USA > Illinois > McHenry County > History of McHenry County, Illinois, Volume II > Part 5
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Mr. Brown was married to Miss Rosa A. Thompson, a daughter of Edward Thompson, and they had a son, Volney E., who is at home. The first Mrs. Brown died October 1, 1916. On July 29, 1918, Mr.
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Brown married her sister, Mrs. Minnie Fuller, of Indianapolis, Ind. Mr. Brown and his family belong to the Methodist Episcopal church of Woodstock. He is a member of the Bhie Lodge, Chapter and Com- mandery of the Masonic fraternity, and of the Modern Woodmen of America, serving the last named order as clerk. So uniformly just are the decisions of Magistrate Brown that very few of them are reversed by the higher courts, and his record is one of which anyone in a similar office might well be proud.
WILLIAM BRUEDIGAN.
William Bruedigan is a man who is successfully carrying on a business established by his father, and giving the community of Crystal Lake excellent service as a machinist and expert blacksmith. He was born at Crystal Lake, Ill., July 18, 1883, and is one of the four children of his parents, Henry and Augusta (Kollankork) Bruedigan, natives of Germany, who came to the United States at an early day. They located at Crystal Lake, and here Henry Bruedigan established his son's present business, continuing his interest in it until his retirement in 1914. Although now living in retirement from the cares of business, he takes an intelligent interest in local affairs, and is a very desirable citizen.
William Bruedigan was reared at Crystal Lake, and attended its grammar schools, and was taught his trades by his father, early gaining a practical knowledge of life and its requirements. His father took him into the business twenty years ago, and when he retired, the son became the sole owner, operating as Bruedigan & Co. In November 10, 1910, William Bruedigan was married to Miss Rose Miller. Mr. Bruedi- gan is a Republican. He and his wife belong to the Lutheran church. A young man of industrious habits, he has increased his trade, and firmly established himself in the confidence and respect of his com- munity.
JOHN BUCHTE.
John Buchte, mayor of Union, and general superintendent of Libby, McNeill & Libby's establishment at this city, is one of the leading men of his part of the county, and deserves the prosperity which has attended
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his career. He was born February 15, ISS3, one of the ten children of Conrad and Caroline (Hemming) Buchte. Conrad Buchte was engaged in farming for a number of years and after having secured a comfortable fortune, retired, and is spending his declining years in case.
John Buchte attended the common and high schools of his neighbor- hood, and gained a practical knowledge of farming from his father. IIis first business venture was in a mercantile line, and he continued in it until he was offered his present position, when he was twenty-six years old. This involves heavy responsibilities, but he has proveu himself capable of meeting them, and manages his fifty employes effi- ciently. A Mason, he belongs to Oriental Lodge No. 358, A. F. & A. M. of Union, and he also belongs to the Eastern Star. In politics he is a Republican. A man of unusual business ability, his worth is appre- ciated by all who know him.
JOHN V. BUCKLAND.
John V. Buckland, proprietor of the Ringwood Nursery, is one of the best known men in his line in this part of the state, and enjoys a patronage which extends over a wide territory. He was born at Green Lake, Wis., August 9, 1859, a son of Romulus A. and Laura E. (Smith) Buckland.
Romulus A. Buckland was a native of Brandon, Vt., where he received his education. He came west in 1849, and stopped at Dundee, Ill. The following year he was engaged with a party of engineers to survey and locate the railroad from Elgin to Richmond, with head- quarters at MeHenry. There he made the acquaintance of Laura E. Smith. After their marriage they lived for some time at Smith's Corners, then moved to Rochester, Wis., but finally located at Green Lake, Wis., where he was engaged in farming in connection with his brother until 1865, when he concluded to change his occupation, on account of failing health. They returned to Ringwood, lived about a year at Smith's Corners, and in 1867 he located and built a cheese factory and dwelling at Ringwood, and moved his family there in December of that year. In the spring of 1869, Mrs. Buekland's health began to fail rapidly. She died June 22, 1869, and was buried in Ring- wood Cemetery. She left four children, namely: Moseley A., who was named for his old railroad companion; John V., whose name heads this
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review; Clara E. and Howard A. Romulus A. Buckland was married (second) to Harriet A. Pike, a native of New Hampshire, who came to Ringwood as a teacher. She had entered the educational field in the south as an instructor of colored children after the close of the Civil war. She joined relatives at Ringwood after her experiences in the south, and was engaged to teach the Ladd School at Ladd's Corners, and later taught at Greenwood and Woodstock, returning to Ladd's Corners where she was married August 8, 1870.
