USA > Illinois > Ogle County > Mount Morris > Mount Morris : past and present, an illustrated history of the village of Mount Morris, Ogle County, Illinois > Part 37
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44
EMANUEL SLIFER, son of Jonathan and Lovenia (Avey) Slifer, was born at Ha- gerstown, Md., Dec. 21, 1848, and died in Mt. Morris, April 9, 1928, aged 79 years. He came to Mount Morris in 1872 and en- gaged in farming north of town until 1900, when he moved to town and engaged in the real estate and insurance business. In 1880, he married Martha Thomas, and two children were born: Elizabeth, who married Fred Watts, and Marcus. Mrs. Slifer died in 1906.
385
MEN AND WOMEN OF YESTERDAY
RICHARD SHAW died March 21, 1914, aged nearly 91 years. He was born May 4, 1823, at Centerville, Ohio, where he spent the early years of his life. In 1848, he married Emeline Wilson, and two years later went to California during the gold rush. In 1855, he came to Ogle Coun- ty, and engaged in farming in this vicin- ity for many years. He had two sons, Oliver and Hiram, who drowned in Pine Creek in 1866.
MELVIN P. SPIELMAN, son of Joseph and Lydia Spielman, was born March 24, 1843, at Williamsport, Md., and died in Mount Morris, Sept. 18, 1929, aged 861/2 years. In 1863, he married Mary E. New- comer, and in 1868 they settled on a farm near Mount Morris. They moved to town in 1895, and Mrs. Spielman died in 1920.
Eleven children were born to them as follows: Mrs. Luther Lizer, Mrs. P. T. Sprecher, J. F. Spielman, Mrs. Arthur Nalley (died in 1937), Mrs. Dora Cronk, Oliver (died in 1918), Anna (died in 1920), Harvey and Clyde (died in infancy) and Lulu McDonald Sprecher.
FRANCIS W. STONEBRAKER died Nov. 10, 1906, at Hagerstown, Md., at the age of 73 years. He was born June 13, 1833, in Washington County, Md., and came to Mount Morris in 1852. He located on a farm one mile north of town and was married to Sophia Wagner in 1853. They had seven children, as follows: Laura (Mrs. John Tice), Florence (Mrs. Oliver Gloss), John, Daniel, Frank S., Mary (married Henry Donaldson and later Ed. Marvin), and Samuel. Mr. Stonebraker's first wife died in 1887 and he later mar- ried Mrs. Laura V. Mumma. For a num- ber of years before his death he resided at Hagerstown, Md.
MICHAEL SWINGLEY
was born
in Washington County, Md., March 19, 1822. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Swingley and came with his parents to Mount Morris in 1845. In 1854, he married Susan Welty, and they had two daugh- ters, Mrs. Leroy Iler and Mrs. James Wil- son. Mr. Swingley died Oct. 7, 1905, aged 831/2 years.
386
MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT
JACOB O. THOMAS, son of Ezra and Elizabeth (Rice) Thomas, was born in Mount Morris Township, Feb. 28, 1846. He attended Rock River Seminary and purchased a farm of 320 acres which he cultivated until he retired and built a home in Mount Morris in 1901. Dec. 31, 1885, he was married to Eliza Jane Felker, and they had two children, a son, Harri- son, who died at the age of 21/2 years, and Mary, who married Gregor Thompson. Mr. Thomas died Jan. 9, 1926, aged nearly 80 years, and Mrs. Thomas died in 1913.
CHARLES D. SMITH, son of Stephen and Lydia (Wilkins) Smith, died Janu- ary 19, 1915, at the age of 81 years. He was born at Mayfield, N.Y., December 17, 1834, and in 1852 he located in Mount Morris. He was married in 1854 to Sarah A. Knodle, and they had four daughters: Mary O. (Mrs. Chas. McNett), Viola (Mrs. Daniel Keedy), Jeannette (Mrs. Henry Lentz) and Rosa E., who died when six years old. His two sisters, Mrs. Mary McCoy and Mrs. Ira Marshall, were well-known Mount Morris ladies. Mr. Smith engaged in farming for a time and also at his trade of bricklayer and plas- terer in partnership with A. M. Newcom- er. He was a member of the Masonic fra- ternity.
