History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc, Part 120

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 120
USA > Illinois > Henderson County > History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc > Part 120

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

acres. Ida J., the youngest, is now the wife of Alex. Graham, a mer- chant of Monmouth, Ill. On September 24, 1863, Mrs. Bruen died at her home in the thirty-fifth year of her age. On October 10, 1865, Mr. Bruen was married to Miss Mary A. Martin, daughter of Judge Martin, of Biggsville. In October, 1875, Mr. Brnen removed to Monmonth, where he now (1882) resides. His wife and daughter are members of the Presbyterian church of this place. Although Mr. Bruen began life with nothing, yet by patient industry he has made himself a wealthy man. He now owns 680 acres of land in Hender- son county, Illinois. He has also three large farms in Iowa, one in Mills county of 2,250 acres, a second in Montgomery county of 640 acres, a third in Pottawatamie county of 1,920 acres, together with some small tracts, amounting to over 6,000 acres. In addition to his duties in connection with his land and stock interests, he is a director of the First National Bank of Monmouth, Illinois.

At this date (1882) many of the older settlers have passed away. Among the more prominent of these is the name of WILLIAM JOHN HUTCHINSON. He was born in 1813, in New York State, and emigrated to HIenderson county in 1832. Mr. Hutchinson began by working for S. S. Phelps, and afterward went into business with him at Oquawka. It was at this stage of his life that he received the appellation of cap- tain, by which he was afterward known. Possessed of superior busi- ness qualifications he soon amassed some property and began to branch out widely and dealt largely in stock in the feeding and shipping of which he was engaged at the time of his death, which occurred on April 9, 1863, at Hornellsville. New York, he having been accidentally run over by the cars while shipping stock to New York city. At the time of his death Capt. Hutchinson was one of the most prominent

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members of the South Henderson United Presbyterian church. The following resolutions were passed by the trustees of Monmouth Col- lege, of which board he was a member, at their June meeting after his death.

WHEREAS, it has pleased Almighty God to remove by a sudden and painful death Capt. W. J. Hutchinson, a member of this board ;

WHEREAS, it is believed, in view of the relation which he sustained toward ns, that we should give expression to our feelings in relation to this event ; therefore,

Resolved, that in this painful dispensation of God's Providence, we recognize the hand of Him who hath allotted our days, and appointed the bound beyond which we cannot pass, and that we bow in humble submission to his holy will.

Resolved, that in the death of Capt. W. J. Hutchinson the board has lost an efficient and valuable member ; wise in counsel and ener- getic in action ; the college a liberal and earnest friend ; the communi- ty an honest and enterprising man of business ; the county a patriotic citizen ; the church a useful and consistent member. Possessed in his calling by a favoring Providence, he seemed to realize that he was a steward of God's bounty, and dispensed with a liberal hand to those objects that he deemed to be consistent with the glory of God and the good of man.

Resolved, that we tender our heartfelt sympathy to the family of the deceased, and commend them to the kind and watchful care of Him who has promised to be the widow's stay and the orphan's shield.

Resolved, that a copy of these resolutions, signed by the proper officers of the board, be furnished to the city papers and the "Instruc- tor," and that a copy be forwarded to the family of the deceased.

J. A. P. McGAW, R. C. MATTHEWS, A. Y. GRAHAM.

As Capt. Hutchinson was one of the founders of Monmouth Col- lege and a most influential and prominent man, known for his gener- osity and integrity of character, this tribute of respect seemed peculiarly appropriate as a monument to his value and solid worth. He was married on November 25, 1840, to Miss Nancy Tyler. Of this mar- riage eleven children were born, of whom only four are living. Of the four living sons, Stephen Sumner is the second. He was born August 27, 1852, near Biggsville, Henderson county. He received * his education in the common schools of the county. Mr. Hutchinson was married on September 14, 1871, to Miss Emma Mickey, daughter

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of Jonathan Mickey, of Ainsworth, of Washington county, Iowa. She was born January 23, 1830. To them have been born five children, two of whom, Lena and Freddie F., died in infancy. The rest, Clar- ence Herbert, Robert Miles and Stephen Sumner are at home with their parents. Mr. Hutchinson now resides on his farm of about 100 acres, which lies four miles northwest of Biggsville, where he gives his attention to farming and stock raising.