R. A. Buckland died August 8, 1885, after many years of failing health. In 1895 J. V. Buckland erected a new residence and remodeled the factory building into a barn.
Harriet A. Buckland died October 31, 1918, and was buried in Ring- wood Cemetery.
John V. Buckland has operated both the farm and nursery and has been a very busy man. He has ten aeres devoted to nursery stock, and also grows fruits, supplying a general line of trees, shrubs, and plants to the local trade, although he has an excellent patronage from the proprietors of summer resorts who desire to beautify their places with his landscape stock. He has studied landscape gardening, and is often called upon to assist in planning for this class of work. Mr. Buckland keeps a few high-grade Jersey cows and Barred Plymouth Rock chickens. He is not married, his step-mother managing his house- hold. Fraternally Mr. Buckland is a Mason and Woodman. He has never aspired to public life, his time and attention being fully occupied with his varied duties.
BILLINGS BURTON.
Billings Burton, now deceased, was a retired farmer of Harvard. and one of the most highly esteemed men of the county, who richly ยท deserved the confidence of his fellow citizens. He was born at C'ana- joharie, Montgomery County, N. Y., April 26, 1821. In the fall of 1841, he came to Illinois, landing at Southport, now Kenosha, and walked the remaining forty-four miles to Harvard. After looking about him, he selected what is now Chemung Township, and entered govern- ment land six miles northwest of Harvard.
In 1844, Billings Burton was married to Harriet J. Sweasey, who came from Springfield, Otsego County, N. Y., to Illinois, with her
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parents in the early forties. She was born October 22, 1828, and died May 13, 1910. In 1901 Billings Burton sold his farm, which is now owned by Blake Bell, and moved to Sharon, but later settled at Ilar- vard, where he rounded out his long and useful life, passing away in his eighty-sixth year. Few men are permitted to see so many radical changes as did Mr. Billings Burton. When he arrived in MeHenry County almost the entire region was either prairie land with unturned sod, or densely timbered sections, and all of the present development has in large part been accomplished since he, as a young man, walked that forty-four miles between Kenosha and Harvard. He was a man of sound judgment and broad outlook, and while of course he could not have foreseen what was going to happen in its entirety, still he did have faith enough in the future of MeHenry County to decide to spend in it the best years of his life. That he succeeded admirably in develop- ing a valuable property, and establishing here a family that has gained distinction, shows that he knew what he was doing when he reached that decision.
Billings Burton has passed from his old life, but he has left to repre- sent him and his good wife twenty-eight grand-children, eighteen great- grand-children, his brother, Charles Burton of Sharon, in addition to his eleven children, who are as follows: James O., who lives in LeRoy Township; Orrin, who lives at Sharon, Ill .; Menzo, who lives in Cho- mung Township; Mrs. Sarah Corkins, who lives at Peabody, Kans .; Mrs. Mahala Piper, who lives at Sharon, Ill .; Mrs. Joe Englehardt, who lives at Sharon; Mrs. L. Kizer, Mrs. J. B. Englehardt, Mrs. Horton Gillis and Mrs. Clara Spicer, the last four living at Harvard; and Mrs. Charles Quackenbush, who lives near the old Burton homestead in Chemung Township. His daughter, Mrs. George Little, and his sisters, Mrs. Merey Burr and Mrs. Elizabeth Hollester, died subsequent to his demise.
MENZO E. BURTON.
Menzo E. Burton, whose finely developed farm is located on seetion 6, Chemung Township, lives on the old Merriam farm of 150 aeres, of which sixty acres are in Boone County. He was born on the old Burton farm, May 19, 1871, and was the youngest son of the family of Billings Burton, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. He left home when twelve years old and has earned his own way ever since.
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Learning the buttermaking trade, he was engaged in it in Wisconsin, Illinois, lowa, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado and Missouri, and assisted in establishing a number of creameries in these different states. It was his custom to erect the building, install the machinery and . hon educate someone to take charge, after which he would go on to another community. Oftentimes, however, he was called back by urgent appeals of the stockholders who wished to have his expert knowledge and experience to guide their enterprise. Still later he covered North Dakota, Minnesota and other western states, twenty-two in all, and in each state established creameries at various producing centers, the majority of which are still in operation. Mr. Burton was thus occupied for about twenty years of his life.
