USA > Illinois > Whiteside County > History of Whiteside County, Illinois, from its earliest settlement to 1908, Vol. II > Part 43
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On the 16th of June, 1905, Mr. McCormick married Mrs. Catharine Betts, the widow of Alexander P. Betts and a daughter of William and Catharine (McGowan) Fitzsimmons. By her former marriage Mrs. McCor- mick had seven children, namely: Emma, the wife of Frank Wolf, a resi- dent of Rockford, Illinois, by whom she has three children, Edna, Mildred and Francis; William Henry, who lives in Chicago and married Evaline Murphy, by whom he has a daughter, Etha; Nettic, the wife of Roy Rob- erts, of Rockford, Illinois, and the mother of one son, Richard; Elsie, the wife of William Meyer, of Rockford, and the mother of three children, Charles William and Miriam; Frank, who is a railroad engineer in Cali- fornia; Catharine, the wife of William O'Neil, of Walnut, Illinois, by whom she has one son, Vernon; and Eugenie, the wife of Peter MeCabe, of Rock- ford.
Mr. and Mrs. MeCormick are members of the Catholic church and he belongs to the Knights of Columbus. Politically he was a democrat for many years but now votes with the republican party, for he believes its plat- form contains the best elements of good government. Coming to America when a young man of twenty years, he has improved the advantages which this land of opportunity affords and by his close application and well directed labor he has gained a comfortable competence, winning also the regard of many friends by reason of his well spent life and his recognition of the rights of others.
JOSEPH W. FLETCHER.
Nature seems to have intended that man should enjoy a season of rest in the evening of life. In early manhood he is full of energy, ambition and determination; in middle life his labors are guided by sound judgment that comes through experience; and thus if he works persistently and wisely he can acquire that capital that will enable him in later years to enjoy merited rest. Such has been the life history of Joseph W. Fletcher, who in former years was closely associated with agricultural interests. He has made his home in Sterling sinee 1893, and in 1896 ereeted at No. 405 West Third street an attractive residence, which he now occupies.
Mr. Fletcher was born in Yorkshire, England, March 25, 1830, his parents being Joseph and Nannie (Taylor) Fletcher, also natives of that country. The father was a son of William Fletcher, a farmer of England, who died there at an advanced age. His family numbered four children. The maternal grandfather of our subject was John Taylor, also a farmer of England, and his wife bore the maiden name of Nancy Thompson. It was in 1855 that the father brought his family to America and first located in Mason county, Illinois. In 1873 he removed to Champaign county, where he died in 1886 at the age of eighty-six years. His wife survived him until 1890 and was eighty-eight years of age at the time of her demise. In re- ligious faith they were Methodists and they commanded the good will and
LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
MRS. J. W. FLETCHER
J. W. FLETCHER
.
LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
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trust of all with whom they came in contact. Of their seven children who reached years of maturity four are now living, namely: William, a resident of Rantoul, Illinois; Joseph W., of this review; Mary, the wife of Robert Pierson, also of Rantoul; and Jane, the wife of B. F. Yates, of Rantoul.
In his native land Joseph W. Fletcher was rearcd and is entirely a self- educated as well as a self-made man. At the age of twelve years he began earning his own living by working as a farm hand for one dollar and a half per month. He was a young man of twenty-five years when he accompanied his parents on their emigration to the United States and for about a year worked as a farm hand in Mason county, Illinois, after which he assisted his father in the development of a new farm. His first purchase of land consisted of eighty aeres, which he bought of Patriek Campbell, and he sub- sequently became the owner of a farm of one hundred and twenty aeres in Mason county, upon which he resided until the spring of 1873, when he removed to Champaign county. There he again earried on general agri- cultural pursuits, meeting with gratifying success, until 1886, when lie located in the city of Champaign, making his home there for seven years. Considering his capital sufficient to justify his retirement from aetive busi- ness life, he took up his abode in Sterling in 1893, and here he has since resided.