REV. ANDREW RENWICK, the son of James and Abigail Renwick, was born where Idaville now stands, in White county, Indiana, Oc- tober 11, 1842. His mother and an only brother both died suddenly in August, 1845. In that sad bereavement of his father he was dedicated to the ministry, though he knew it not until the hand of ordination had been laid upon him, twenty-two years afterward. Mr. Renwick's boyhood was watched over carefully, and the prayers of a pious father ledged in his childhood's days. His father belonged to the Associate church, and his early days were spent under the ministry of Rev. Nathaniel Ingles. When about seventeen years of age he was admitted to the communion of the United Presbyterian church. After attending an academy at Monticello, Indiana, Mr. Renwick took the college course at Monmouth, where he graduated with the second honor in 1865. IIe then took a theological course at Xenia, and the presbytery of Wabash licensed him June 27, 1866. The general assembly appointed him as stated supply at La Fayette, Indiana, and he was ordained there November 26, 1867. On September 26, 1867, Mr. Renwick was united in marriage with Miss Lida Dean, daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Boggs) Dean, prominent people of Xenia, Ohio. To them were born five children, by name Mand H., Daisy A., Lida Eva, Zulu Z., and Andrew Dean. Having a call from Olathe, Kansas, Mr. Renwick resigned his position at La Fayette, and began his labors at Olathe May 2, 1869. Here Mr. Renwick remained five years, having, in addition to his labors as pastor, duties in connection with Garnet Col- lege, of which he was president. In June, 1874, he resigned his pastorate, and that fall was made superintendent of public instruction, at a salary of $1,500. The next summer he resigned his office. In September, 1875, Mr. Renwick received a call to the United Presby- terian church of South Henderson, and on April 6, 1876, he was installed pastor of this church, where he is now (1882) laboring with a great acceptance to his people. On April 28, 1881, Mr. Renwick was greatly afflicted by the death of his wife. Mr. Renwick's father settled in Indiana in 1836, and his grandfather Andrew, who came from Scotland, settled in Ohio in 1817. As is indicated by the name,

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the family are of Scotch descent, the traditional record being that they are descended from the Renwicks who were the last martyrs under the reign of Queen Mary.

Among those citizens known for their moral stamina and inde- pendent thought is ALEXANDER L. PORTER, of Gladstone township. He was born November 24, 1821, near Oxford, Preble county, Ohio. His parents, who were natives of South Carolina and of Scotch-Irish des- cent. were Hugh and Eleanor (Brown) Porter. Hugh Porter's father emigrated to America about 1770, and in 1808 he removed from South Carolina, where his father settled, to Preble county, Ohio. From an Irishman, who taught a subscription school at $1.25 a term per capi- tum, Mr. Porter received the most of his education. At this school, with its slab seats and its three "R's"-reading, riting, rithmetic- which were then the sole studies, he spent six years of his early life, having no holiday from one year's end to another, save on Saturday. In 1840, his father having failed in business, he came with his uncle to Henderson county, Illinois, where he began life for himself with fifty cents. Several years were consumed by teaching and working in various ways, being held back for a time in paying his last year's schooling at Miami University. By diligent labor Mr. Porter soon got a start for himself, and began to accumulate some property. Having chosen his occupation in life, he married on March 28, 1848, Miss Margaret Graham, daughter of Matthew Graham. To them were born seven children, six of whom are living, one having died in infancy. Their names are Lauretta J., William R., Wilson G., Alice E., John and Frank M. On May 20, 1861, Mrs. Porter died at her home, leaving to her husband's care six children. Mr. Porter, on May 15 of the following year, married Mrs. Sarah Cameron, daughter of James Graham. Mrs. Cameron brought to her new home one child, a daughter, Libbie A. Cameron. Of this marriage Mr. and Mrs. Porter have had three children, whom they have named Annie M., James E. and Lulu K. In all their family relations Mr. and Mrs. Porter have been greatly blessed, and have to the uttermost realized the truth of the old proverb, that the home pleasures of life are

" Better than grandeur, better than gold, Than rank or titles a thousand-fold."

The unity and perfect gladness of this home, where there are three sets of children, is a standing rebuke to all disbelievers in the possible impartiality of step-parents. Mr. Porter, soon after his coming to Henderson county, was elected school treasurer in his township, and for more than eighteen years he continued in the duties of that office.

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HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

Since that time almost continuously he has served in the capacity of school director. As a temperance man-which fact was probably due to the influence of his father, who was, in an early day, one of three men to announce in Preble county, Ohio, where he had long resided, that they would in future furnish no whisky in harvest-he has always been in favor of every moral movement. No less energetic has he been in political movements, having been a republican since the organization of the party, and previous to that time a whig. In matters of church faith Mr. Porter's family are United Presbyterians, holding connection with the church at Olena. At all times he has favored progress, and in 1845 Mr. Porter ran the first reaper-an old McCormick, after which a man raked-ever run in the county.