He had been married at the age of twenty-one years at Williams Bay, Wisconsin, to Lottie Green, and she died six and one-half years later. Ile was married (second) to Hattie L. Merriam, a daughter of Hamilton and Mary Merriam, who owned the present farm of Mr. and Mrs. Burton, to which she was brought from Linn, Wisconsin, when five years old. Mrs. Burton's parents died in Sharon, firm in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal church. At their death, Mr. Burton bought the Merriam farm, and has made many changes upon it. This farm was entered from the government by a Mr. Bird, and he built the first house, but it was destroyed by fire in 1914, and in 1918 Mr. Burton replaced it with a fine modern structure. He has added twenty-two aeres across the railroad, so that there are now 150 acres in the farm, the greater part of which is cultivated. Here Mr. Burton carries on grain and stock farming with a gratifying success.
Mr. Burton was called upon to make the supreme sacrifice as his eldest son, the gallant young soldier Serg. Burnice Burton, was killed in action during the first big drive on Verdun, October 16, 1916. He enlisted at Panama in the English Aviation Service, going there from Virginia where he was operating a creamery, at the outbreak of the World War. He left a widow, whose maiden name was Helen Claypool, whom he had married in Oklahoma, and two sons, Bernard and Theodore. Serg. Burton was an experienced flyer and had been at the front some time. His family received a characteristically cheery letter from him just a week before he was killed. Like so many heroes of that mighty conflict, he was very young, only twenty-three when stricken from the rolls of life. All that is mortal of this young man who loved humanity better than he did his own safety, is buried near Verdun, and his grave is properly indicated and marked. By his second marriage, Menzo E.
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Burton has the following children: Paul Everett, who is a graduate of the Sharon High School; Victor Carroll and Donald M., who are attend- ing the Sharon High School; and Bessie Louise, who is the youngest. All of these children are living at home.
The father of Mrs. Burton, the late Hamilton Merriam, was born near Syracuse, N. Y., May 23, 1832, and he died at Sharon May 23, 1901, on his sixty-ninth birthday, where he was living retired. As a child he was taken by his parents, Allen and Permelia Merriam, to Walworth County, Wis. They were natives of New York, who died near Lin, Wis. Hamilton Merriam was married in 1860 to Mary Brown, also born in New York, who came to Wisconsin when eighteen years old. Until her marriage she was a school teacher. In 1881 Mr. and Mrs. Merriam came to MeHenry County and bought the Henry Bird place, two miles cast of Sharon. Mr. Bird lived on his farm until he retired and went to Sharon where he died at an advanced age. Mr. and Mrs. Merriam had the following family: Permelia Belle, who is Mrs. Duncan Stevenson of Madison, Wis .; George, who lives near Palmyra, Wis .; Wallace, who lives near Darius, Wis .; Orrin, who lives on a part of the Merriam farm; Hattie, who is Mrs. Burton; and Fred, who lives at Janesville, Wis.
The Burton family is another of the highly respected ones of MeHenry County that is connected by intermarriage with a number of others that belong in the best elass of those who aided so materially in the settlement and development of this important section of the state. Mr. Burton and his wife are potent factors in the neighborhood, and their children are bright young people who give promise of becoming useful and enter- prising citizens.
D. C. BUSH.
Page 132.
JOHN CAREY.
John Carey, a prominent man and retired farmer of McHenry, at one time owned and operated one of the largest farms in MeHenry County, but since 1915 has lived at ease, having fairly earned the right
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to do so by long years of arduous labor in tilling the soil. He was born in Lake County, Ill., July 15, 1853, and has been a resident of MeHenry County since 1857, at which time his parents, John and Mary (Dorey) Carey, came here. The father, John Carey, was born in Ireland, but came to the United States in 1848, and first settled in Lake County, Ill. His life was spent in farming, and he owned and operated a large amount of land. Ilis death occurred in Mellenry County in 1897. HIe and his wife had five children.
John Carey, the younger, attended the schools of MeHenry County. and was reared on his father's farm. All of his efforts were directed towards farming, and he still owns 400 acres of very valuable McHenry County farm land. He married Miss Mary Phalen, a daughter of Thomas Phalen. They became the parents of eight children, of whom six survive. The family all belong to the Catholic Church. In politics Mr. Carey is a Democrat. During his entire life, Mr. Carey has been deeply interested in local improvements, and with the entry of this country into the World War, he proved his loyalty and public spirit in many ways.
