family circle, Mr. Towner is kind, pleasant and agreeable; receiving the love and affection of his children.
ROSWELL TYRRELL.
When visiting the western part of the county in search of ma- terial for the History of McDonough county, nearly every person we met inquired of us if we did not intend to give a sketch of the life of Uncle Roswell Tyrrell, as all familiarly called him. We re- plied that it would give us pleasure to give such a sketch should we be furnished with the material incidents of his life by those who were intimately acquainted with him. Many times had we heard old settlers mention this good man, and we thought it was due his memory that he should have a place among the records given of the old pioneers and prominent men of the county.
Roswell Tyrrell was the son of Abijah and Naomi Tyrrell, and was born near Hartford, Connecticut, on the twenty-third day of May, 1798. In early life he shadowed forth the peculiar traits of
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character that made him noted in after years. He was always a quiet, steady lad, attending closely to his duties on the farm and in the common school pursuing his studies with zeal.
Every school boy or girl has read of the second war with Great Britain, the beginning of which was in 1812, when Roswell was but fourteen years of age, entirely too young to enlist. The war continuing, two years thereafter, when but sixteen years of age, he enrolled himself in the army and served until the close of the war the year following, when he received his discharge. What special service may have been performed by the regiment in which he enlisted, we are not advised, but we do know that young Ros- well Tyrrell never would have shirked duty, and if called upon to face the foe upon the battle field he never would have flinched.
On receiving his discharge, he returned to Trumbull county, Ohio, to which place had emigrated when about fourteen years of age, and where he remained until the spring of 1819, when, there being some difficulty with respect to his discharge papers, he went on foot to Washington, D. C., to have the mistake corrected. After having the matter attended to, he started on foot west, in- tending to settle in the State of Illinois. He arrived in Madison county in the fall, remaining there some four years, when he re- moved to Fulton county, where, on the twenty-second day of February, 1823, near the town of Lewistown, he was married to Miss Mary Ann Sidwell, with whom he lived happily until death called her away, which sad event occurred in May, 1828. She died in the full assurance of hope, leaving one daughter for him to rear and provide.
Mr. Tyrrell received as a pension from the United States gov- ernment, for service in the war of 1812, a land warrant for one hundred and sixty acres of land, which warrant he sold, and with the proceeds, in 1826, purchased a quarter on section 29, 5 north, 4 west, now Tennessee township, which quar- ter he held until his death. In the fall of 1830, he came over from Fulton county, erected his cabin, and returned for his fan- ily. While gone, "the big snow," of which so much is said by old settlers, fell, necessitating his remaining away until the fol- lowing spring, when he came back and effected a permanent set- tlement.
On the eighth day of July he was again married, leading to the marriage altar Miss Hannah Ann Brooks. One daughter was born unto them. The second Mrs. Tyrrell died in 1852.
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About the year 1834 Mr. Tyrrell became bondsman for one of the officers of MeDonough county who, unfortunately, failed to make full returns due the county, and Mr. T. was called upon to make good the deficiency. This was an entirely unlooked for event, and came very heavily upon him, but he determined that every dollar should be paid. Few to-day can realize the trouble had in obtaining money in those days. Men with thousands of acres of land, with an abundance of personal property, could searcely raise money to pay their taxes, small as they then were. But Mr. Tyrrell proposed to pay this indebtedness, though it was frequently suggested to him that its payment could be avoided. The very idea of repudiation was horror to him, and he has often said that never for a moment was he tempted to do such a thing. As the money could not be raised here by any means that could be re- sorted to, Mr. Tyrrell determined on once more going to the lead mines, and, as a day laborer, work to obtain the money to make good his bond. Although the amount he was required to pay would not seem very large to us at the present day, yet it required eleven years to make the final payment, but every dollar was paid, and MeDonough county was saved from loss.
The discovery of gold in California caused a tremor of excite- ment throughout the whole country and thousands flocked to the New Eldorado. Among the first to seek his fortune in that strange land, was the subject of our present sketch. In April, 1849, in company with several others, he started on the overland journey, arriving at his destination in about seven months from the time of starting. The hardships of that journey he bore remarkably well, and in good health and spirits he began to labor in the mines, con- tinuing in the work for three years, save about three months when he was unable to do anything on account of sore eyes. He re- turned home in 1852, having in a measure, been quite successful, more so than the great majority that went out with him.
