History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc, Part 113

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 113
USA > Illinois > Henderson County > History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc > Part 113

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Among the prominent gentlemen of Henderson county who have taken an active part in its development we mention the name of JOSEPH DIXSON, who was born in Greene county, Indiana, on August 5, 1841. An old serap of paper found among his father's papers after his death points the ancestry back to a period previous to the revolu- tion, the family being one of great worth. Allured by the accounts

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of the amazing fertility of the soil of Illinois, Mr. Stephen Dixson removed with his family from Indiana to Henderson county and set- tled on the old Steele farm. Here Mr. Dixson passed his early youth, receiving his education in the schools near his home. He early mani- fested an unusual love of business and trading, and while a youth gave signs of possessing unusual business qualifications. On June 3, 1869, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary. Dean, daughter of Michael and Susan Dean. Mrs. Dixson's parents were citizens of Warren county. Of this marriage have been born four children, their names being: Willis E., born January 31, 1871 ; Cora, born February 17, 1873; Lulu, born July 5, 1875; George, born June 7, 1880. The latter, George, is the only one of the Dixson family to perpetuate the name, and is named for his unele, George H. Beginning with some property, Mr. Dixson has steadily added to this until he now has 840 acres of land. For many years he has given his attention to stock raising, feeding and shipping. In the township Mr. Dixson is known for his energy, his kindness of heart, his generosity and personal integrity. Though he has his own ideas on political subjects, he has never gone into politics in the active sense of the term. The real wealth of any country is made up of such men as Mr. Dixson, and he is a good example of what earnest industry and persevering application will do.

GEORGE H. DIXSON, second son of Stephen Dixson, was born Septem- ber 2, 1844, in Greene county, Indiana. When he was but a child, three and a half years of age, his mother died, and two years from that time he moved with his father to what is now Henderson county, Illi- nois. › The journey was made with the old reliable ox-team which scarcely rivaled in speed and convenience the Pullman cars of later days. The trip was accomplished in two weeks, and then began in earnest the life of a western frontiersman. At that early day the schools had not attained a very high degree of perfection, but young Dixson enjoyed the educational privileges of the day, and he by no means wasted his opportunities. May 15, 1864, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary E. Andrews, daughter of John M. and Mary Andrews. From this marriage there have been born five children, the second of whom, Charles, is dead. The eldest, Flora I., is now at home, having returned from attendance at school at Roseville. The second now living, Lilian M., is also at home. The names of the other children are Amanda J. and Mabel Blanche. Mrs. Dixson's father and three brothers were in the war of the rebellion ; two were wounded. Mr. Dixson had but little when he began in life. He now has a well improved farm of 480 acres on Sec. 18, T. 9, R. 4, on which he now

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resides. He is devoting his attention largely to stock raising, breed- ing and shipping short-horn Durham cattle. He has among his stock two valuable Clydesdale mares which were imported some time ago. Mr. Dixson is one of the reliable men of Walnut Grove township, and it is in appreciation of this that his portrait appears in this work as one of the representative men of Henderson county. It has been found necessary to mention his name frequently in other portions of this book, he being one of the early settlers and active workers in the township.

Among the remarkably successful men of Illinois, none have achieved more signal success than the Hon. DAVID RANKIN, of Hen- derson county. He was born in 1826, in Sullivan county, Indiana, and when he was ten years of age, his parents removed to what is now Henderson county, then Warren. Here Mr. Rankin passed his early youth and manhood. At that time the educational advantages afforded by the schools were of a very primitive nature. Yet from the school of poverty with its teacher experience, young Rankin seems to have gained the practical wisdom that surpasses all mere book learn- ing. Mr. Rankin began life for himself breaking prairie, buying his ox-teams on credit. Starting in this humble way, he planned to have eighty acres of land. Soon he earned this. Then an opportunity offered for him to buy two quarter-sections at $200 each. "Soon after buying them the two farms increased rapidly in valne. From that time Mr. Rankin began to buy land, and since that time has added to his lands, until he now has over 25,000 acres of land in Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. In Missouri alone he has this year (1882) over 20,000 acres of corn. Annually on his farm he feeds from 500 to 600 head of cattle. In addition to this, Mr. Rankin has the controlling interest of 7,000 cattle on the North Platte range in Nebraska. He has done much in the way of improving horses and cattle, importing both from England and Scotland. Annually he breeds about 100 fine grades of Herefords. Both in acreage and value of produce Mr. Rankin's farms surpass the celebrated Dalrymple farm in the Red River wheat country. In 1881 he employed 180 men who worked teams, and in the spring he used sixty corn planters. Beginning with nothing, by the most untiring industry Mr. Rankin has accumulated property valued at $1,000,000. All this, too, has been made, not from speculation, but dug from the soil, and added to the country's wealth. Nor has he bought up farms from poorer men, but the most of his land has been purchased when waste and wild, and then made valnable by cultivation and improvement. Mr. Rankin is one of the few men who have made money but not enemies. Some of his men who have gained