MERVILLE A. CARMACK.
Merville A. Carmack, one of the leading lawyers practicing at the McHenry County bar, has long been a resident of Woodstock, and one of its representative men. He was born in Dunham Township, this county, August 23, 1872, a son of Abraham and Caroline C. (Niewertli) Carmack. Abraham Carmack was twice married and had seven children. He was born in Crawford County, Pa., and when he attained to his majority he came west to Illinois, settling in McHenry County, where he was engaged in farming. This county remained his home until his death, which occurred February 17, 1892. Ilis wife died several days before him, passing away on February 11, of that same year.
Merville A. Carmack attended the district schools of his native town- ship, Harvard High School and other preparatory schools, and when he attained to manhood, he began reading law under Hon. O. H. Gill- more, being admitted to the bar in 1901, and immediately thereafter began to practice his profession. Since then, he has been connected with some very important jurisprudence, and has built up an enduring reputation for knowledge of the law, and skilful handling of cases.
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In 1906 Mr. Carmack was married to Miss Belle G. Allen, a daughter of E. W. Allen, and a member of one of the old established families of McHenry County. Mr. and Mrs. Carmack have three children, namely: Klaron M., M. Allan, and Carrol. Their residence is at No. 377 Lincoln Avenue, Woodstock. Mr. Carmack's political opinions make him a Republican of the progressive type. He is a Mason in good standing.
CHARLES D. CARPENTER.
Charles D. Carpenter, now living retired at Marengo, is one of the highly respected men of MeHenry County, where he has passed the greater part of his life. He was born in Delaware County, N. Y., October 2, 1848, a son of Chester L. and Olive M. (Bloom) Carpenter, natives of New York and Pennsylvania, respectively. In 1849 he came with his parents to Illinois, his father locating on a farm ten miles south- east of Beloit, Wis., where the family resided until 1855, when they moved to MeHenry County, purchasing a farm on the Kishwaukee River Road, two and one-half miles from Marengo. Here the family home was made for many years.
On February 22, 1871, occurred the marriage of Charles D. Carpenter and Luzena Joslyn, who was born in Seneca Township, this county, August 13, 1851. At the time of his marriage, Mr. Carpenter moved on to a farm in Boone County, ten miles northeast of Belvidere, where he and his wife resided for twenty-three years. In 1894 they removed to Marengo, where for several years he was engaged in the stock business, handling principally cattle and horses, which he purchased from local breeders and shipped to Chicago. He is a director of the Dairymen's State Bank of Marengo, and has held this office for several years. While a Republican, he has kept out of politics. The Methodist Episcopal church holds his membership as it does that of his wife, both being regular attendants at its services. When the church and parsonage was erected, he served on the building committee, and has been a member of the board of trustees of the church for over twenty-five years. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and the Mystic Workers. Ile and his wife have two daughters, namely: Mary, who married E. R. Hyndman, proprietor of a garage at Capron, Ill., and Ruby, who is the wife of G. F. Colver, a farmer residing near Marengo,
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JAMES F. CASEY.
James F. Casey, one of the leading attorneys practicing at the bar of Woodstock, is one of the best examples of the self-made men furnished by MeHenry County. He was born at Huntley, Ill., March 6, 1863. a son of Daniel and Nancy Byron (Fitzgerald) Casey, and grandson of Daniel Casey. The elder Daniel Casey was born in County Limerick, Ireland. lle grew up in his native land, was there married, and located on a small farm, but during the terrible famine of 1847, he brought his family to the United States, settling in Virginia, where he died. His children were as follows: Robert, Daniel, Jr., Michael and Mary.