The name of ISAIH J. BROOK will be recognized as one of the most prominent in Henderson county. Coming here at an early day, he soon became known as a man of remarkable qualifications for business and of strict integrity. He was born in Perry county, Ohio, in November, 1813. When but a child his parents, John and Margaret (Pogue) Brook, removed from Perry to Muskingum county, where they resided for many years. In the common schools of that day Mr. Brook obtained a good knowledge of the rudimentary branches ; but in later years, not satisfied with the educational advantages of the district, he went to Franklin College, New Athens, where he remained about two years pursuing his studies. In 1837, in the beginning of his young manhood, Mr. Brook was attracted by the various accounts then cur- rent as to the unbounded fertility and healthful elimate of Illinois, then just beginning to be opened up as a new state. With its Chicago and thousand of smaller towns to be built, and its reputation as the best corn state in the world yet to be made, it was not strange that the opportunities of those early days attracted many young men to its prairies, and among them I. J. Brook. When he arrived in Hen- derson county in 1837, and settled on his present farm on Sec. 34, T. 10, R. 5, there were but few families in the township, and every- thing was yet to be made. With untiring energy and ambition, backed by a powerful bodily frame, Mr. Brook began his work of making for himself a competence, and richly has he been rewarded. Two years after his arrival Mr. Brook was united in marriage with Miss Jane T. Marshall, daughter of Alexander Marshall, a citizen of Henderson county. To them were born ten children, two of whom, Isaih S. and Charles Francis, died at the age of seventeen, the former in 1862 and the latter in 1876, both in the opening of their young lives. In their children Mr. and Mrs. Brook have been greatly blessed, all having been a credit to their parents. They were educated religiously in the

Grace! Parte DA.

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principles of the United Presbyterian church, of which their family were members, and five of them were graduates of various colleges. Two sons, Thomas A. and Hugh M., reside with their families in Linn county, Kansas. John A. and James W., sketches of whom appear elsewhere, are married and reside in Henderson county. Of the four daughters, Mary Jane is the wife of W. P. Barnes, of Linn county, Kansas; Margaret E. is the wife of John Gaddis, of Fulton ; Mary A. is now Mrs. George Pierce, of Warren county, Illinois; Jessie Ellen is wife of Walter Lattimer, of Anderson county, Kansas. In 1864, at the home of Mr. Brook, occurred the celebrated "Brook tragedy," of which a full account has already been given. During his residence here Mr. Brook has twice been elected county commissioner, and many times school treasurer and director. In politics, up to 1856, Mr. Brook voted the democratic ticket. In 1860 he voted for Douglas, but after that became a republican. In all his business Mr. Brook has been very successful. Having made for himself a fortune, he gave each of his children $10,000 to start in life with. In such men and families as Mr. Brook's lies a county's wealth, and in the absence of such characters, without regard to financial riches, a county is always poor.

WILLARD I. SIGNOR, proprietor of Ward's mills, was born on July 24, 1836, in the State of New York, near its metropolis. His father, John Signor, was of German descent, his mother, Amitta Signor, of English. Nothing exact is known as to the time when his forefathers came to America, save that it was before the revolution. Mr. Signor's father was a soldier in the second war with Great Britain, and the son now possesses the red plume his father wore in that war. When Mr. Signor was but two years of age his parents removed to Chillicothe, Ohio, where they remained until 1845, when they again removed to Henderson county, Illinois, and settled in Olena, where his father died in 1846. By the death of his father Mr. Signor was early deprived of many advantages, but having obtained such an education as the com- mon schools offered, in 1851 he went to Oquawka and there entered the office of the "Spectator," which was then controlled by Mr. Pat- terson, with whom he remained two and a half years. On September 4, 1856, Mr. Signor was married to Miss Margaret J. McQuown, daughter of John McQuown. She was born in 1835, and is a native of Virginia. Five years after his marriage, in 1861, Mr. Signor enlisted in Co. E, 10th Ill. Vols., under command of Capt. Cown. He joined the army of the west, and having been drilled at Mound City, he was discharged. After his return home Mr. Signor engaged in farming, and also in merchandising in Sagetown, where he was

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burned out. In 1876 he bought the old Ward's mill, of which he is now (1882) one of the proprietors.