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from him their start in life have paid him the compliment of saying he "never did a hired man a wrong." In the fall of 1873 Mr. Rankin was elected to the state legislature, where he made so good a record as to lead to his being returned to the twenty-ninth general assembly, where he served as a useful member and conscientious legislator. On the 21st of March, 1850, Mr. Rankin was married to Miss Sarah Thompson, daughter of Adam and Jane Thompson. Mrs. Rankin died on December 28, 1878. Three of the six children born of this marriage are dead, namely, the two eldest, Elizabeth and Melinda, and the youngest, Joseph R. Of the three living, Viola N. is now the wife of J. F. Hanna. Mr. Rankin's two sons, John A. and William F., are also married, the former to Miss Hattie Arms and the latter to Miss Elizabeth Marshall. On January 4, 1880, Mr. Rankin was married a second time, his wife's name having been Mrs. Elizabeth Gowdy. He now resides on his old farm in Walnut Grove township, where he has a most elegant home, which is richly furnished. Here Mr. Rankin spends his time when not away looking after his business inter- ests, which are augmented by his duties both in the First National Bank of Monmouth, of which he is president, as well as in two private banks, in which he has the controlling interest. In spite of all his vast and varied duties, Mr. Rankin has kept his name unsullied and his reputa- tion for strict honesty untarnished. There is no one who is a better example as to business life and principles for young men to follow than Mr. Rankin. System, method, order and industry, have been the secret of his success, and these will always win respect and confidence everywhere and will always retain them. Mr. Rankin may well be proud of his success and reputation, and Henderson county may well be proud to number Mr. Rankin as one of its citizens.

The subject of this sketch, Mr. JAMES F. RANKIN, was born August 4, 1834, in Sullivan county, Indiana. His parents were William and Elizabeth Rankin, who were natives of Pennsylvania, Mr. Rankin being (as indicated by the name) of Scotch descent. His father emi- grated to Henderson county in the early part of the year 1837. Imme- diately after his arrival he entered a half-section of land, and during the following year erected a saw-mill, where he cut the lumber for the first church building in the township. Full thirty years before his death, which occurred in 1870. at Monmouth, he was made an elder of the Associate Reformed church. Six years after his father's death Mr. Rankin's mother died, in the year 1876. Mr. Rankin first attended school in the little log-house where the first church services were held, the first teacher being Mr. John Sampy. April 19, 1860, he was married to Miss Jane T. Thompson, daughter of Adam Thompson.

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To them has been born one child, Edgar D., who is now (1882) pursu- ing his studies at Monmouth College. Although Mr. Rankin has been unfortunate in having to pay an extremely large security debt for another, yet he has also saved a large competence, having a beautiful farm of 600 acres upon which he resides. Mr. Rankin's early life was spent upon his father's farm, in clearing and improving it. After starting out in life success soon crowned his efforts to make for himself a competence, and he is now surrounded with all the comforts of life.

The subject of this sketch, Mr. SAMUEL STEELE RANKIN, son of James Rankin, was born May 3, 1830, in Park county, Indiana. His father, who died in May, 1879, was a native of Jefferson county, Indiana. When but four years of age his father emigrated to Hender- son county by means of wagons and settled in what was then Warren, but has since become Henderson county. Though the schools of those days were of a very primitive nature, and Mr. Rankin could obtain but little education from books, yet he seems to have gained the better education of practical wisdom that has enabled him to succeed better than many college graduates. May 31, 1854, Mr. Rankin was married to Miss Caroline Carothers, whose father served in the war of 1812. Of this marriage have been born seven children, all of whom are still living : Lauranca Elizabeth, Harriet Ann, Mary Eleanor, Charles Elmore, Ralph Worthington, John Wesley and Laura Jeanette. The two eldest daughters have married and left their parents' roof, the eldest one to William Pogue, the third to Edward Thompson. It is sufficient to say of Mr. Rankin's success, that though he began with nothing, yet by untiring industry and application he has become the possessor of a beautiful farm of 400 aeres. In the days of Mr. Ran- kin's early pioneering his father sold corn as low .as five cents a bushel and wheat for twenty cents a bushel. In those days, too, a letter cost $25; and long journeys had to be made to mill, and oftentimes great privations were gone through to lay the foundations of Mr. Rankin's present competence.

