History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc, Part 10

Author: Mercer County Historical Society (Ill.); Henderson County Historical Society (Ill.)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : H.H. Hill and Co.
Number of Pages: 1424

USA > Illinois > Mercer County > History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc > Part 10
USA > Illinois > Henderson County > History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc > Part 10

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HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

his parents, James and Amy (Allison) Willits, who had emigrated from Pennsylvania, were married. At the age of twenty he started out from home with the design of going to St. Louis, but stopped at Montezuma, Parke county, Indiana, where he began the practice of medicine. In three or four years he returned to his father's home, which had meantime been removed to Richmond, Indiana. He remained there till 1837, and then came west and settled in Warren, now Hen- derson, county, this state, on the line between that and Mercer. There he entered 500 acres of land, which property is now known as the Mickey farm. Having enclosed a large tract, he gave his attention for a few years to raising stock for market ; but after hauling to New Boston he could obtain only $1.50 per hundred for the hind quarters of neat animals and $1 for fore quarters, while pork brought but $1.25, all in store pay, and corn could not be sold at any price. Not pleased with this state of things, in 1840 he decided to quit farming, and moved to New Boston and continued his practice. In 1850 he was elected a representative to the legislature from Mercer county and served one term. While a member of that body the charter for the Illinois Central railroad was passed, and he made a strenuous but futile effort to fix the percentage which the company should be obliged to pay into the state treasury at ten per cent of their gross earnings, instead of seven. The doctor voted first for president for John Quincy Adams, but fell into line with the opposite party in the Jackson cam -. paign of 1828, and since that time has been an old school democrat. In controversy he has upheld the principles of his party, but never with hope of office or aspiration for it. With the exception of a division of the Sons of Temperance, which he organized in New Boston, he has not been connected with any of the secret orders which are now so con- mon. To the extent that his example could give force to his convictions, he has encouraged the temperance cause, and under no circumstances could he ever have fallen to such depths of humiliation as to counte- nance or tolerate drunkenness or any patronage of the rum traffic. Dr. Willits was married in early life to Mrs. Catherine Libby, formerly Miss Ainsworth, and five children were the fruits of this union. The eldest, Elmira, died in infancy ; Leroy lives in New Boston township; Viola, who was the wife of Russell Scudder, died over twenty years ago ; Celeste is now Mrs. William A. Anderson, of Chicago; and Kate is the wife of Thomas Manning of the same city. We regret our ina- bility to give a more extended notice of one who has figured so largely in the useful affairs of this locality, and who, by universal consent, has been of so much service and benefit to the public at large as Dr. Willits. A man of liberal education and correct understanding, whose

NEW BOSTON TOWNSHIP.

knowledge covers a wide range, Mercer county has never had a better type of the old school practitioner and gentleman than he. As a con- versationalist he is fluent, entertaining and instructive, with pleasing powers of description.

JACOB H. SWOFFORD was born in Henry county, Indiana, April 8, 1829. His parents were born in North Carolina. He came to Mercer county, Illinois, August 10, 1837. He was a common laborer for a time, and then learned the printing business, which he followed for ten years. Since leaving off the printing business he has engaged in various avocations. He was married November 16, 1854, to Annie, daughter of John and Mary Shuff. They are the parents of eleven children, eight of whom are living. The family have resided in the village of New Boston for many years.

HARLEY IVES, farmer, was born in Connecticut, Jannary 15, 1803. He is the third child of Caleb and Sarah (Booth) Ives. He came over- land, and settled near Oquawka, in Henderson county, in 1836, where he lived two years, when he moved to Mercer county, and settled one mile east of New Boston, where he has lived ever since. During the early part of his life he was engaged in farming, and working at the cooper trade, being the first cooper in the county. In 1827 he was married to Miss Ruth Ives, daughter of Gideon and Charlotte (Hall) Ives. They have had five children born to them : Gilbert H., who is married to Miss Mary A Scudder, a daughter of Ennis Scudder ; Mar- tha W., dead ; Gideon, at home with his parents ; Emery K., married to Miss Mary E. Hartsock ; Caroline, married to John W. Hlisted. Mrs. Ives has always been a member of the Baptist church. Mr. Ives has always been an active temperance man. In politics he is a demo- crat. At present, Mr. Ives is seventy-nine years of age and in splen- did health and very active. Financially he is in good circumstances.