CHARLES E. SMITH, son of Theodore and Susan Smith, was born at Fairplay, Md., Nov. 5, 1865, and died in Mount Morris, Feb. 10, 1925, aged 62 years. He came to Mount Morris in 1896 and worked as a farm hand and at the creamery at the south edge of town. Later he worked as plumber's assistant. In 1888, he was married to Flora Austin, and eight chil- dren were born to them, four of whom preceded him in death, Frank, Claude, Mamie and Herbert. Those remaining are Mrs. Harry Thomas, Mrs. Frank Reich, Mrs. James Grumstad and Robert.
GEORGE SPRECHER died Dec. 13, 1907, at Zion City, Ill., at the age of nearly 73 years. He was the son of Philip T. and Catherine (Houke) Sprecher, and was born Jan. 30, 1835, near Williamsport, Md. He came to Mount Morris with his
parents in 1839, at the age of four years. His life was spent in farming and car- penter work, and he resided here over sixty years. He moved to Zion City in 1902. Mr. Sprecher was married three times. In 1858, he married Eliza Patterson, and six children were born to them, four of whom preceded the father in death. Mrs. P. T. Sprecher was one of the daugh- ters. His first wife died in 1866, and in 1868 he married Amanda A. Conaway, who lived nine years and left three sons, Oliver, Irvin and Bert. He was married a third time in 1880 to Almira Clingan. His sisters in Mount Morris were Mrs. George Windle and Mrs. Henry Moats and his brothers, John Sprecher and Daniel Sprecher.
PHILIP T. SPRECHER, son of Philip T. and Aletha Sprecher, was born near Hagerstown, Md., Dec. 10, 1846, and died in Mount Morris, April 19, 1924, aged over 77 years. He came to Mount Morris when he was 21 years old and engaged in farm- ing for a number of years, then moved to town and was connected with the grocery business with various firms. He served the village for ten years as clerk and sixteen years as treasurer. He was married to Mary C. Sprecher (daughter of George Sprecher), in 1879 and three boys were born to them: Orval, born in 1882, and Howard and Harry, twins, born in 1884. Mrs. Sprecher died Jan. 25, 1927.
SAMUEL SPRECHER was born in Williamsport, Md., in June, 1860, and died in Mount Morris, July 5, 1935, aged 75 years. He came to Mount Morris in 1881, where he lived the remainder of his life. In 1893, he married Alice Keedy, and three children were born to them: Mrs. Ada Mitchell, Guy Sprecher and a son who died in infancy.
W. L. STINE, son of Frederick and Mary Stine, was born at Hagerstown, Md., Jan. 25, 1853, and died in Mount Morris Nov. 9, 1936, aged nearly 84 years. When a lad of 12 years, he witnessed the battle of Antietam. He came to Mount Morris in 1876 and engaged in farming in this vicinity except for ten years spent in Oklahoma. In 1879, he married Mary Jeannette Zellers, who died in 1926. There were five children: Ward (deceased), Ralph, Raymond, Mrs. Chas. Tice and Fanny.
CHARLES V. STONEBRAKER, son of Michael and Catherine (Coffman) Stone- braker, was born Feb. 9, 1851, and died in Mount Morris, Jan. 31, 1928, aged near- ly 77 years. He was born on the Stone- braker homestead, two miles north of Mount Morris, and spent his entire life in this vicinity. For many years he con- ducted a truck farm at the east edge of town. In 1874, he married Gussie O. Wil- liams, and two children were born to them: Lee and Roy, the latter dying at the age of 11 years.
387
MEN AND WOMEN OF YESTERDAY
VIRGIL TRINE, a Mount Morris boy, son of Mrs. Ellen Trine, who met a tragic death, Feb. 9, 1903, at Pueblo, Colo., as a result of an accident in a steel plant. He was 28 years of age.
JOHN E. TICE died Nov. 17, 1916, aged nearly 60 years. He was born at Haldane, Ill., and was the son of Franklin N. and Catherine (Felker) Tice. He spent his early life on a farm near Forreston, and for many years he engaged in farming north of Mount Morris, later moving to town where he was associated with Wm. A. Newcomer in the grocery business in 1890, later selling out to J. Strock. In 1881, he married Laura M. Stonebraker, and they had two children, Chas. E. Tice and Mrs. Jesse Q. Allen. He served on the school board and the village board of trustees, and was also a director of Kable Brothers Company for a number of years.
JAMES T. STEWART died June 4, 1904, aged 75 years. He was born near Ellicott's Mills, Md., May 25, 1829. He came to Mount Morris with his family in 1864, and lived here for forty years until his death. He was a carpenter by trade. In 1852, he married Laura E. Franks and they had four children: Anna V., Wm. H. Stewart, Mary E., Margaret L., and Ed- ward A. Mrs. Stewart died in 1880, and in March, 1882, Mr. Stewart married Mag- gie Barrett.