THOMAS RANKIN, of township 9, range 4, son of Alexander Rankin, was born December 5, 1831, in Sullivan county, Indiana. His grand- father was one of Indiana's earliest settlers, he having built the first cabin in what is now the city of Steubenville. When Mr. Rankin was but five years of age, his father, Alexander, emigrated by wagon to Illinois, to what is now Walnut Grove township, Henderson county. This was in April of 1836. He at once began the erection of a cabin, into which he moved his family before the roof was on. The night Mr. Rankin moved his family into his cabin, a huge limb, some fifteen inches in diameter, fell from the tree under which they had been

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sleeping, and had they been there would no doubt have killed them all. Amid such early surroundings in his father's pioneer home, Mr. Rankin passed his childhood days, receiving his early education in a little cabin near his father's house. December 5, 1857, he was married to Miss L. Mathers, daughter of Samuel Mathers, an old resident of Henderson county. Of the five children born of this marriage, four are living. May 6, 1881, Annie, the eldest daughter, died at the age of seventeen, just in the beginning of her young womanhood. The two sons, Robert and Samuel Alexander, are now at home; Jennie, Jessie and Martha Letitia, the two daughters, are also with their . parents. Mr. Rankin began life with nothing save his hands and a brave heart. Ile now has 250 acres of land upon which he resides, and here he is now (1882) erecting a beautiful and spacious residence.

WESLEY MILLIKEN, the subject of this sketch, farmer, Walnut Grove township, was born on October 21, 1827, in Dearborn county, Indiana, where he passed his youth and early manhood, receiving his education in the common schools of this county. On May 29, 1849, Mr. Milliken was married to Miss Catharine Powell, daughter of Nathan and Mary Powell. To them have been born eleven children, four of whom, Orvill A. E., Wade C., Ellsworth E., and an infant daughter, are dead. Of the living, Jefferson B. is married and resides near his father ; Caroline A. is the wife of George W. Henry, of War- ren county ; Jeanette J. is the wife of William Groom, also of Warren county ; James P., Mary G., Greeley L., and Clara A. are at home with their parents. Mr. Milliken's father's name was James P. and his mother's Priseilla Milliken. James P. Milliken was born October 16, 1803, and emigrated to Indiana in 1817. In 1841 he was elected to the lower house of the legislature of Indiana for a term of two years, and at the expiration of the term was elected to the state senate and again re-elected, serving six years in the senate. While in the senate a prohibitory liquor law was passed, he taking an active part in favor of it. Upon his return home the temperance people of Dear- born county presented him with a silver cup in appreciation of his services in the senate. In 1852 he was the Free Soil candidate for

lieutenant-governor, with George W. Julian for governor. In 1858 he moved to Adair county, Missouri. At this time John B. Clark was representative in congress from this district, and he had gained some notoriety for his opposition to John Sherman as speaker. About this

time a work called "The Impending Crisis " was published. It was principally made up of statistics which compared the free and slave states together, and showed what a terrible blight slavery was. Be- lieving firmly that slavery was a great hindrance to the material