THOMAS ALYEA, druggist, was born at Miamitown, Ohio, Septem- ber 21, 1821. His father, Joseph Alyea, from New Jersey, was three times married. By his first wife he had two children ; by his second, Margaret Love, mother of our subject, four were born ; and by the last, eight : three sons and five daughters. The family moved from Mr. Alyea's birthplace to Fairfield, Franklin county, Indiana, where his mother died when he was eight years old. In 1838 a second removal brought them to New Boston where Mr. Alyea has resided continuously until the present time. In 1845 he went to Mount Morris Seminary in Ogle county and attended school there one year. He was the second vender of drugs in New Boston, and opened in 1853 the first exclusive drug store, which he has conducted since. From 1847 to 1853 he was selling dry goods, and from 1854 till now he has been

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HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

engaged in the ice business. On the 28th of June, 1849, he was mar- ried to Miss Sarah A., daughter of John and Amelia C. Signor. The: same year he was elected county surveyor, and held that office one term of two years. He still devotes a little attention to surveying, and has in his possession the old field notes procured by Judge Gilmore nearly fifty years ago. He was the first town clerk after the adoption of town- ship organization, and has filled the same position in the town of New Boston. A leading member of the Methodist church for many years, he has held official connection in the responsible positions of trustee thirty years, class-leader twenty-five years, and sexton, recording steward and Sunday school superintendent, also, for long periods. He was the first treasurer of the American Bible Society in this county. He has shown himself active and useful in the temperance movement, and has belonged to about all the organizations in New Boston. He. was bred politically in the whig party, and cast his first vote for Henry Clay in 1844. He has maintained his fidelity to the republican party since its organization. Mr. and Mrs. Alyea have been the parents of eleven children, seven of whom are dead. The survivors are : Thomas. Edmund, a physician, living at Princeville ; Willard Henry, Florence Luella, and Lily Belle.

SIDNEY CHIDSTER, farmer, was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, April 1, 1816. He is the fourth child of Hezekiah and Lyda Chidster. He worked with his father at the carpenter's trade until twenty-two years of age, when he came west and settled in Mercer county, where he has lived ever since. Being one of the early settlers of the county, he had to endure all the hardships connected with pioneer life. His edu- cation was limited to a common school course. In politics Mr. Chidster had always been a republican until 1875, when he joined the party known as the greenback party, of which he has since been a member. He was elected school trustee in 1845, and served twenty-five years consec- utively. In 1847 he was elected justice of the peace, and served three years. In 1849 he was elected county associate justice for the term of three years. He was the first supervisor of New Boston township, and served as chairman of that board. In later years, he has served ten years as township collector. He has always been an active temperance man. In March, 1842, he was married to Miss Rachel Stewart, daughter of William and Nancy Stewart. She was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, August 10, 1823. They have had three children : Wil- liam and Lyda, who are at home, and Rachel, who is married to Milton F. Weeden. August 10, 1853, Mr. Chidster was called to mourn the: loss of his beloved wife.

HENRY H. ROBERTS, lumber merchant, was born in England,

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NEW BOSTON TOWNSHIP.

August 11, 1819. He is next to the youngest child of James and Elizabeth Roberts, who came to America in 1828, landing at Boston, Massachusetts, where they lived until 1836. Mr. Roberts lived in Indiana two years before coming to Mercer county. He built a card- ing machine in New Boston township, which was the first in the county. This he ran for two years, when he removed to Eliza township, entered 120 acres of land and bought eighty acres more, and went to farming. He remained in this business until 1856, when he went to New Boston and built a large three-story brick carriage and wagon factory in part- nership with Joe Graham, forming the firm of Graham & Roberts. They continued business until 1860, when Mr. Roberts bought Graham out. In 1861 Mr. Roberts went back to his farm, and farmed until 1865, when he went to Monmouth, Illinois, and started a sash, door and blind factory and planing-mill, which he ran until 1869, when his mill was burned down. Returning to New Boston, he refitted the building he had formerly occupied as a factory, for a hotel, the Roberts House, which he ran until 1875, since which time he has been engaged in the lumber trade. On March 20, 1845, he was married to Miss Mary Baker, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Baker. She was born December 7, 1826, and died June 16, 1858. He was married again September 29, 1859, to Miss Maria J. Dunn, daughter of Thomas and Nancy Dunn. By his first marriage he had six children : Eliza- beth H. (married to Albert Denison), Marshall, Albert (dead), Harriet (dead), Clarence (dead), Charles S. (dead). By his last marriage he has two children : Richard II. and Ernest. Morally speaking, he has always been an active temperance man. Politically he was a republi- can until 1872, when he joined the greenback party, to which party he has ever since strictly adhered.