Mr. Fletcher has had a faithful companion and helpmate on life's journey in his estimable wife, whom he wedded on the 3d of March, 1859. In her maidenhood she was Miss Alice Abbott, a daughter of Henry and Ann (Keen) Abbott, who were natives of England, the former reared in Blackburn and the latter in Southport. Her paternal grandparents both died in England at an advanced age. In their family were four sons and five daughters. The maternal grandfather, Mr. Keen, eondueted a bakery in England, where both he and his wife passed away. In the year 1840 Henry Abbott and wife came to America, settling first in Cass eounty, Illinois, but after a short time they removed to Mason county, where Mrs. Fletelier was reared. Her father was a shoemaker in England, but in this country fol- lowed agricultural .pursuits. He removed to Logan county, Illinois, spending his last days in Lincoln, where he died in 1897, at the age of seventy-nine years. His wife died about 1884, at the age of sixty years. Their ehildren besides Mrs. Fletcher are: William, of Mason City, Illinois; Mrs. Nancy Campbell, of South Dakota; J. B., of Mason City ; J. H., of Logan county, Illinois ; and Mrs. Mary E. Pegram, of the same county. -
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher were born nine ehildren, three sons and six daughters. Alfred Taylor, the eldest, married Alice Hamm and died leaving three children, Ray, Earl and Lee. George Keen, living upon a farm at Mendon, Missouri, married Graee Thayer, and they have five daugh- ters, Nellie, Fern, Mary, Ellen and Hazel. Matilda Ann is the wife of William Hutchison, of Salisbury, Missouri, and they have two sons, Wilbur and Ralph. Lucy Ellen lives at home. Mary Esther married Albert Hutchinson, of Ashton, Illinois, and died in 1905, leaving nine ehildren living, namely: May, Mabel, Bessie, Dorothy, Bertha, Myrtle, Florence, Albert and Esther. Joseph Henry, a farmer living near Salisbury, Missouri,
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married Nellie Hazen and they have two children, Mildred and Hazen. Bessie Alice died in childhood. Rosella is the wife of George Becker, of Sterling, and they have a daughter, Dorothy. Ada May is the wife of Charles Frazer, of Sterling, and they have one child, Alice.
Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has been serving as a class leader for thirty-four years, and in the church work they take an active and helpful interest., His attitude on the temperance question is indicated by the support which he gives to the prohi- bition party at the polls. He stands for all that is upright in man's relation to his fellowmen and for all that tends to promote the moral progress of the community. While in Mason and Champaign counties he held various local offices, being drainage commissioner in the latter county for ten years. He derives his income from valuable property holdings, having four hundred and eighty acres in Hahnaman township and two hundred and forty acres in Montmorency township, together with eight farms in Missouri, embracing. about fifteen hundred acres of land, while Mrs. Fletcher has a farm of two hundred and forty acres in Champaign county. As the years passed and he prospered in his undertakings he added to his landed possessions from time to time, thus placing his money in the safest of all investments-real estate. He has been the architect of his own fortunes and has builded wisely and well. Today he is one of the extensive landowners of the county and the methods which he has followed in his business life are such as may. well serve as an example for emulation and for the encouragement of others.
CLARK RIDER POWELL.
In the death of Clark Rider Powell, Sterling township and Whiteside county lost one of its worthy and respected citizens. He was engaged in business as a farmer and nurseryman on section 23, Sterling township, and while carefully conducting his private interests yet found time to devote to the public good, and in many ways promoted the work of improvement and progress here. A native of New York, he was born in Saratoga county, on the 12th of September, .1826, his parents being Joseph and Hannah (Bow- erman) Powell, natives of New York. Their family numbered eight chil- dren : Jacob, Lydia Ann, Nathaniel. Martha, Eliza, Henry S., Clark R. and Nelson, all of whom are now deceased.
Clark R. Powell, after attending the public schools of his native county, spent four months as a student in an academy at Macedon Center, New York. He remained with his father and assisted him in various ways until twenty-three years of age, when he started out in life on his own account, and the success he achieved was attributable entirely to his own labors and resulted from his indefatigable energy and unabating industry. The west, less thickly settled and therefore furnishing better opportunities, called him, and he an- swered. In 1849 he arrived in Whiteside county, and from that time for- ward was closely associated with the agricultural development of this part
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of the state. IIc made his first purchase of land across the boundary line in Lee county, securing one hundred and sixty acres, which he cultivated and improved for a time, and later sold. He then bought thirty acres of land upon which he established a nursery, and for many years he conducted that business on an extensive scale. From the beginning it proved a profit- able investment, and indirectly the county benefited greatly by his business, as much of the nursery stock was bought of him. He sold nearly all of the evergreen trees found in the county, and today these fine specimens of pine, cedar and hemlock form an attractive feature in the landscape of many a farm and lawn. For a long period he was an active member of the Illinois Horticultural Society, and also of the Rock River Horticultural Society, and few men were better informed concerning the fruit-raising possibilities of the state or knew more concerning the quality of soil necessary for the pro- duction of the crops.
