History of Wayne and Clay counties, Illinois, Part 88

Author:
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : Globe Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 704

USA > Illinois > Clay County > History of Wayne and Clay counties, Illinois > Part 88
USA > Illinois > Wayne County > History of Wayne and Clay counties, Illinois > Part 88

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JUDGE R. B. HENRY was born Febru- ary 15, 1828, in Ohio, and there grew to manhood. He became a member of the Baptist Church in his boyhood, maintaining a membership in that society for about five . years, when he transferred his membership to the Christian Church. When about twenty-one years old, he was regularly or- dained as a minister in the Christian Church, to which he has remained ardently attached ever since. About twelve years of his life have been spent in exclusive ministerial labor, the remainder of his time having been de- voted to teaching, preaching and superintend- ing the interests of the farm. Though an unpartisan in politics, he has exerted a potent influence for the general good. He was originally an anti-slavery man and supported the administration during the late war, but since 1872 his influence has been enjoyed by the Independent Reform party, and upon that ticket was elected in 1873 to the office of County Judge of Clay County, which position he filled with acceptance for four years. In 1874, and during his term of office as Judge, he was made the candidate of his party to represent the Sixteenth District in Congress, but sustained a defeat. In 1876, he was a Presidential Elector, and cast his vote for Peter Cooper. He was married in Darke County, Ohio, November 4, 1852, to Eliza- beth Adams, daughter of George and Virlin- da (Webb) Adams. She was born in Ohio in October, 1832. Her father was a native of

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Ohio, and was born where Cincinnati now stands. Her mother was born in Virginia. Mr. Henry has reared a family of ten chil- dren named as follows: George A., Vir- ginia A., Rolando H., Anna V. (wife of David W. Blain, of Kansas City), James T., Carrie B., Rolla B., Jr., Hattie, Rebecca and Harry Henry. Judge Henry was educated in Springfield, Ohio, and as a public speaker is possessed of a talent of no ordinary char- acter. He is a man of strong physical frame and endurance, which characterizes the en- tire family, as they have all enjoyed remark- able health and have never had a death in their large family.

EDWARD HIGGINSON was born in Ireland July 22, 1841, and came with his parents, Alexander and Charlotte Higginson, to the United States in 1850. The year fol- lowing, the family settled in Harter Town- ship of Clay County, where they have since resided. Alexander Higginson was born in the year 1813 in Ireland, and was there mar- ried to Charlotte Peel, who was also a native of Ireland. She was born in 1815, and died in Ireland in 1843. Their family consisted of four children-Maria J., died in infancy; Frances A., wife of E. S. Jenkina; Edward and Jane Higginson. Alexander Higginson was married in Clay County to Jane Suffern, who was a native of Ireland. She died in Clay County in Jannary, 1872. Edward grew to manhood in Clay County, and on the 6th of August, 1862, he enlisted in Company A. of the Ninety eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served until mustered out at the close of the war in 1865. He participat- ed in several general engagements, including Hoover's Gap, Chickamauga and the fighting incident to the Atlanta campaign. He was married on the 12th of April, 1866, to Sarah C., daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Luse. She was born in Ohio in October, 1847.

They have a family, consisting of Mary Frances, born April 5, 1869; Charlotte E., born December 28, 1870; William E., No- vember 29, 1872; Emma Grace, April 13, 1875; Effie Jane, March 20, 1878; and Joseph A. Higginson, born February 10, 1881.