MARY D. WILLITS was born in Butler county, Ohio, May 31, 1823. She is the sixth child of Joseph and Margretta (Love) Alyea. She .came with her parents to Franklin county, Indiana, where they lived until 1838, when they came to Mercer county, settling in the town of New Boston. Her father was one of. the first to start in business. She was married to William Danford September 13, 1845. Mr. Dan- ford was born March 21, 1807. He was the third child of Enoch and Mary Danford. They had four children : William B., married to Alice Kesler; Melville C., to Dora Noble; Joseph A., to Fannie Strong ; Mozart, to Clara Mannon. William B. was born June 29, 1846; Mel- ville C., September 22, 1847 ; Joseph A., December 5, 1848 ; Mozart, March 16, 1850. William Danford, Sr., died July 27, 1850. Mrs. Danford married again March 10, 1852, to William Willits, who was the seventh child of Jesse and Susannah Willits. He was born

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HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

January 7, 1802. They have had five children : Viemma C., born Jan- uary 18, 1853 (dead) ; Arthur, April 23, 1855 ; . Scylus D., February 26, 1857 ; Clarence L., April 4, 1859 ; Florence N., September 24, 1861. Her last husband died September 1, 1871. He left 530 acres. of land five miles east of New Boston for the benefit of his children. Mrs. Willits' early youth was spent in getting an education, and teach- ing. She has been connected with the Methodist church since 1836, and has been a great temperance worker all her life. She still resides on the home farm with her two youngest children.

When the boundless prairies spread over Mercer county, dotted here and there with log cabins, there was one born whose birth and career we deem it well to record. Such a person is WILLIAM M. PROUTY, who was born December 15, 1841. He is the second child of William and Lyda (Hall) Prouty. His father was born in New Hampshire, August 29, 1807 ; his mother, February 9, 1813. His father died De- cember 17, 1863, and his mother, December 8, 1867. Mr. Prouty and his wife have always been very industrious and economical, and have. thus acquired a pleasant home, consisting of 160 acres of land well improved, eighty acres of which is the S. ¿ of the S. W. } of Sec. 22, and eighty acres of the S. { of the S. E. { of Sec. 21. Last year (1881) Mr. Prouty built a large and commodious residence. Mr. Prouty has always lived in this township and county, except three years spent. in Kansas, from 1869 to 1873. He and his wife have been members of the Methodist church since 1873. He was married November 19, 1863, to Miss Nancy J., daughter of Allen and Martha J. McCormick. She was born June 3, 1841. They have had eight children, seven of whom are living : William J., Jr., born June 24, 1864; Mathias F., September 31, 1867 ; Sarah, September 4, 1870 ; Omri T., March 16, 1872 ; Harry B., March 5, 1874 ; Walter P., April 25, 1875 ; Charlie R., June 25, 1877 ; Annie K., September 12, 1879. Omri and Sarah were born in Kansas, the others in Mercer county. Sarah died Sep- tember 4, 1870.

DAVID KIRLIN, furniture dealer, was born in Shenandoah county, West Virginia, November 2, 1823, and is the fourth child of William and Lydia (Thompson) Kirlin. He came with his parents to Wayne county, Indiana, about 1830, and remained there until 1842, when David sought a home in the west, settling in Mercer county, where he has resided ever since. He has always been engaged in the furniture business since he came to this county. He has done quite an exten- sive trade for the last two years, and his business is gradually on the increase. Besides his furniture store he has two good farms, one in New Boston township and one in Iowa. He was married February,

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NEW BOSTON TOWNSHIP.

1847, to Miss Mary Myers. They have had six children, five of whom are living : John A. (dead) ; Dalinda, married to S. C. Burligam, and resides in Taylor county, Iowa ; Kate, married to William Dickinson ; May, married to O. B. Thompson, and resides in Taylor county, Iowa ; Abby, married to Dr. A. G. Creigg, of Aledo ; Edna, married to J. F. McBride, of Aledo. Mr. Kirlin has always taken considerable interest in temperance, religion and politics.