MRS. SUSANNA THOMAS died Dec. 9, 1907, aged 91 years. Her maiden name was Susanna Rice, and she was one of the twelve children of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Rice, who came to Mount Morris Township in 1837. She was the last sur- viving member of that pioneer family of seven sons and five daughters. She was born near Boonsboro, Md., August 24, 1816. She was married to Elias Thomas, who died in 1881. Five daughters were born to them, two of whom lived in Mount Morris, Mrs. David Emmert and Mrs. Chas. Gaffin.
LEWIS WALLACE, son of James and Sarah (Emmert) Wallace, was born near Hagerstown, Md., Oct. 13, 1843, and died in Mount Morris, Oct. 26, 1920, aged 77 years. He lived continuously in Mount Morris Township for 75 years-first north of Maryland Station, where his parents settled in 1845, then on the home farm northwest of Mount Morris, and finally in the village in 1903. In 1866, he married Mary Long and they had four children, Nellie (Mrs. Hio Wehmeyer), Cleora (Mrs. J. B. Yohn), Eugene and Chilion. Mrs. Wallace was elected to the Brethren ministry in 1884, but never did a great deal of ministerial work.
CLEGGETT F. TICE, son of Franklin N. and Catherine (Felker) Tice, was born at Hagerstown, Md., March 15, 1852, and died March 28, 1922, aged 70 years. He came to Illinois with his parents in 1856, and remained a resident of this com- munity for 66 years. He engaged in farm- ing and for six years was road commis- sioner of Mount Morris Township. In 1874, he married Caroline E. Zaller and five children were born to them. Ger- trude died at seven years of age, and Edith at 31 years. Three sons survive, Henry F., James B., and Maurice L. The mother passed away in May, 1927.
388
MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT
DANIEL W. YOUNG was born July 4, 1844, on the old homstead of his parents, William and Nancy (Long) Young, near Oregon, and died in Mount Morris, Feb. 3, 1925, aged 801/2 years. He engaged in farming in Rockvale Township for many years and retired to Mount Morris about 16 years before his death. In 1870, he was married to Ann Elizabeth Wagner, and five children were born to them: Mrs. Edith Keedy, Mrs. Noble Thomas, Charles W., Mrs. Nancy Gaffin and Alice W. Young, who died at the age of 16. Mr. and Mrs. Young celebrated their golden wedding anniversary March 10, 1920. Mrs. Young passed away in July, 1931.
DANIEL THOMAS, son of Daniel and Margaret Thomas, was born August 23, 1829, near Keedysville, Md., and died in Mount Morris, Sept. 6, 1896, aged 67 years. He came to Mount Morris in 1869 and engaged in farming on his farm one- half mile south of town. Five years be- fore his death he moved into town. He was married in 1855 to Susan M. Keedy and they had eight children: Millard M., Anne E., Cora B., Ernest, Edward, and three that died in infancy.
EPHRAIM P. TROSTLE was born at Gettysburg, Pa., Jan. 15, 1850, and died in Mount Morris, Feb. 4, 1930, aged 80 years. He grew to manhood at Frederick, Md., and at the age of 21 came to Frank- lin Grove, Ill., where he met and married Alice Wingert. In 1876, they moved to a farm northeast of Mount Morris, which became the family home until they moved to Mount Morris in 1900. He was elected to the Brethren ministry in 1889. He was survived by three children: Ernest, Mrs. Anna Long and Miss Eva Trostle. The mother died in May, 1927.
JOHN WELLER died Feb. 1, 1902, aged nearly 72 years. He was born near Mar- tinsburg, W.Va., June 11, 1930, being the youngest of a large family of children. He married Anna C. Getzendaner Dec. 18, 1855, and they had four daughters. He located in Mount Morris in 1875, where he practiced law and other business.
GEORGE WINDLE died Jan. 31, 1920, aged 78 years. He was born Nov. 28, 1841, in Shenandoah County, Va., and came to Illinois with his parents, William and Mary (Kretsinger) Windle, at the age of 5. The family purchased a farm in Pine Creek Township, where they lived until the death of the father in 1879. Mr. Windle attended the public school and Rock Riv- er Seminary. In 1866, he married Mary E. Sprecher, daughter of Philip Sprech- er, to whom six children were born; El- mer, who was accidentally killed in 1881, Thurlow who died in infancy, Mary K. Harnley, Addie W. Hendrickson, Orpha Bibler and Philip. In addition there was an adopted son, Clifford, who was reared as one of the family. Mr. Windle engaged in farming the greater part of his life, but on several occasions was engaged in mercantile business in Mount Morris, his first venture being in 1873. In 1901 he moved to town where the family con- tinued to reside until the death of Mrs. Windle in May, 1914. Following this he made his home with his daughter, Mrs. Hendrickson, until his death in 1920.