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advancement of Missouri, Mr. Millikin sent $5 for this little work and stated his belief that when the people of the district got their eyes opened on the subject they would not allow themselves to be misrepre- sented by such a demagogue as Clark. The New York "Tribune " got hold of this letter, and commended it to Clark's careful perusal. Mr. Clark sent the letter to Adair county, Missouri, for publication. This letter so infuriated the hot-blooded slavery men that terrible threats were made against the author of that letter. Mr. Milliken called a political meeting and in an address stated that he wrote the letter, believing it was for the best interests of Missouri. It was with difficulty that the mob could be restrained while he was speaking, . frequently interrupting him with threats. At length some of the cooler heads succeeded in restoring quiet, for the time. In 1861 he moved to Davis county, Iowa, and in August of the next year enlisted in the 30th Iowa Vol. Inf. He was elected second lieutenant and the next spring was promoted to major of his regiment. In the charge made on the rebel works at Vicksburg, May 22, 1863, he was mortally wounded and died the next day. His son Ethan, brother of Wesley Milliken, was also in this battle, and after it was over was made cap- tain, which office he held until the close of the war. Mr. Milliken, since his coming to Henderson county, has resided in Walnut Grove Township, and there on Sec. 33 he now lives, his farm being one of the neatest and most beautiful in the county.

Rev. JOHN H. MONTGOMERY, pastor of the United Presbyterian church of Walnut Grove township, was born in Elmira, Pennsylvania, in 1836. Having chosen the ministry as his profession he went to Monmouth College to pursue his studies, where he graduated in the class of 1866. When in his senior year he went into the war, having joined Co. C, 83d reg. Vol. Inf. He afterward became chaplain of a colored regiment. After his licenciate he was called to the pastorate of the church at Elmira, where he remained seven years. After a rest of two years on account of ill health, he took his present charge. On August 14, 1862, he was married to Miss M. E. Hemphill, then a student of Monmouth College residing at Bloomington, Indiana. Of this marriage five children were born. Their names in order of age are as follows: David W., Charles A., Alfred C., Mary Paulina and Maggie J., all being at home with their parents. Since entering the active ministry Mr. Montgomery has been a delegate to the general assembly of the United Presbyterian church four times.

The subject of this sketch, Mr. GEORGE M. FOOTE, son of David and Annie (Mott) Foote, was born January 17, 1817, in Vermont. Both of his grandparents served in the revolutionary war. In 1821

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he emigrated to Chenango county, New York, where he was educated in the common schools. In 1829 his parents removed to Oneida county, where they afterward died. In 1844, accompanied by his brother Frank, Mr. Foote came to Illinois and settled in Henderson county. In those days good hands received only four dollars a month, an Mrd. Foote once worked seven months for five dollars a month, and then his employer ran away without paying him. Mr. Foote began by buying eighty acres of land with his brother Frank. To this land he has been steadily adding until he now has 1,200 acres in one body and about 300 scattered about. The great storm, known as the Ellison · cyclone, struck Mr. Foote's farm the first after its formation. His house, barn and fences were entirely destroyed and had to be rebuilt. Of Mr. Foote's three children, but one (his son Jay, who recently graduated at Heding College) is now at home. One of his daugh- ters, Laura M., is now the wife of John Johnson, of Kearney county, Nebraska. Adella A. is married to John O'Connor, of Henderson county, who resides in township 9, range 5. In 1846 Mr. Foote was married to Miss A. Tinkham, daughter of Joseph Tinkham, of Hen- derson county. In 1852 Mr. Foote was married again, to Miss Mary Jane Carpenter. Mr. Foote now resides on Sec. 31, T. 9, R. 4.

T. G. RICHEY, son of R. W. and Helen (Green) Richey, was born in Washington county, New York, on April 25, 1825. Both his grand- father and father were natives of New York state, the latter having been a recruiting officer for the war of 1812. Mr. Richey received his early education in New York and in Henderson county, Illinois, to which state his parents emigrated when he was but fifteen years of age, driving teams all the way across the country. Imbued with the gold fever in 1849, Mr. Richey determined to seek the "Golden Gate " and his fortune in the rich mines of California. Joining a company of about sixty men, under command of Capt. Finley, Mr. Richey drove his team through to the Pacific coast, thus completing the journey across the continent. Taking the overland route, they reached the Xuby mines in safety, having been surrounded by Indians on their way and compelled to buy their way out. Here Mr. Richey remained a little over one year, returning by way of the Isthmus and Mississippi river to Burlington. In 1851, after his return home, Mr. Richey was married to Miss Lavina Randall, daughter of Roswell Randall, of Warren county. Of this marriage six children have been born, all of whom are living: Charles E. is now married and in business. in Chicago; Helen C., the second child, is now the wife of R. D. Faris, principal of the graded schools of Cable, Illinois ; the third child, Lilian M., is now wife of Dr. Cowden, of Olena ; Clarence G. is mar-