Daniel Casey, Jr .. the father of James F. Casey, was about thirteen years old when the family emigrated to the United States, and after his arrival in this country, attended the common schools, and later became a farmer. At an early age, he was married at Boston, Mass., his wife also being a native of County Limerick, Ireland, and a daughter of Garrett Fitzgerald, a man of superior education, who had been a teacher in Ireland, which he left in 1848, locating first at Boston, Mass., but leaving that city two years later for Chicago, where he died when between eighty and ninety years old. The children of Garrett Fitzgerald were as follows: James, Garrett, Mary, Kate, Eliza and Nancy. The eldest son, James, who was a promising young lawyer of Chicago, at the beginning of the Civil war, enlisted and became captain of Company I, Twenty-third Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Col. James A. Mulligan commanding, what was popularly known as the famous "Irish Brigade," and participated in many hard-fought battles. Captain Fitzgerald was a zealous member of the Fenian organization. The daughter, Eliza, was married, and at an early day moved to Kansas, where she was massacred at the time of the Quantrell raid against Lawrence in that state. Shortly after his marriage, Daniel Casey, Jr., and his wife came to Chicago, where they lived for about four years, but in 1851 moved to MeHenry County, settling near Huntley, where Mr. Casey bought land and began improving a farm. Ile died March 3, 1863, of typhoid fever, when he was about forty years of age. Mrs. Casey survived him many years, dying at the age of seventy-six. She was a very devout Christian, and during her life was the correspondent of some of the dignitaries of the Catholic church, among them Bishop Foley and Father Daman of Chicago. She received many personal letters from the Pope of Rome. She was a faithful mother, and after the death of her husband, maintained a good home for her children, early instilling into
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their minds the precepts of virtue and right living. Self-sacrificing to a remarkable degree, she labored with untiring zeal to bring up and educate her family that they might occupy good positions in life.
James F. Casey was only three days old when his father died, and he was reared at Huntley by his mother, and to her early training he owes his perception of the underlying principles of character on which his success in life has been founded. He was kept at a good school regularly until he was about thirteen years old, when he found employ- ment at farm work, his first duty as a boy being the watching of sheep, for which he received $2 per month. Later when he was able to handle general farm work, he received $5 per month. Still later he was ad- vanced until he received $11 per month. Having reached the highest. limit in wages, as then paid, he left the farm, and going first to Huntley, and later to Chicago, he secured better paying employment. All this time he had continued his studies, and by careful economy, managed to save a little money, so that he was able to attend school, being grad- uated from the Huntley High School when sixteen years old. He then attended the Elgin Academy for three winters, at the same time working in the summers. At the age of twenty years, he received a first-class certificate as a teacher from the county superintendent of schools. In 1881, he organized a private grammar school at Elgin, and in the meanwhile, having been studying law, in 1883, he entered as a student the law office of Judge Ranstead, a prominent attorney of Elgin, and after taking a course at the Union College of Law at Chicago, was admitted to the bar in 1887. On September 6 of that year he lo cated at Woodstock, where in 1SSS he formed a partnership with Hon. M. L. Joslyn, which association was continued until March, 1897, when it was dissolved, and since then Mr. Casey has been alone. Some of the jurisprudence with which he has been associated includes the following cases: the J. G. Templeton murder case, in which he appeared for the defendant and secured an acquittal for his client ; the case of Mrs. Woolert for shooting her daughter, in which he appeared for the defense, and she was judged insane; the murder case of Joseph Held and Dr. Koehler, in which he secured acquittal for his clients; and in the case of John Flusky against James Clancy, Mr. Casey succeeded in saving an estate valued at $150,000 for the rightful owner. This case was carried to the Supreme Court. Politically Mr. Casey is a Republican, and has taken an active part on the stump in every campaign since the one in which James G. Blaine was a presidential candidate. Mr Casey served for
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one term as chairman of the MeHenry County Republican Central Committee.
On October 30, 18SS. Mr. Casey was married to Minnie Sinnons, a native of Woodstock, who died May 22, 1890, leaving one daughter, Sylvia. Mr. Casey is one of the best known lawyers of northern Illinois, and enjoys a practice which is widespread and lucrative. Personally, he is one of the most affable of men, and his kindly manner and ready sympathy win him friends wherever he is known, while his professional ability and scholarly attainments gain for him the respect and confidence of his profession and community. He owns two farms of 530 acres in Nunda Township on Fox River. There are good buildings and good stock on these farms and he prides himself on his properties.
WILLIAM J. C. CASELY, M. D.
William J. C. Casely, M. D., one of the leading physicians and surgeons of Marengo, who has long been recognized as an honor to his profession, is connected with St. Joseph's Hospital of Elgin. He is the only child of his parents, William J. and Caroline (Reed) Casely, and he was born in Marengo Township, April 22, 1862. William J. Casely was born in England, and when a mere lad he was apprenticed to the cabinetmaking trade, and after he had learned it, he followed it the remainder of his life. In young manhood he came to the United States, and located at Marengo.
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