GEORGE W. YOUNG, eldest son of Wil- liam and Nancy (Long) Young, was born at Hagerstown, Md., Dec. 20, 1841, and died at Mount Morris, July 14, 1932, aged 901/2 years. At the age of one year, his parents moved to Illinois and settled on a farm several miles west of Oregon. He taught school for a number of years and in 1873 he married Mary Ellen Wagner, to whom seven children were born, four of whom survived: Joseph W., Mary Belle, Albert C., and Olin F. They retired from the farm and moved to Mount Morris in 1909. Mrs. Young passed away in November, 1932.
389
MEN AND WOMEN OF YESTERDAY
JOHN YETTER, son of John G. Yetter, was born Dec. 18, 1835, in Vollmersweiler, Germany, and died in Mount Morris, Jan. 1, 1925, aged 89 years. He came to America in 1854 and settled at Hennepin, Ill. He married Magdalena Schoenholz in 1857 and in 1859 they moved to a farm in Wil- low Creek Township, near Steward. Mrs. Yetter died in 1899, and in 1912 Mr. Yet- ter came to Mount Morris to live with his daughter, Mrs. Robert Hough, who was the youngest of a family of nine children, all of whom were alive at the time of the death of the father.
ANN ELIZABETH (KNODLE) WIN- DERS was born in Washington County, Md., Nov. 4, 1832, and died in Mount Mor- ris, Aug. 25, 1920, aged nearly 88 years. She came with her parents to Mount Mor- ris in September, 1841, making the trip by team, which required six weeks. She lived
her entire life in Mount Morris since 1841 and was one of the earliest settlers in the community. She married John Winders and they had four children: Bert, John, Elbert and Mrs. Kittie Price. She was an active member of the Lutheran Church for many years.
LAWRENCE L. WALLACE died Dec. 6, 1901, aged 77 years. He was born in Washington County, Md., in 1824, and came to Mount Morris with his parents in 1845. In 1859 he married Elmira L. Leek and they had seven children.
CHRISTIAN A. ZUMDAHL was born in Mount Morris Township, Nov. 1, 1850, and died March 17, 1923, aged 72 years. He was the son of Christian H. and Dorothy Zumdahl, who were natives of Germany. By hard work and thrift he and his two brothers became extensive land owners west of Mount Morris. In 1882, he mar- ried Helen E. Timmer, and eight children were born to them. Three died in in- fancy and those who survived the father were Mrs. Susan Witzig, Mrs. Sadie Ham- mer, Mrs. Gladys Fridley, Charles W. and Alfred F. Mrs. Zumdahl died in July, 1937.
JOHN WOLF died June 7, 1920, aged 79 years. He was the second son of Daniel and Catherine (Miller) Wolfe, and was born near Hagerstown, Md., April 24, 1841. In 1842, when he was a year old, his fam- ily moved to a farm north of Mount Morris. He lived there until his marriage in 1869 to Mary Catherine Kerns, when they settled on a farm northwest of Mount Morris. Five children were born to them-Ernest Wolfe, Ida Wagner, Ella Hiteman, Elmer Wolfe and one child that died in infancy. They moved to Mount Morris in 1907 and Mrs. Wolfe died in 1917.
390
MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT
AUGUST H. ZUMDAHL, son of Christian and Dorothy Zumdahl, was born Aug. 7, 1866, near West Grove, and died Aug. 3, 1929, aged nearly 63 years. He spent his entire life farming near Mount Morris and was the last of three brothers of large stature to pass away. He was mar- ried in 1896 to Miss Anna Drake, and five children were born: Clara, Elmer, John, Ervin and William. The mother died in 1914.
NATHANIEL A. WATTS, son of Wil- liam and Anne Watts, was born on the family homestead south of Mount Morris, Feb. 20, 1853, and died Feb. 6, 1934, aged nearly 81 years. He was the second son of a family of 11 children. He devoted the active years of his life to farming and moved to Mount Morris in 1909. He mar- ried Miss Victoria Weller in 1891 and she died in 1925. They had no children.