BARTON B. INGRAHAM is one of the substantial farmers of Harter Township, liv- ing in Section 12, Town 3 north, Range 6 east. He was born in Wabash County. Ill., April 3, 1825. His parents, Henry and An- geline Ingraham, were very early settlers in Wabash County, but while Barton B. was a mere child, they removed to Ohio, and in 1839 they again removed, this time going to the State of Pennsylvania, which was for many years their home. The father died in Ohio while on a visit, and the mother subse- quently removed to Illinois, and died in Clay County in 1879. B. B. Ingraham was reared to the pursuits of the farm, to which he has ever clung with a persistency which has insured his success. He now owns more than 600 acres of valuable land in Clay County. He was married in Pennsylvania, in 1847, to Jane C. Johnston. She is a daughter of Joseph and Martha Johnston, and was born in Pennsylvania September 27, 1827. Mr. Ingraham came to Illinois and to Clay County in 1861, first locating in the village of Flora, where he and Mr. Fred- erick Pierce erected one of the first mills of the town. He, however, soon abandoned this business to engage in that of farming. Mr. and Mrs. Ingraham are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church of Flora. They have been blessed with a family of fourteen children, two of whom died in infancy un- named. The others are Lauretta, wife of John Tanner, of Louisville, born November 28, 1847; Virgil S., born January 15, 1849, and died April 24, 1862; Leverett J., born September 19, 1850; Leander H., born March

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4. 1852; Cerissa B., wife of D. C. Hagle, was born October 24, 1854; Isadora, born September 6, 1856, and died September 1, 1872; Alphens F., born April 12, 1858; Justin M., born January 26, 1860, and died in Kansas; William E. E., born September 1, 1862; Mary E., born August 26, 1865; Mar- tha A., born November 17, 1867; and Joseph H., born April 23, 1870.

HENRY McELYEA, one of the pioneers of Clay County, Ill., was born May 3, 1815, in Montgomery County, Tenn. The ancestors came to the United States from Ireland, though of Scotch origin. His great-grand- father was the first representative of the name in this country. He settled in the East. John McElvea, father of Henry, was born in Virginia, and was a son of Patrick McElyea. John McElyea married in East. Tennessee to Miss Sarah Boone, daughter of Hezekiah Boone, an own cousin to the famous Daniel Boone, of Kentucky fame. Her immediate ancestors were from England and Wales and came in the colonial days to this country, settling in Washington City. Sarah, the mother of Henry McElyea was born in Virginia. John McElyea was a soldier in the war of 1812, had a family of twelve children, and both he and his wife died many years since in Orange County, Ind., where they settled in 1828. Henry is the ninth of this family, and the only one now living. He grew to manhood in Orange County, Ind., where, December 2, 1836, he married Miss Elizabeth Miller, a daughter of Jacob Miller and Elizabeth Liston. Jacob Miller was a native of Tennessee, and Eliza- beth of Kentucky. They were married in Indiana, and reared a family of ten chil- dren, all of whom grew to maturity. Eliza- beth McElyea was the fourth of this family, and was born July 20, 1819, in Orange Coun- ty. Ind. Mr. and Mrs. Elyea have been

blessed with eleven children, but three, how- ever, survive-Andrew J., a resident of Son- ger Township. Clay County, the father of six children; Jacob, born August 7, 1853, in Clay County, Ill., and now a resident of Harter Township, married to his second wife Phœbe E. Anderson, September 4, 1879; he has three children-Effie, the issue of former marriage was born October 14, 1871; Otto Merritt, born September 9, 1880; and Re- becca A., born August 13, 1883. Lucinda Ellen, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Mc- Elyea, was born September 18, 1857, and married, September 12, 1878, to George An- derson, of Wayne County, Ill. They have two children. Mr. McElyea came to Clay County in 1849, and settled near Oskaloosa in Songer Township, where he lived until 1871, when he removed to his present home in Harter Township. He isa man of acknowl- edged honesty; both he and his venerable wife having been members of the Christian Church for nearly forty years.

ALEXANDER G. McQUEEN, though not a pioneer of Clay County, is one of the thrifty, enterprising farmers of Harter Town- ship, where he has recently purchased a val- uable farm, not as the result of any inherent love for the rural pursuits, but as a means of regaining his lost health, which became im- paired in military service during the late civil war. It is of his military record which we would speak more particularly. He was born in Columbiana County, Onio, November 30, 1830, and is a son of Donald McQueen and Ann Fraser, both of whom were born in the Highlands of Scotland, the father iu 1779, and mother in 1797. These parents , settled in Ohio in 1820, where they died- the mother in 1851, and the father in 1866. Alexander G. attended the common schools until fourteen years old. when he engaged as a clerk to procure means to continue his