Success has been called a fickle thing ; fickle, because to some men it comes and remains in spite of all their attempts to thrust it away ; or because, like a will-o'-the-wisp, it eludes the grasp of many who labor long to hold it in their hand. But there can be no fickleness about the success that crowns the patient and painstaking efforts, covering a period of thirty-five years, of such a man as our subject, FRANKLIN GALBRAITH. Reared in the painful school of poverty, his wealth stands for years of privation. He was born February 14, 1828, on the Chucky river, Tennessee, of which state his parents were natives, an account of whom has already been given. As he was but a mere child when his parents came to Henderson county, his oppor- tunities were of the most limited nature. There was not a school in the township at this time, 1834. though one was soon after organized. He was, however, able to acquire such a knowledge of the rudimentary branches as to enable him to do his business well. On March 27, 1857, he was married to Miss T. Fort, daughter of Washington Fort, an old resident of Henderson county. She was born June 29, 1835. Their children were ten in number, of whom eight are living, two having died in infancy. One of his daughters, Mary E., is the wife of William Sells. All the rest are at home with their parents. Mr. Galbraith began life with but little or nothing, with the hope to make for himself a home. The hope has been richly fulfilled. He now has about 1,800 acres of land. Besides this he has much other property. Of late years he has raised and shipped stock. The family may be called in faith Presbyterian. All this but serves to show what a young man can do, if with an ambition to found a home he sets out deter- mined to be honest and yet gain a competence. Mr. Galbraith, whose portrait appears on another page, is one of the men in whom Hender- son county is rich, and from men of his stamp the success of a country depends.

Thomas Galbraith, father of SAMUEL GALBRAITH, the subject of this sketch, was born in Roan county, Tennessee, about 1785. While still a young man he was called upon to fight in the celebrated battle of Tippecanoe, in 1811. Before leaving his native state he married Miss Margaret White, also of Roan county. To them were born eight children, two of whom, Alexander and Robert, are dead. The names of the living are: Elizabeth, wife of Martin Montgomery, of Iowa city ; Mary, wife of J. W. Woods; William, now residing near Kirk- wood; Evelyn, wife of Sanford Harned, and Samuel, our subject, is next to the youngest, by name Franklin.

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Samuel was born on November 6, 1824, near Kingston, East Ten- nessee. When he was six years of age his parents moved by team to Morgan county, Illinois, thenee to Adams, from whence, in December, 1834, they came to Henderson county, settling on Sec. 26, T. 10, R. 5, where they lived two years, and then on See. 27, where they died, the father in August, 1843, and the mother in July of 1870. Mr. Gal- braith, soon after his father's coming, began to attend school, which was taught by a young man named W. D. Henderson, in a private house, the windows of which were partly of greased paper and partly of glass. In this little school at Coloma, which has given the world quite a number of prominent men, Mr. Galbraith received a practical business education. On account of the breaking up of the prairie, and the decay of the vegetation for several years after their coming, chills and fever troubled Mr. Galbraith, in common with everybody else. In 1843 the father of the family passed away, leaving the care of his family to his sons. It is related that at one time, when Dr. McMillan, the pioneer physician, came to see Mr. Galbraith, he went to sleep while examining him, but on awaking he insisted on going to see the rest of his patients, some of whom were miles away. Several hours afterward Mrs. Galbraith discovered him standing at the head of his horse, against which he leaned, sound asleep. Cast thus early upon his own resources, Mr. Galbraith early developed habits of industry and perseverance that have been of great service to him. On June 25, 1829, he was married to Miss Sarah Evans, daughter of John Evans, senior, an old citizen of Henderson county. Of this marriage thirteen children were born, two of whom died in infancy. Of the five sons, one, James F., is married, and resides in Mills county, Iowa. The other four are at home with their parents. Three of his six daughters are also at home, the other three being married, one to Leander Guy, now deceased. Two, the wives of Franklin Slump and Charles Bacon, now live in Mills county, Iowa. Mr. Galbraith began life with nothing, working out for as low as $S a month. For wheat he obtained but twenty-five cents per bushel, and for corn ten cents per bushel, and he was compelled to haul it to Burlington to obtain even that price. Notwithstanding his early disadvantages he has become the possessor of a farm of 880 acres, on which he resides. It has been said of him that in all his business life he never wronged a man out of a cent. Than this a higher compliment can be paid to no man. Mr. Galbraith is in politics a democrat. In religious faith his family are members of the United Presbyterian church.

HENRY MILLER WHITEMAN, son of James and Rebecca (Miller) Whiteman, was born on December 25, 1825, in Preble county, Ohio.