CARLTON E. WOLF died March 15, 1918, aged nearly 61 years. He was the son of Jacob and Mary Wolf and was born in Washington County, Md., August 5, 1857. He came west in 1882 and en- gaged in farming south of Mount Morris until eleven years previous to his death, when he moved to town. In 1884, he was married to Ella Fridley, and they had two children, Ada (Mrs. Orion Huffing- ton) and Emmert J. Wolf.
DANIEL ZELLERS died June 25, aged 88 years. He was born in Washington County, Md., April 12, 1818, and in 1843 was married to Mary Long. To them were born nine children-David, Daniel, Mar- tin, Mrs. Lewis Stine, Mrs. Henry Rowe, and four who died previous to the fath- er. Mr. Zellers came west with his bride in 1844, coming by team and locating in Rockvale Township. Later he purchased a farm in Mount Morris Township, where he lived for many years, then moved to Mount Morris to spend his remaining years. Mrs. Zellers died in October, 1895.
FREDERICK ZUMDAHL, son of Chris- tian and Dorothy Zumdahl, was born at West Grove, northwest of Mount Morris, Sept. 21, 1859, and died at his home in Mount Morris, April 5, 1920, aged 601/2 years. He engaged in farming west of town for many years and then moved to town. In 1886, he married Elizabeth Drake and they had six children-William, who died at the age of three, Mrs. Anna New- comer, Edward C., Laura Elizabeth, Em- ma Ruth and Iva Mabel. Mrs. Zumdahl passed away in July, 1931.
HENRY MIDDLEKAUFF, son of Jacob and Elizabeth Middlekauff, was born in Washington County, Md., May 28, 1823, and came to Ogle County in 1846. In 1848, he married Elizabeth Thomas. They had seven children as follows: Martha A., Chas. C., Alfred C., Austin, Minnie, Sey- mour and Fred. Mr. Middlekauff was a farmer by occupation. He passed away August, 1887, and Mrs. Middlekauff died in December, 1896.
MOUNT MORRIS Township has fur- nished competent men, not only for the administration of her own affairs, but also has sent many of her prominent citizens to fill places of trust in the county gov- ernment; a number have been elected to seats in the General Assembly of Illi- nois; and one has entered the halls of Congress, where he acquired a nation- wide reputation. A list of these men who represented Mount Morris in various ca- pacities follows:
Member House of Representatives- Hon. Robert R. Hitt.
Illinois State Senate -- Prof. Daniel J. Pinckney, 25th and 26th General Assem- blies; Isaac Rice, 32nd and 33rd General Assemblies.
Illinois House of Representatives- Samuel M. Hitt, 14th General Assembly; Prof. Daniel J. Pinckney, 19th, 20th and 24th General Assemblies; Dr. Francis A. McNeill, 22nd General Assembly; Isaac Rice, 28th and 29th General Assemblies; Franklin N. Tice, 30th and 31st General Assemblies.
Sheriffs of Ogle County-Elias Baker, 1853 and 1854; Charles Newcomer, 1855 and 1856; Frederick G. Petrie, 1859 and 1860.
County Judge-James M. Webb.
County Surveyors-Joshua Rice, 1843- '45; A. Quinby Allen, 1857-'58 and 1861- '76; Fred N. Rice.
County Superintendents of Schools- Eldridge W. Little, 1859-'62; Joseph M. Piper, 1888-1902.
County Coroner-Dr. W. W. Hanes, 1892-1898.
County Commissioners-Henry Hies- tand, 1845-1846.
Members Constitutional Convention- Daniel J. Pinckney, 1848; Charles New- comer, 1862.
Chapter 19
MISCELLANEOUS BIOGRAPHIES AND PICTURES
This chapter contains a variety of material which could not be classified under any of the other nineteen chapters. It contains pictures and biographies of a few local people and a number of sketches of former Mount Morris people who have moved to other localities and attained success in their fields of en- deavor. The chapter also contains a miscellaneous lot of local pictures, both new and old, which should be of interest.