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studies in college. He took a preparatory course in the Academy at Wellsville, Ohio, and in 1852 entered the Jefferson College at Cannonsburg, Penn. In 1856, he went to Iowa, where he engaged for a short time in milling, after which he was a partner in a wholesale grocery house in Keokuk. Having disposed of his interest in this business in . 1860, he embarked in the general produce and shipping business, carrying his mer- chandise by boat to the South. The fall of 1860 found him in Memphis with a cargo of goods which was left as a drug on his hands by the suspension of the Southern banks, in- cident to the election of A. Lincoln. Re- maining in this place until the coming spring of 1861, he was given the alternative of eu- listing in the Confederate army, or being conscripted. He chose the voluntary enlist- ment, but soon after deserted and returned to Keokuk, Iowa, where, in the spring of 1861, he assisted to organize the First Iowa Cavalry, entering the service as a private iu Company A. In September, 1861, he was commissioned as First Lieutenant of the company, and promoted to the position of Captain in December of the same year. He was next promoted to the office of Major of the regiment, then to Lieutenant Colonel. Owing to unfitness for field duty by severe illness, he was detailed as First Assistant in charge of the Western Division of the Cav- alry Bureau, with his headquarters at Chi- cago. In July, 1864, he was appointed In- spector General of Cavalry for the Military Department west of the Mississippi River, with headquarters at New Orleans. While on duty here, he became Chief of Gen. Davidson's Staff, and for meritorious service was promoted to the office of Brigadier Gen- eral of his regiment, which commission he held when the regiment was disbanded on the 4th of March, 1866. Space will not permit

us to enumerate the various engagements in which he participated; suffice it to say that he performed valuable service both in the field and in the various administrative posi- tions to which he was called. He was mar- ried, March 7, 1867, to Maggie Falconer, a native of Ohio, who was born September 26, 1840. They have but one child-Daniel A. McQueen, who was born in Keokuk, February 11, 1872. Mr. McQueen is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and came to Clay County in 1879.

WILLIAM T. SMITH was born in Wood County, W. Va., August 17, 1825. His par- ents, Edward E. Smith and Elizabeth (Peck) Smith, were natives of New England, where they grew to maturity, married, and lived till their removal to West Virginia, 'probably abont 1823 or 1824. They had a family of eleven children, W. T. Smith being the sixth, and of whom but five are now living. The mother died in West Virginia in April, 1835, and the father in the summer of 1863. After the death of his mother, William T. was placed among strangers, and has since proved the architect of his own fortune. He remained on a farm until he was seventeen years old, when he learned the trade of tailor, and was so successful that after a few years he opened for himself a merchant tailoring establishment, which business he pursued until 1866. His success in a business way, which has been very flattering, has been more than equaled by his domestic adversity, having buried two wives and three children. His first marriage occurred April 28, 1846, to Eunice A. Shaw, who died April 1, 1849. She was the mother of two children-Will- iam L. and Frank Smith, the latter being deceased. January 24, 1850, he married Carolina L. Bliss, iu Marietta, Ohio, where she was born, and where, on the 23d of May, 1856, she died. She was the mother of three

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children, viz .: Mary F., Catherine E. Dixon (of Kansas), and Charley, of whom the former and latter are dead. His present wife, Rebecca H. Means, to whom he was married in November, 1860, was born October 6, 1832, in Westmoreland County, Penn., and is a daughter of James Means and Elizabeth (Robinson) Means. These parents were born in Maryland, the father December 8, 1799, and the mother September 11, 1799. They were married October 6, 1820, in Pennsyl-

vania, and were blest with six children, Mrs. S. being the fifth. Mr. Smith came to Clay County, Ill., in 1875, and purchased a farm of 175 acres in Harter Township, near Flora, to which he has added at times until he now owns 315 acres. He is one of the county's best farmers, and a man who is universally respected and honored by all who know him. Both he and his estimable wife are members of the Flora Methodist Episcopal Church.

BIBLE GROVE TOWNSHIP.