Mr. Tyrrell was never a member of the Church, though in life he was a strictly moral man. The second great commandment, to "love thy neighbor as thyself," he carried out to the letter. When James Fulkerson settled in his neighborhood, in 1832, Mr. Tyrrell was in the habit of attending to any little chores around the house that might seem necessary on the Sabbath day, such as cutting wood, sharpening his tools, etc., but as he saw that Mr. Fulkerson did not approve of the same, he resolved to discontinue the practice, saying, " My grief, it don't hurt me to cut wood, but
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it hurts Unele Jimmy's feelings, so I won't do it." And he was ever afterwards as good as his word, and " Uncle Jimmy's " feel- ings were never hurt by his Sabbath breaking. His honesty was proverbial wherever he was known, and when another person was specially commended for this trait of character, it was said of him that " he is as honest as Uncle Roswell Tyrrell," or " Uncle Ros- well Tyrrell couldn't do better than that." Another excellent trait in him was that he ever kept his promise to the very letter. On one occasion he left his two little girls at home while he went to Macomb on some business. While there he was so unfortu- nate as to be taken as a juryman. When night came he told the judge he must return home. The judge replied that he could not excuse him. " But," he said, "I must go; I promised my little girls that I would be at home to-night, and I never break my promise to them." And home he went, trudging his way along on foot, spending the night with his little ones, and returning to town the next morning before court was called. The judge thought such a desire to keep inviolate a promise made to the little ones was to be commended rather than reproved, and there- fore did not fine him for contempt.
Until the formation of the Republican party, in 1854, Mr. Tyr- rell had always been a Democrat, but not approving the position of the Democratic party on the slavery question, he refused longer to act with it. He had always been a strong anti-slavery man, and in 1824, when the effort was being made to convert Illinois into a slave state, he voted against calling a convention to amend the constitution for that purpose. When the Republican party came into existence he found the principles enunciated by its leaders were in accordance with those he had long held, and there- fore acted with it until he was called away. No stronger Repub- lican ever lived than he, and in his death that party lost one of its most earnest advocates. He was well posted in all the ques- tions at issue between the two great parties, spending the greater portion of the last twenty years of his life in reading and posting upon the political questions of the day. During the dark days of the war he was intensely loyal, and although too old to enter the service of his country, as he did forty-seven years previous, his heart was with the "boys in blue" upon the tented field, and many acts of kindness did he perform for the dear ones they left behind. No wife, sister, or mother of a soldier would be allowed to suffer if in his power to minister relief, and numberless little
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deeds of kindness might be recorded in this connection wherein he figured as the principal party.
No man ever stood higher in the community than he, and even his most bitter political enemies never doubted his honesty. How- ever much they might doubt the truth of a political statement, they would invariably remark, "Well, he is honest in what he says." We never heard of but one instance in which his word was ever doubted. A stranger, with whom he was conversing, charged him indirectly with falsifying, when he quietly responded, as if his feelings were hurt greatly, "Mister, you don't know me, or you wouldn't say that." It was his pride to make his word respected by every one, and none knowing the man ever doubted his sincerity,
He had a heart overflowing with love of humanity, and to the poor he was ever kind and considerate. The cabin which he erect- ed in 1830, it is said, was the first home of nearly every family in the Hillsgrove settlement, and not a cent of rent was he ever known to receive for its use. If the family was poor, or in need of any of the necessaries of life, Unele Roswell was ever ready to supply their wants. A sack of flour or meal, a ham of meat, or whatever might be the object of their need, was dropped quietly at their door, and not a word spoken. If he should be so fortu- nate as to secure some choice venison, he was ever ready to divide with his less fortunate neighbors. Such being the character of the man it certainly is no wonder his memory is held in grateful remembrance by hundreds of the old citizens of the county.
Roswell Tyrrell departed this life on the thirteenth day of April, 1872, being at the time 72 years 11 months, and 20 days old. He left but one daughter (Mrs. A. G. Owen) to mourn his loss, but her grief was shared by friends and neighbors, and the citizens of the county in general, and probably no man's death was more greatly regretted than Roswell Tyrrell, the old pioneer.
CAPTAIN J. B. VENARD.