MILLARD FILMORE BLAKE is one of Mount Morris's oldest citizens. He is the son of William and Katherine (Gearhart) Blake, and was born at Hagerstown, Md., March 24, 1855. He came to Mount Morris in 1869 with his parents and attended the local school and Rock River Seminary. He engaged in farming until 1885, when he went to Gurney, Kans., where he was appointed postmaster in 1888. He re- turned to Mount Morris in 1892 and, ex- cept for four years spent in California, he has spent the remaining years here, farm- ing and carpentering. He now operates a lawn mower repair shop. In 1879, he mar- ried Eugenia Angel, and they had seven children: Lillian L. (deceased), Lela (Mrs. Clarence Hammel), Ruby (Mrs. Herzfeldt), Guy (deceased), Galen, Willis (deceased), Errett, Hugh and Ralph. The
mother died in 1896. Mr. Blake is an ac- tive member of the local Christian Church.
JOSIAH AVEY is the oldest person liv- ing in Mount Morris in 1938. He was the son of George and Nancy (Wheeler) Avey and was born at Boonesboro, Md., Jan. 15, 1845. His parents journeyed overland to Ogle County in the fall of 1845, when he was less than a year old, and settled four miles west of Mount Morris. This farm was later owned by Thomas O. Watts. Mr. Avey remained on the home farm until he was of age and after his marriage purchased a farm of 160 acres on Pine Creek, southwest of Mount Mor- ris, which he farmed for many years, until he retired to Mount Morris in 1904. In 1873, he married Ann Elizabeth Bovey, daughter of Michael Bovey, and they lived together for over 60 years. They have one son, Benjamin E., with whom the father is passing his closing years. He has passed his 93rd birthday. The mother died in March, 1936.
PHILIP T. SPRECHER is one of the old- est residents of Mount Morris. He was born in a log cabin near Mount Morris, May 25, 1847. He is the son of Daniel and Barbara (Coffman) Sprecher. His grand- father, Philip Sprecher, came from the
391
392
MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT
east on horseback in 1837 and made a claim of the land now known as the "Moats" farm east of town. His father, Daniel Sprecher, came to Mount Morris in 1838 and he built the first elevator in Mount Morris, known as the Sprecher- Clevidence elevator. The subject of this sketch attended the country school north of Mount Morris and also attended Rock River Seminary in 1865. He resided in Missouri from 1869 to 1871 and was in the lumber business in Mount Morris until 1881, when he moved to Leaf River. He moved back to Mount Morris to retire in 1901. He is a member of the Christian Church and has always voted the Prohi- bition ticket. He was first married in 1876 to Susan Newcomer and they had four children: Edward, Mary, Elizabeth and Willis A. Mrs. Sprecher passed away July 15, 1908, and he married again in 1913 to Mrs. Nettie Spielman Slifer.
FRED HILGER, son of Jacob and Appe- lonia (Dieterich) Hilger, was born on the Hilger homestead just south of town, on March 17, 1859. He attended the Mount
Morris public school and has been en- gaged in farming since 1888. He owns 140 acres of fine farm land, equipped with modern buildings. He has operated a threshing outfit each harvest season con- tinuously for 58 years, first with horse- power and then with steam engines. Mr. Hilger was married in 1891 to Hannah Berge and they have four children: Frank, Lillie (Mrs. Maurice Tice), Fred, and Bessie (Mrs. Vern A. Laver).
MR. AND MRS. HARRY CUSHING, re- spected citizens of Mount Morris for many years. Mr. Cushing was the son of D. S. and Amanda (Woodbury) Cushing and was born Sept. 1, 1862, at Grand De- tour, Ill. Mrs. Cushing, who was Miss Lillie Farwell, was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry J. Farwell, and she mar- ried Mr. Cushing in 1887. She was a teacher in the public school before her marriage. They had two children: Chas. F. (deceased) and Helen (Mrs. Otis Hel- frich). Mr. Cushing attended the public school at Grand Detour and took a com- mercial course at Mount Morris College. Since that time he has traveled continu- ously for fifty-four years for the Supplee- Biddle Hardware Co. He has been a mem- ber of the Masonic fraternity longer than any member now living in Mount Morris. Mr. Cushing's father came from Bethel, Vt., by wagon and boat, arriving at Grand Detour in 1838. He and George Cushing established a grain cradle busi- ness, making everything by hand, in- cluding the scythe blades.
WILLIAM FRISBY KEPLINGER, son of David and Catherine Snyder Keplinger, was born July 4, 1849, near Keedysville, Md. He lived near the Antietam battle- field and has a keen recollection of Civil War days, especially the battle of An- tietam and John Brown's raid. He gave President Lincoln a drink of water at his home when he came to the battlefield. Mr. Keplinger came to Ogle County in 1869, first to Polo and then to Mount Mor- ris. He started working for the Braytons
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.