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He is of Irish extraction on his father's side, of Scotch-Irish on his mother's, his forefathers having emigrated to America previous to the war of the revolution, in which his grandfather Miller fought. About the year 1816, attracted by the rich openings in the west, Mr. White- man's father removed to Ohio. Here his eleven children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the ninth, were educated. Mr. Whiteman was well prepared with a practical education for the business of life. His early moral training was thorough and careful, and to this much of his success in life is no doubt due. On March 12, 1851, he was married to Miss Elizabeth MeDill, daughter of David McDill, also a resident of Preble county. To them have been born a large and promising family of eleven children. all of whom are (1882) living. One son, Henry O., is married and is a farmer of Henderson county. James and David A. both young men of promise, are now beginning the life of a farmer for themselves ; the rest are all home with their parents. Some two years after his marriage, in 1853, Mr. Whiteman was in- duced by the reports of the marvelous richness of the soil and health- fulness of the climate of Illinois to remove from Ohio to the as yet undeveloped State of Illinois. In teams he crossed the States of Indiana and Illinois until he reached the eastern bank of the Missis- sippi: Here, in Henderson county, he stopped, settling on Sec 25, T. 10, R. 5, where he still resides. Soon after his arrival in the county Mr. Whiteman united with the South Henderson United Presbyterian church, from which, when the church at Biggsville was organized, he removed his membership. In 1866 he was elected an elder of the last-mentioned church, but his influence has been thrown not less into every educational or moral movement. As director or trustee of the township he has served almost continually since his arrival in the state. From the beginning of its organization he has been a staunch republican, holding firmly to the principles upon which its organization was based. As a fitting reward for his labors in the republican ranks, in the summer of 1880 he was nominated for the legislature, and in the fall following was elected to that office. The duties of this office Mr. Whiteman discharged with credit to himself and honor to his country. To the performance of his duties he brought an intelligent mind, a right purpose and a keen perception of the practicability of a measure or movement. In these qualities, rather than those of an orator or political manipulator, Mr. Whiteman's worth lies. For some years he has been a director in the bank at Kirkwood, in which he holds an interest. In addition to his other duties he carries on a farm of some 700 acres, engaging also in stock raising and feeding. If, as is often said, men cannot succeed in all directions, Mr. Whiteman

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would seem to be an exception to this rule. Happy in a promising family, honored by political preferment, he has also become the pos- sessor of a beautiful home and farm, and, added to all attainments, a reputation for unsullied integrity of character.

The subject of this sketch, Mr. AUGUST WALLBAUM, is but another illustration of what it is possible, under the existing institutions of our country, for a poor boy to accomplish. He was born on December 11, 1831, in the province of Hesse-Cassel, Germany. Though reared in a position of humblest poverty, his father being a stone-mason, he acquired a good practical education for the business of life in the common school, to which he has been constantly adding. by private studies. At the age of fourteen he was apprenticed, and with such skill did he master the details of his duties, and such executive ability did he manifest, that when he was eighteen he was made foreman of the government works on a criminal building. He was born but a mile from the river Weser, near the Neunstorf, where the barons spend their summer. When twenty years of age Mr. Wallbanm left his native land to try his fortune in America, under the following circum- stances. When he had attained the military age he was drafted, in common with every young German, into the cavalry, where it was not possible to hope for any promotion, as none but the sons of nobles could attain rank here. Though his employer offered to buy him a substitute, then costing $400, young Wallbaum, galled by a sense of injustice, resolved to accompany an old school-mate to America. He at once, upon landing, repaired to Chicago, where he arrived in 1852. Mr. Wallbaum began life in America as a stone-cutter. But as water seeks its level, so he was soon promoted, and in 1854 he began to contract for himself, and, after building many buildings of lesser im- portance, he erected the Chicago Waterworks, on the north side, then the Crosby Opera, now a historic building and music hall on State street. Among his many western contracts are the Government Works at Fort Omaha; the High School building at Council Bluffs ; the Sioux National Bank at Sionx City, Iowa; the Chicago & North- western and Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific freight houses in Chicago ; employing on these buildings from 500 to 1,500 men. By diligent and careful industry and skill at the time of the Chicago fire in 1871, Mr. Wallbaum had made an immense fortune. In this fire he lost $650,000; and when, a few days after, he began work again in a corner of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy freight house, which was given him for an office, he found himself $158,000 in debt. After contracting again for a time, Mr. Wallbaum and family removed to the Gladstone Stone Quarry, which he had a controlling interest in.

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History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc, Part 120

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