Josephus B. Venard may almost be said to be a native of this county, being carried here by his parents, George and Frances (Mitchell) Veuard, when but six weeks old. His parents were both natives of Kentucky, and emigrated to this county in 1832, here living until called away by death, save a short time spent in Hancock county. Mr. and Mrs. Venard were well known and highly respected by a large number of people, both in this and
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Hancock county, and the excellent qualities shown in the life of their son is due to their good training.
Josephus B. Venard was born in Morgan county, Illinois, March 3, 1832, and has spent almost his entire life upon a farm, the exception being nearly five years spent in the military service of the government, and two years while serving as Sheriff of McDonough county. He only spent a few weeks of his life in the public schools of the county ; his father, who was a good scholar for his time, imparting instructions to him at home. It was the custom of the elder Venard to gather his children around him in the evening, after the toils of the day were over, and teach them as much as possible between the short time intervening between supper and the hour for retiring.
From the time Joseph was nine years of age he was compelled to do his share of the labors of the farm, having to follow the plow, and engage in such other exercises as his strength would permit.
When the war broke out and the call was issued by the Presi- dent for three hundred thousand men, he enlisted on the second day of August, 1861, as a private in Captain J. D. Walker's com- ยท pany, Second Illinois Cavalry, and in about thirty days thereafter, the Second Lieutenant resigning, he was chosen by the men and commissioned to fill the vacancy. This position he retained a few months, when, on the seventeenth day of January, 1862, he was commissioned First Lieutenant. While still holding a com- mission as Lieutenant of company II he was assigned to command company A during the Red River compaign, and discharged the duties to the entire satisfaction of his superior officers. On the twentieth day of July, 1864, he was commissioned Captain of com- pany H, and served as such until it was consolidated with one or two other companies and lettered E, when he was placed in com- mand and served with it until mustered out on the third day of January, 1866. In many respects the cavalry arm of the military service is the most dangerous, being more exposed on detached service, and therefore is entitled to great credit, and the Second Illinois Cavalry deserves the thanks of the whole country, for no regiment in the entire service acquitted itself more honorably than it. It was in active duty from the day it was mustered into the service until the close of the war. Captain Venard served
H-32
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with honor and distinction, and was in almost every engagement in which the regiment participated.
Receiving a furlough, Captain Venard came home early in 1865, and on the fourteenth day of March, was united in the holy bonds of matrimony, to Miss Mary E. Curtiss, by whom he has had five children, all of whom yet live to bless the hearts of their parents.
Without solicitation on his part, Captain Venard received the nomination for the office of Sheriff in 1874, and was triumphantly elected, receiving a majority over both his political opponents, and on account of personal popularity, carrying Sciota township by thirty-five majority, being the first and only Republican that has ever done so. He also carried Bethel township, another strong Democratie precinct, being the one in which he was raised, and where he was well known by every citizen. As a civil officer he brought to bear the same unswerving zeal that characterized him as an army officer. While of a modest and retiring disposition, he never shirks responsibility, and every duty is discharged faith- fully and conscientiously.
Some time in the year 1874, he made a profession of religion, and on his removal to Macomb, in the fall of that year, he united with the Presbyterian Church, and is a faithful member thereof. We trust he may be as earnest a worker in the Christian cause as in any other service in which he has engaged, and so receive the reward in the end.
As a citizen, he stands high in the community in which he lives or has ever resided, being a good neighbor, and a kind hearted, benevolent man, one who would be received well and trusted im- plicitly by stranger or friend.
CAPTAIN D. P. WELLS.
Among the representative men of McDonough county, few stand higher in the estimation of the people, or those who were intimately acquainted with him, than did he of whom we now write. David Perkins Wells was born in Winchester, Tennessee, on the tenth day of October, 1826. His parents were Ranseallar and Esther (Perkins) Wells, the former being born in Connecticut and the latter a Pennsylvanian, who had emigrated to Tennessee' at an early day. In 1833, when David P. was about seven years of age, they again emigrated, this time to Illinois, settling in Rushville, Schuyler county. IIere the subject of this sketch spent his youth in attendance on the common schools, and in
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clerking in one of the principal mercantile stores of the town. After spending ten years in this place, he received an invitation from an unele, who occupied the position of sutler at Fort Moul- trie, South Carolina, to come and assist him in his work. Hle at once proceeded to that station, and continued there until the breaking out of the Mexican war, when he received the appoint- ment of Aid to Colonel Gates, of the Third Artillery, with the rank of First Lieutenant. He proceeded with the regiment to Mexico, and served with distinction during the entire campaign, participating in some of the most important engagements of the war. At its close he returned to Rushville, where he remained but a short time, coming from thence to this county, taking up his residence at Macomb, at which place he resided until the day of his death.