On the 17th of October, 1853, Mr. Powell was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Quick, a daughter of Harvey and Judith S. Quick, natives of New York. This marriage was blessed with five children: Albert; Malissa A .; Edwin, who married Lizzie Andreas, and has one child, Tracy; Theron, who married Ora Taylor and has two children, Mary and Ralph; and Martha, deceased.
Mr. Powell was deeply interested in the cause of education, gave his children good opportunities in this direction, and was always a stalwart champion of the public schools. He stood for progress along many lines, and his cooperation could always be counted upon to further progressive public movements. In business affairs he was energetic and thoroughly reliable, and his commercial integrity as well as his enterprise constituted a strong element in his success and gained him the confidence of all who knew him. He died October 17, 1903, after a residence of fifty-four years in the county, and thus passed away one of the pioneer settlers, who was honored and re- spected by all who knew him, and most of all by those who had known him longest. Mrs. Powell still survives her husband, and yet resides upon the old homestead, where she has lived for more than fifty-four years.
CLARENCE E. WHITE.
The name of White is a familiar one in Sterling and Whiteside county in connection with manufacturing interests, for throughout a long period members of this family have conducted a carriage manufactory in this city, and in this regard Clarence E. White has distinguished himself. He has likewise exerted an immeasureable influence upon the city of his residence as the promoter of many needed and substantial improvements, having served as mayor pro tem during the absence of Mayor Burkholder, and as alderman, during which time he was instrumental in having the streets paved, the sew- erage system installed on Broadway, and many other improvements made.
Mr. White is a native of Winchendon, Worcester county, Massachusetts, born October 3, 1853, a son of Daniel and Maria (Poland) White, his an-
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cestors having come to this country as passengers on the Mayflower. The paternal grandfather was a soldier in the war of 1812, and his son, Daniel, received a part of the pension due him from the government. Danicl White attended the common schools of his native state, and in early life was ap- prenticed to a carriage and vehicle manufacturer, thoroughly mastering the business. Following his marriage he took up his abode in Winchendon, Massachusetts, where for many years he was engaged in a successful business as a manufacturer of carriages. While a resident of the old Bay state he was a member of the Massachusetts State Guards, and also served as select- man of Winchendon. In 1866, with his wife and two children, he came to Sterling, Illinois, where he established a wagon and carriage manufactory, conducting the same for two years, after which he purchased a section of land in Lee county, this state, and for two years was there engaged in agri- cultural pursuits. At the end of that time he returned once more to Sterling and resumed business as a carriage manufacturer, which he continued to follow up to the time of his death, which occurred June 3, 1876. His wife survived him for many years, passing away in May, 1892. Both were con- sistent members of the Methodist church, and Mr. White was a republican in politics. Their family numbered four children: Elsie E., the wife of George P. Ross, of Harmon township, Lee county; Hiram L., who wedded Esther O. Barber, and passed away in Summerville, Massachusetts, January 15, 1899, at the age of fifty-six years; Clarence E., of this review; and Flora, the wife of W. F. Mangan, of Sterling.
Clarence E. White, whose name introduces this record, began his edu- cation in the schools of his native state, completing his studies in the public and select schools of Sterling after the removal of the family to this city. At the age of eighteen years he entered his father's manufacturing establish- ment, wherein he mastered all the details of the trade. At the age of twenty- one he became his father's partner in business, and at the death of the latter assumed full control of the concern, which he has since carried on with good success. He has in his employ a number of workinen, and the output of the factory finds a ready sale on the market. He is a man of keen dis- · crimination and sound judgment, and this, coupled with his honorable methods, have brought to the concern a large degrec of success. Mr. White also gives considerable attention to the real-estate business, owning a number of houses in the city and two farms of one hundred and sixty acres each in Comanche county, Kansas.