GEORGE W. COLBORN, farmer, P. O. | Bible Grove. Among the steady, well-to-do farmers in Clay County is the gentleman whose name heads this sketch. He was born August 20, 1825, in Hamilton County, Ind. He is a son of Robert Colborn, a na- tive of Ohio, who came here about 1840, and entered considerable land at $1.25 per acre. Robert Colborn was a good citizen, farmer and neighbor. He died here, mourned by all who knew him. The mother of our subject was Rosanna (West) Colborn, a native of Virginia. She also died here. She was the mother of ten children, some of whom with their descendants are now living in this county. Our subject did not get the help in starting in life that others did, yet by his in- dustry and perseverance, he has done so well that he was able to buy the home place, and now owns 640 acres of land and is one of the largest land owners in the township. He was joined in matrimony to Miss Ophelia Ackison, born September 21, 1829, in Holmes County, Ohio. She is a daughter of William and Harriet (Cook) Ackison. He is a native of Pennsylvania and she of Rhode

Island. Nine children, of whom seven are now living, blessed this happy union, viz., Nancy J. Curtright, Robert W. (deceased), Rosanna Webster, Steven A., Martha, George W., Caroline and Josiah F. Mr. and Mrs. Colborn are members of the Christian Church. He has served the people as Constable and Justice of the Peace; the latter office he has held for the last twenty years. In politics, he is identified with the Democratic party.

W. W. DUNCAN, physician, Bible Grove. Among the men who owe their success in life to their own energy and ability stands him whose name appears at the head of this sketch. He was born, December 10, 1829, in Nelson County, Ky. He is a son of James Duncan, a native of South Carolina, and a farmer by occupation. The grandfather of our subject was William Duncan. He was a native of Virginia, of Scotch descent. The mother of our subject was Editha (Mckay) Duncan, a native of Nelson County, Ky. Dr. Duncan was married, November 28, 1860. in Mason, Effingham County, Ill., to Miss Mary Ella White, born March 18, 1841. in Bond County, Ill. She is a daughter of

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William and Agnes (Johnson) White. He is a native of North Carolina and she of Tennessee. Four children are the result of this happy union, viz., William C., born Jan- uary 31, 1863; Anna J., August 2, 1868; Mary Edith, February 19, 1871; and Charles Ed, June 23, 1877. Mr. and Mrs. Dr. Dun- can are religiously connected with the Baptist Church. The Doctor received his medical education in Louisville, Ky., but is mainly self-educated. On October 30, 1861, Dr. Duncan settled in Georgetown, where he follows his noble profession, he having prac. ticed over two years in Kentucky and three years near Mason, Effingham County, Ill., pre- vious to his coming here. He does not shun his work, and is one of that kind of physicians who ride themselves into a lucrative practice.

LOREN GOULD, farmer, P. O. Bible Grove, was born May 11, 1838, in Edwards County, Ill., son of Philander Gonld, a native of New York. He is a farmer by occupation, and came to Illinois when abont eighteen years old, settling in Edwards County, Ill., where he yet resides. The family is an old one of good standing, and distantly connected with the famous railroad king, Jay Gould. The mother of our subject was Sarah (Knol- ton) Gould, a native of Virginia. She died January 10, 1876. She was the mother of ten children, who are all living and have numerous descendants. Our subject was educated in Edwards County, Ill., where he resided till he was of age, when he got mar- ried and moved to this county in 1859; here he bought and commenced to farm; success has crowned his efforts, and now he owns in this and Jasper County 410 acres of good land. Mr. Gould is an enterprising farmer. He was married, August 25, 1859, to Miss Delia E. Stanley, born June 24, 1842, in Edwards County, Ill. She is a daughter of William and Maria (Gunn) Stanley, who are

natives of Ohio. Eight children blessed this happy union, their names are Sarah M., born August 2, 1860; Lizzie H., born March 9, 1863; Cina P., born August 28, 1865; Ezra O., born July 17, 1869; Ella R., born April 15, 1873; Duel W. (deceased aged two years and eight months); Hattie C., born October 15, 1878; and Effie C., born December 25, 1882. Mr. Gould has served his neighbors in the capacity of School Trustee, and polit- ically he is a Republican.