In Macomb, Lieutenant Wells engaged in various kinds of business, first in the general mercantile trade in the firm of Twy- man, Lawson & Wells, and then in the real estate and insurance business as a member of the firm of J. H. Baker & Co. In 1854, in company with John D. Hail and Iverson L. Twyman, he laid out the town of Bushnell, now one of the most flourishing young cities in the military tract.
On the third day of October, 1850, in Rushville, Illinois, he was united in marriage to Miss Susan Eliza Dean, by whom he had five children, two only of whom are now living -- Charles D., who is now one of the leading commission merchants of the city of Peoria, Illinois, and Harry, who yet remains at home in Macomb, with his widowed mother.
In early life, and during the existence of the party, Lient. Wells was a consistent Whig, and on its death, he first voted with the Republicans, but in the celebrated campaign of 1860, he affili- ated with the Douglas wing of the Democratic party, he being a great admirer of that immortal statesman Stephen A. Douglas. But with that great leader, when the dark war clouds broke over the country, when the roar of rebel cannon was heard, he believed there could be but two parties, patriots and traitors, and there not being a single drop of disloyal blood in his veins, he at onee stepped forth on the call of the President and offered his services to the government. In company with the lamented Broaddus, he raised company B of the 16th Regiment, Illinois Volunteers, and was duly commissioned as captain. His early military training now served him in good stead, and he was at onee acknowledged
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the best disciplinarian and soldier in the entire regiment. Al- though striet in discipline, he received the good will and love of every man in his company, and the unqualified respect of his brother officers. Not one of his men but would have defended him to the end. Where he led, none would have refused to fol- low. Unfortunately Captain Wells did not see as much service in the field as he desired, and never had an opportunity to dis- tinguish himself as he doubtless would have done.
The regiment being among the first to enter the service, was put upon detached duty, guarding the Hannibal and St. Joe Rail- road, etc. While upon this road Captain Wells received wounds that no doubt were the ultimate cause of his death. In traveling between different points on the road the train was wrecked by obstructions placed upon the track, and Captain Wells thrown out and some heavy article was thrown across his breast, causing bleeding at the lungs. He lay insensible for several hours, and although he recovered sufficiently to join the regiment and start with them to the front, he was only enabled to reach Cairo. Here the surgeon of the regiment ordered him home, informing him that he could never recover unless he had rest. In company with a private of his company the captain returned, stopping in St. Louis long enough to attend to some business and purchase for his family a few presents. He arrived at home on the third day of April, 1862, in quite feeble health, but without a thought of soon being called away, thinking that in a few days he should be sufficiently recovered to return to his regiment and take part in the active duties of the war. But it was willed otherwise by One mightier than all others. He began to sink slowly, but still on the third day of his return was able to walk from one room to another, but on the fourth day the dread summon's came, and his soul returned to the God who gave it, and in due time his body was laid away in the cold and silent tomb. His death was en- tirely unexpected by his friends, although they were made aware he could not long survive. His funeral sermon was preached by Rev. Joseph Warren, D. D., and his body was placed in the grave by his Masonic brethren, of which order he had for some years been an active member. Many friends followed the remains to the grave, and mingled their tears with that of the grief-stricken widow and fatherless children.
From the first Captain Wells had a full conception of the ex- tent of the rebellion, and publicly expressed his views. Long
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before the famous emancipation proclamation of Abraham Lin- colu was issued, and even before the celebrated order of General Fremont was promulgated, he stated his belief that the rebellion would never be put down until the slave was made free.
Captain Wells was not a professed Christian, had never at- tached himself to any church, but believed in the religion of the Bible, and was a strictly moral man. His views of Christianity were more in accordance with those of the Episcopalian Church than any other, and had there been an organization of that de- nomination in the vicinity of his home he would doubtless have united with it. He was a man of kind heart, and in the family cirele was very indulgent, yet always firm. His word was recog- nized as law by his children, and while he was gentleness in the extreme, they knew his word was not to be trifled with. His loss was deeply felt by the whole community in which he lived.
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