While his extensive business interests claim much of his time and at- tention, in the field of politics Mr. White has also won distinction. As a stanch supporter of the republican party, he was elected in 1890 on that ticket to represent the First ward of the city as alderman, in which capacity he served for eight years. During his incumbency in that office he was in- strumental in having a number of important measures adopted by the city council, the most important among these being the paving of the streets and the laying of the sewer on Broadway. He also acted as chairman of the com- mittees on printing, bridges, electric light, fire and water, and was a member of the street and alley committee for six years. Several times when the
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mayor of the city has been absent, Mr. White has acted as mayor pro tem., and on onc occasion during his incumbency as the chief executive of the city he was instrumental in having arc lights installed and the free bridge lighted with incandescent lights. Thus it will be seen that he is a man of progressive spirit, cver ready to suggest and push forward to completion any measure that he deems will prove of benefit to the general public.
On the 4th of May, 1876, occurred the marriage of Mr. White and Miss Anna S. Abendroth, who was born in Berlin, Germany, a daughter of John and Sophia L. (Pippcr) Abendroth, the former a native of Prussia, and the latter of Austria. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. White was Johannes Abendroth, a native of Prussia and a shepherd by occupation. Both he and his wife died during an epidemic of cholera, when they were well advanced in years. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. White were natives of Aus- tria, and the grandfather held an official position under the king. The parents of Mrs. White came to America when she was a maiden of thirteen years. The family home was established in Monroe, Wisconsin, where the daughter grew to womanhood, she being one of a family of four sons and two daughters, of whom three are now living, her two brothers being: Au -. gust, of Janesville, Wisconsin; and Ewald, of Elgin, Illinois. The wife and mother died in 1870, and the father was again married, his second union being with Emma Krueger, who died five years later, subsequent to which time he was again married.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. White has been blessed with three chil- dren, one son and two daughters, but the son, Datus E., died of typhoid fever at the age of twelve ycars. The daughters are: Lottie S., the wife of Amos L. Rutt, who resides in Dayton, Texas, where he is connected with a large lumber firm; and Elsic M., who is a high school student in Sterling.
Mr. White is a member of the First Methodist church, and his wife is connected with the Christian Scientists. He is a charter member of Ster- ling Garrison, No. 83, Knights of the Globe, while Mrs. White is chicf jus- tice of Betsey Ross Garrison, Eminent Ladies Knights of the Globe. Few men are more prominent or more widely known in industrial circles in the enterprising city of Sterling than Mr. White. He belongs to that class of representative American citizens who promote the general prosperity while advancing individual interests. The family residence is at No. 1103 East Second strect, and here his many friends find him to be a genial, social com- panion.
ALFRED WORTHINGTON.
Alfred Worthington, a representative farmer whose placc on section 26, Coloma township, indicates his careful supervision and practical, progressive methods, has spent his entire life herc, his birth having occurred September 8, 1846, on the farm which is now his place of residence. His parents were Artemus and Phoebe (Sammis) Worthington. The grandparents were Ar-
-
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temus and Eunice Worthington, who had eight children: Nicholas, Arte- mus, Albert B., Arthur Y., Caroline, Clarissa, Elizabeth and Louisc.
The father of our subject was a native of Colchester, Connecticut, and was a schoolmate and student at law with Senator Trumbull. Thinking to enjoy improved business opportunities in the middle west, he came to Ster- ling, Whiteside county, Illinois, in 1838. The city of Sterling was then called Harrisburg, and was a town of comparatively little industrial or com- mercial importance, containing only eleven log cabins. The next summer Mr. Worthington removed to the south side of the river, having secured a claim in Coloma township. In 1847 he was chosen the first postmaster at Rock Falls, and in 1849 he was again appointed to that office, which he filled continuously until 1855. He passed away August 1, 1855, at the com- paratively early age of forty-five years, but his widow, Mrs. Phoebe Worth- ington, is still living at the advanced age of nincty-six years, and is living with her son on the old homestead.