The early history of Mercer county would be incomplete without special mention of her pioneer preachers, among whom was the subject of this sketch, THOMAS LANNON DOUGHTY, who was born March 29, 1796, in the Shenandoah valley, Frederick county, Virginia. About the close of the war of 1812, although but seventeen years of age, he enlisted in a cavalry company, and with it went to Richmond, only to be there mustered out of the service, owing to the ending of the war. Returning home he served an apprenticeship at the saddler's trade. November 5, 1882, he married Miss Cavey B. Templeman, of Stafford county, Virginia, who died June 27, 1827, leaving one son, James W., who still survives and resides in Des Moines, Iowa. In the fall of this year he removed to Wayne county, Indiana, working at his trade in Richmond and Centerville, and in 1828 married Miss Mary Jane Kib- bey, of Richmond, by whom he had eleven children, five of whom are still living : Mrs. Mary D. Dixon, of Des Moines, Iowa ; Thomas H., of New Boston ; Mrs. A. Josie Cunningham and Lucien B., of Aledo, Mercer county ; and Mrs. Emma C. Cole, of Warren county, Illinois. While in Wayne county he was licensed as a local preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church, which relation he sustained until his death. In the fall of 1842 he removed with his family by wagon to Mercer county, spending the winter in a log cabin under the bluff, on what is still known as the James Thompson farm. In the following spring he removed to New Boston and opened a saddle and harness shop, the first in the county. As these were the days of barter, a glance at his books shows that most of his work was paid for in grain, which he shipped to St. Louis by boat, the wholesale dealers of whom he purchased his supplies also acting as his commission agents. A letter from a firm there written in 1845, advises him to "ship all the wheat he can get hold of immediately, as the price has gone up to twenty-six cents per bushel." While engaged in business he did not neglect the work of his Master, as he had his appointments and filled them as regularly as the circuit-rider, and was frequently called upon to supply the place of the latter. Among his preaching places at this time we may mention the Brick Yard, Eliza Creek, Millersburg, Redmon's in Abington township, sometimes at Keithsburg, and occa-

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HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

sionally as far as Preemption. He was always present at the annual camp-meetings at Sugar Grove, where he worked incessantly, ardu- ously and willingly in the grand cause. He would frequently start from home early on the Sabbath, preach at 11 A.M. at one point, at 4 p.M. at another, and at early candle-light at a third, driving home, twelve or fifteen miles, at the close of the latter service, and all from a love for the work, with no thought of reward in this life. He was very frequently called upon to perform the marriage ceremony and to preach funeral sermons, often riding fifteen to twenty miles in response to these calls, and receiving only the thanks of interested parties as payment for his services and loss of time. In the spring of 1850 his second wife went to her reward, closing a life of earnest, active and efficient christian work, loved and mourned by all who knew her, yet leaving the memory of her pure nature to be fondly cherished by all. In October, 1851, he was again married, his wife being Mrs. Rachael Salvin, of Warren county. 'On the night of his return to New Boston with his bride his residence was burned to the ground, and as it was his all, he removed what little was saved from the flames to the farm of his wife, lying in the northwest corner of Warren and the northeast corner of Henderson counties, adjoining the Mercer county line. Here he continued his pastoral labors, having regular appointments at Sun- beam, Bald Bluff, Little York, Pleasant Green and other points. For three years he rode the Camden circuit, Rock Island county, as a " supply," and for one or more he supplied the Oquawka circuit, Hen- derson county. He organized what is now known as Belmont Church, in the latter county, and it was largely through his influence that the church building was erected. In the winter of 1865, after a life of earnest work and usefulness, he passed "over the river" to meet the Master whom he had so faithfully and conscientiously served, well assured of the welcome, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." His remains were interred at Bel- mont, but in 1872 were removed to the New Boston cemetery, where a small but appropriate stone marks his grave. His wife died in 1872. Not one of the early settlers of the county was more widely known, more highly respected, or more sincerely mourned than Father Doughty. Politically Father Doughty was identified with the demo- cratic party, particularly the Douglas wing, until the breaking out of the rebellion, after which he voted with the republicans. His sympa- thies were all with the Union, and the enlistment of his youngest son, Lucien B., and two step-sons, F. J. and Benjamin Sarvin, deepened his interest and solicitude in the movements of the Union army. In answer to a letter announcing the enlistment of his son, he wrote :

2 pues any respectfully B l Taliaferro

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NEW BOSTON TOWNSHIP.