THEOREN GOULD, merchant, Bible Grove. Among the wide awake business men of Clay County must be classed Mr. [ Gould. He was born July 10, 1842, in Edwards County, Ill .; son of Philander Gould, a native of New York, and a farmer by occupation. The mother of our subject was Sarah (Knowlton) Gould, a native of Virginia, she died in Edwards County, Ill. She was the mother of ten children, all living. Our subject was educated in Edwards County. In early life he farmed, and at the age of nineteen entered the army, enlisting in the fall of 1861, and served faithfully till he was wounded at Jackson, Miss., when he was honorably discharged and returned home. While in the army, he participated in the battle of Shiloh, siege of Corinth, Vicksburg and other engagments. He was a Sergeant. After the war Mr. Gould engaged in farming and stock-dealing, owning now over 600 acres in this and adjoining counties. Between 1878 and 1880, he opened the Bible Grove Grist Mill, and bought D. D. C. Pix- ley's general merchandising store in George- town, where he now does a thriving business. Mr. Gould was joined in matrimony May 25, 1865, to Miss Nancy A. Webster, who was born January 23, 1848 in Clay County, Ill. She is a daughter of Anderson and Sarah (Fulk) Webster. Five children blessed this union, viz .: Chloe F., born June 4, 1866;

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Charley A., born June 10, 1868; Philander, born February 24, 1872; Sarah E., born Feb- ruary 23, 1877, she died September 26, 1879; and Lola G., born October 31, 1881. Mrs. Gould is a member of the Christian Church. Mr. Gould is an A. F. & A. M., also an I. O. O. F., and is at present, Commander of the G. A. R. Post ..

A. T. HARDIN, farmer, P. O. Bible Grove, was born June 25, 1824, in Orange County, Ind. He is a son of John Hardin, who for many years was a resident of Clay County, having first settled in Effingham County, Ill., to which place he came from Washing- ton County, Ind., about 1860, to which latter place he came in 1815. He died February 11, 1883, aged eighty-seven years. He reared a large family of eleven children, and lived to see them all happily married. The mother of our subject was Ellen (Colclasure) Hardin. She was born in 1798, in Hardin County, Ky., and died February 12, 1871, in Mason, Effingham County, Ill. Subject had been educated in Washington County, Ind., and in early life taught school three years, and then settled down to farming. He came to Clay County, Ill., in 1850, and permanent- ly located, having first been here in 1846 on a visit, but stayed long enough to teach a three month school. In Bible Grove Town- ship he settled on eighty acres of land that his father had entered in 1836. Here he has lived ever since, owning now 325 acres of fine land with good buildings. Mr. Har- din was married, August 15, 1850, in Wash- ington County, Ind., to Miss Winifred Chen- oweth, a native of Indiana, born October 28, 1831. Her parents were Elias and Eliz- abeth (McIntosh) Chenoweth. This happy union resulted in eight children that are now living-William A., John, Ellen E., Stevens S., Aaron L., Mary A., Florence and Eva M. -all esteemed members of the respective com-

munities in which they reside. Mr. and Mrs. Hardin are connected with the Meth- odist Episcopal Church. He is a Democrat, has filled school offices, and for two years was Township Supervisor. Of Mr. Hardin it may be said that he owes his succees in life to in- dustry and perseverance.

C. F. LANDWEHR, farmer, P. O. Bible Grove, was born January 5, 1851, in Prussia, Germany. His father, Charles Landwehr, is also a farmer by occupation, and yet re- sides in Bible Grove Township, near his son. The mother of our subject is Catha- rine (Coors) Landwehr; she is yet living and is the mother of five children. Our subject received his education partly in Germany and partly in St. Louis. In early life he farmed, but in 1873 he went to California, the acme of this wonderland America, and there in Pescadero, he worked at the Lincoln Hotel, as porter and clerk. Finally, after working for some time at the Swanton House, he went to farming, and in the winter of 1870, returned to Illinois. Here he was married in April, 1880, to Miss Mary Mascher; this lady was born June 20, 1863, in Jasper County, Ill. She is a daughter of Frederick Mascher. She has blessed her husband with two children-Emery and Emelia. Mr. Land- wehr is an intelligent farmer, and owns 220 acres of land. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran Church. Politically, our subject is a Republican.