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ried and works the homestead, while the two youngest, Frank P. and Dora A., reside at home with their parents. In his children and domestic relations Mr. Richey has been exceedingly blessed. Not less prosperous has he been in his business, of farming originally, but of shipping stock of late. He has by labor and industry made for him- self a most beautiful home, from which one can look out upon his 380 acre farm. More than all, he has gained a reputation for integrity which is "better than grandeur; better than gold, than rank or titles, a thousand fold." After the Brook tragedy, when the need of an organization to protect the people of the county from crime was felt, and after the vigilance committee was organized, all turned to Mr. Richey as the man fitted, by his decision and energy, to head that committee. He has since been at the head of the Olena organization, and it was due to his skill, to a large degree, that every horse thief in the county since the formation of the committee has been brought to justice. Mr. Richey may be called a self-made man in every sense of the term, and as such deserves the highest praise for his successful efforts to make for himself an honored name among the citizens of Henderson county.

J. L. FORD, farmer, T. 9, R. 4, son of James and Rachel (Field) Ford, was born near Cadiz, Harrison county, Ohio, on May 6, 1844. His mother's father, Mr. Field, was one of the early pioneers of Penn- sylvania, and fought in the war of 1812 ; his father's grandfather, who was shot by the Indians, was one of the early settlers of what is now Harrisburg. When Mr. Ford was but one year old, his father died, in 1845. When nine years old he made the journey from Steu- benville, Ohio, to Burlington, coming down the Ohio on the Min- nesota Belle, one of the early river steamers ; his folks having settled in Henderson county, in T. 9, R. 4. Mr. Ford obtained his early education in the common schools of that township, receiving his first instruction from an old teacher named Bailey, who is still remembered by many. Mr. Ford's name is to be recorded among those who went forth to battle for their country's freedom during the late war. He enlisted in Co. C, 83d III. Vols. For over two years he was mounted as a scout, most of the time for Gen. Thomas. He was also one of the body guard of Gen. Rosseau, on his march from Nashville, Tennessee, to Florence, Alabama. Although he was engaged in just fifteen bat- tles and skirmishes, he was wounded only once, a ball having struck him in the knee at Yellow Creek, Tennessee, when they were skir- mishing with Gen. Hood's body guard. On February 18, 1877, he was married to Miss Maggie J. Pogue, daughter of John and Elizabeth Pogue, old residents of Henderson county. Of this marriage two

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children have been born, the eldest, Mary Jane, having been born on June 14, 1878, and the youngest, Evalina Maud, on May 12, 1880. Mr. Ford now lives in Walnut Grove township, on Sec. 6, and gives his attention to farming.

JAMES SHOOK, son of Dykman Shook, was born on December 11, 1830, in Hancock county, Illinois, and hence is among the very oldest born in this state. In 1830 his father settled in Hancock county, and just before the Black Hawk war, with his family of five children, he removed to Henderson county, where he put in a crop, and during the war, having removed his family to a place of safety in another county, he tended his crop with his gun at his side. Mr. Shook, who was among the very earliest settlers of the county, was a member of the Campbellite or Christian church, and it was at his house that the first services of this denomination ever conducted in the county were held, Rev. Levi Hatchet having preached the sermon. Mr. Shook's wife died January 19, 1876, and on October 12 following he also died. The subject of this sketch, James, the fourth son of Dykman Shook, passed his early youth in the midst of many privations, and gained his education in the primitive schools of the county. Some idea of the meagre school advantages of those days may be gained by saying that Mr. Shook learned his A B C from letters cut out of a book and pasted on a board, which was set up before him. The only text-books used were Cobb's old spelling-book and the New Testament. On May 19, 1860, Mr. Shook was married to Mary Ann Beebe, daughter of Levi Beebe. Of this marriage nine children have been born: four boys and five girls. One of his sons, Albert, now resides in Fremont county, Iowa; David, Wilbert and Levi are still at home. One of his daughters, Sarah Jane, is the wife of Edward Elixon ; the other four daughters, Effie, Mary Melinda, Amanda, and Hannah, are at home with their parents. Mr. Shook began life with nothing save a good constitution, and having raised a large family, with them resides on his farm of 160 acres in Walnut Grove township, giving his attention to farming and stock-raising.

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History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc, Part 113

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