" While I shall always feel au anxiety for your safety, and all the more keenly that I realize in part the dangers to which you will be exposed, I have no word of regret for your course. God bless you and preserve you, and grant a speedy victory to our noble army." And again, when that son wrote that he had re-enlisted as a veteran, he writes : "I had hoped that you would return after your three years' service. It would seem that you had certainly performed your whole duty in that time, and that some one might take your place. But perhaps I am getting selfish, as it seems so long since I have seen you. Your first duty is to your country, and I will only say what I said when you first enlisted : 'Do your duty, and may God protect and keep you.'" Who will say that the prayers of such a true christian were not answered in the return of that son unharmed after over four years of active service. His educational advantages were limited, but the Bible was his constant companion and study. Without the rhetorical flour- ish and oratorical display of the modern preacher, his sermons were delivered with a force and earnestness peculiar to the early itineracy, and with a power for good that would to-day seem phenominal. Of this power Rev. Richard Haney, still living, tells the following: "I remember one scene at an early camp-meeting at Sugar Grove. I had charge of the services for the day. Two sermons had been deliv- ered, and in the afternoon Father Doughty occupied the stand. I never listened to such earnest appeals to the sinner, nor did I ever witness such an immediate answer to the prayers. The large audience were completely carried away by the sermon, and the shouting, and praying, and crying soon drowned the voice of the preacher, who, with his gray locks flying in the wind, and the tears rolling down his cheeks, was vainly trying to make himself heard. Turning to me he asked, 'what shall I do?' and I could only say, 'let them alone, Father Doughty ; the Lord has taken this meeting out of your hands. Let. them alone ; He will take care of it now;' and he sank exhausted to his seat. I repeat it : I never heard a sermon of more power, nor ever witnessed such an outpouring of the spirit." With an early-day mar- riage at which he officiated, we will close this sketch. Driving along the "Bluff" road one summer day, he was hailed by a man plowing corn, who, leaving his plow, invited Father D. into the house of his employer "on urgent business." Here was the daughter of the house, a comely maiden, engaged in mixing bread. After a whispered word from the plowman she wiped the flour from her hands, rolled down her sleeves, and the pair presented themselves for marriage, he in his shirt- sleeves, she with a big apron on. The ceremony was promptly per-

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HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

formed, the bride returned to her bread, the groom to his plow, and the minister proceeded on his journey, all as if nothing unusual had happened.

The ancestors of JOHN L. HARTSON, of New Boston, came from England and settled at Haverhill, Massachusetts, and took an active part in the struggle for American independence. Andrew Hartson, grandfather of J. L., who was born April 6, 1756, was under twenty years of age when serving under Gen. Washington at Dorchester Heights, etc. He was married to Miss Elizabeth Baldwin, November 28, 1780, in Connecticut, where he subsequently made his home, fol- lowing the occupation of a mechanic, excelling in the manufacture of angurs. He invented the screw augur, although the credit has since been claimed by another. His family consisted of three sons : Jesse, the eldest, who died in early childhood; Ebenezer, still living (Feb- ruary 11, 1882), at the advanced age of ninety-six years ; and John, the father of John L. John was born September 3, 1790; was married in March, 1810, to Miss Alice Utley, by whom he had three sons, named in the order of their ages : Andrew, Lester and John Lyman, born December 29, 1814. His father died March 5, 1816, when John L. was but little past fourteen months old. He remained with his mother until about ten years old, when he started ont to make his own way in the world. The first two or three years he worked on a farm in summer, and went to school in winter, doing chores for his board. IIe thus received the rudiments of an English education, and acquired 'a love of reading, by which means he has stored up a large fund of useful knowledge and general intelligence. He next worked in a 'woolen factory a year or two, but not liking that business apprenticed himself to learn the trade of scythe-making ; but his employer being an intemperate man failed in business, and John L. was thus thrown out of employment before he had served his time. It was at this time, seeing the evil effects of strong drink, he became a firm advocate of total abstinence, and has always been strictly temperate, using neither spirituous liquors, wine nor tobacco. He soon after found employ- ment in an augur factory in Ashford, Windham county, where he re- mained until he was twenty-one years old, becoming a very skillful workman. He went to Humphreysville (now Seymour), New Haven county, in January, 1836, where he worked as journeyman at augur- making. He was married April 24, 1836, to Miss Mary J. Hartshorn, by whom he had three children : one daughter, Alice A., and two sons, Lyman L. and John S., all of whom died under three years of age. In January, 1843, he united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he was an active and exemplary member. In March, 1843, he

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History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc, Part 10

Author: Mercer County Historical Society (Ill.); Henderson County Historical Society (Ill.) Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Chicago : H.H. Hill and Co. Number of Pages: 1424

Author: Mercer County Historical Society (Ill.); Henderson County Historical Society (Ill.)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : H.H. Hill and Co.
Number of Pages: 1424