At the time the parents arrived in this county and settled in Coloma township there were only two houses on their side of the river. The first Worthington home was built of hardwood walnut clapboards, while the window sash and doors were made of butternut wood. The first schoolhouse in Coloma township, where Alfred Worthington pursued his studies, has but recently been torn down. The only nieans of crossing the Rock river was in "dugouts"-little boats of rude construction. The father laid out the first state road, extending from Peru to Lanark, a distance of ninety miles. It frequently lay across swamps, and there was not a bush or sign of habitation within twenty miles. He was one of the noble pioneers who, by his energy and interest in public affairs, helped to lay the foundation for better days for those who followed after him.
Following her husband's demise, Mrs. Worthington spent a year at the old home in Huntington, Long Island, where she met an old colored servant whom she had left there over twenty years before. After her visit in the east she returned to the old home in Coloma township, where she has resided continuously since. In her family were six children, of whom threc are still living: Alfred, Mrs. Alice V. Shirley and Robert E. Isabella, the eldest, born in 1839, was married in 1858 to E. B. Trowe, a resident of Rock Falls, where her death occurred in 1896. Robert died in infancy in 1845. Alice, born in 1849, inarried S. T. Shirley, who had been a student at Hillsdale, Michigan, and was a school teacher and temperance worker. Robert Emmett married Minnie Henshaw, and still resides in Sterling.
Alfred Worthington, reared upon the old homestead, has followed farm- ing throughout his entire life. He pursued his education in the public schools, and was early traincd to the work of the fields, for it was necessary for him to aid in carrying on the home farnı. On attaining his majority he chose farming as a life work, and has always continued a representative of the agricultural interests of Whiteside county.
Mr. Worthington was married March 3, 1873, to Miss Martha Wright, a daughter of Hugh and Mary (Mchaffey) Wright, of Scotch-Irish descent. They both enigrated to Hamilton, Canada, and about 1882 settled in White-
.
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side county, Illinois. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Worthington were born seven children . Mabel; Olive M., who was for six years a teacher in the schools of Rock Falls, and is now the wife of G. A. Stoltz, an attorney at law living in Peoria, Illinois; Artemus Ward, who was killed in a railroad aeeident June 25, 1907, at the age of twenty-five years; Edgar S., who is elaim agent for the Lake Shore Railroad Company at Toledo, Ohio; Leroy E .; Lou; and Aliee Phoebe.
Mr. Worthington· votes with the republican party and is a staneh advo- cate of its principles and poliey, taking an active and helpful interest in poli- tics. IIe has served as town and county commissioner and also as road com- missioner. He is a publie-spirited man, generous and kindly in aetion and reliable in his business affairs, and is popular with all who know him.
PAUL, FRASER BOYD.
Paul Fraser Boyd, junior partner of the firm of J. H. Snyder & Com- pany, druggists of Morrison, has a well appointed establishment and a liberal patronage. He was born in Morrison, November 8, 1874, and is a son of Peter and Elizabeth (Fraser) Boyd. The mother was born at Pictou, Nova Scotia, in 1851, and was a daughter of William and Christina Fraser, who eame to Illinois at an early day, first settling in Carroll county, where Mr. Fraser remained until 1870. He then located in Mount Pleasant township, White- side county, where he took up the work of farming and for many years , successfully engaged in the tilling of the soil, planting the seed which in due course of time reached fruition in bounteous harvests. Year after year he added to his capital and when he had acquired a sufficient income he retired from business life and removed to Morrison about 1885. There his remaining days were passed, his death oceurring in 1902, when he had reached the age of eighty-six years. His wife still survives him and is now living in Morrison with her son, Thomas H. Fraser, at the very advanced age of ninety-two years.
At the usual age Paul Fraser Boyd became a student in the public schools and passed through grade after grade until he had completed the high-school course at Morrison and was graduated with the class of 1893. He afterward attended the Northwestern University as a student in the phar- maceutical department and was graduated therefrom in 1897. Previous to entering college, however, he had some practical experience in this linc, having clerked for the firm of J. H. Snyder & Company, druggists. Follow- ing his graduation he was prescription clerk for one year in Chicago and then returned to Morrison, where he again clerked for Mr. Snyder until January, 1907, when he bought a half interest in the drug store of J. H. Snyder & Company, and is now junior partner of the firm. They carry a large and well selected line of drugs and sundry goods and their store is neat in its appointments and attractive in its arrangement. The business methods, too, are such as win a growing patronage and Mr. Boyd is now meeting with success in his undertakings.
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