CAMERON MCKNIGHT, farmer, P. O. Ingraham, was born October 7, 1828, in Lawrence County, Ind. He is a son of Will- iam A. McKnight, born 1800, in North Caro- lina. In 1811. he came to Indiana, and in 1835 he removed to Clay County, Ill., where he bought land and improved it. He was one of the first to settle in that part of the county, and was a man of a great deal of en- ergy and ability. He died in this county in

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the spring of 1862, from wounds received at the hands of robbers on the night of October 1, 1861, in Bible Grove Township. The grandfather of our subject was Roger Mc- Knight, a native of North Carolina; he died in Indiana. Rebecca (Erwin) Mcknight was the mother of Cameron Mcknight. She was born 1804, in Lawrence County, Ind. She died 1843, in Clay County, Ill. Eight chil- dren called her mother, of whom five are now living. Our subject received only about six months' schooling in his life. In early life he was fond of the sport and spent consider- able leisure time in hunting, and even now will devote some time each year to a hunting trip, generally going south to Arkansas. His father gave him forty acres of land, and in 1850 he bought 160 himself, and on these 200 acres he settled just after he was married to Rebecca Fields, a native of Indi- ana, who died in April, 1877, leaving eight children, viz., Sarah C. Harmon, Austin R., Cynthia Moore, Millard F., Jehu L., Lyman T .. Homer B. and Laura. Mr. McKnight's second wife is Mrs. Martha Turner, born February 3, 1832, in Orange County, Ind. She is a daughter of Francis M. and Eliza- beth (Reed) Moore. The following six chil- dren are by her first husband, Mr. B. H. Turner: Francis M., Joseph B., Sarah E., Jessie D. Odell. William S., and Ida M. Mr. and Mrs. McKnight are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics, he is a Republican. Although he has given his children a great deal of land, he has yet 240 acres of good land. In early life, at the age of twenty he worked on the Mississippi River, going as far north as St. Paul, Minn., where he worked fifteen months in the pine- ries, returning in 1849, after an absence of twenty-five months, to Clay County, with which he has been identified ever since.

JOHN MURVIN, druggist, Bible Grove.

This energetic young business man was born November 1, 1850, in Richland County, Ill. His father, Francis P. Murvin was a native of Kentucky. He was a farmer by occupa- tion, and came to Richland County when quite young. and died there in 1858. The mother of our subject was Rebecca (Hock- man) Murvin, a native of Illinois. Five children bless her memory. She died 1867, in Richland County, Ill. Our subject went to school in early life in Richland County, and at the age of sixteen went to live with his uncle, John A. Murvin, of Clay County, Ill. He lived with his uncle five years, and during that time taught school two years. Afterward he taught school another year. He was joined in matrimony, April 25, 1872, in Clay County, Ill., to Miss Charlotte Lewis, born April 22, 1854, in this county. She is a daughter of Washington Lewis, a well- known settler of Clay County. Mrs. Char- lotte Murvin died November 6, 1880. She was the mother of the following children, viz., Francis W., Harry B. and Marvin E. Our subject was married a second time, June 19, 1881, to Susannah Littell, born July 9, 1860. She is a daughter of Hiram R. and Martha A. (Boston) Littell. One little boy named Claude blessed this union. He was born September 24, 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Murvin are members of the Methodist Protest- ant Church. He is also an I. O. O. F., Bible Grove Lodge, 273. Mr. Murvin lived seven months in Richland County, and then one year in Flora; then raised one crop on his father-in-law's farm, and then went to Ingraham, where he clerked for Osman Pix- ley five years and four months; then, in Jan- uary, 1880, came to Bible Grove, where he now keeps a drug store and the post office.

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History of Wayne and Clay counties, Illinois, Part 88

Author: Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Chicago : Globe Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 704

Author:
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : Globe Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 704