USA > Illinois > DeKalb County > Past and present of DeKalb County, Illinois, Volume II > Part 45
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No event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of farm life for Neal M. Firkins in his boyhood days. He worked in the fields through the summer months and in the winter seasons at- tended the district schools. After putting aside his text-books his entire time was given to the work of the farm until he reached the age of twenty-one years. when he began farming on his own account by renting a part of his father's land. He afterward purchased two hundred and forty acres on section 32. Shabbona township. where he now resides. In 1906 he bought one hundred and five acres, and he now owns altogether three hundred and forty-five acres, constituting a splen- did farm property, which returns to him an excellent income in return for the care and lahor he bestows upon the fields. He is a self- made man, whose possessions are attributable entirely to his own labors. He has lived a life of activity and industry and has been determined in carrying forward to successful completion the plans which he has made. brooking no obstacles that could be overcome by determined and honor- able effort. As the years have advanced he has become more and more largely engaged in raising stock and now ships from two to three carloads of cattle to the market each year. He is also exten- sively engaged in fruit growing and makes a spe-
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cial study of horticulture, few men being better informed concerning that subject in this part of the state. He has produced some of the finest fruit raised in Illinois and this branch of his business is likewise an important source of revenue to him.
On the 14th of February, 1883, Mr. Firkins was united in marriage to Miss Gertrude M. Price. who was born in Shabbona township and is a daughter of James and Sinah (Dart) Price, the former a native of Prince Edward Island and the latter of Indiana. They came to Illinois at an early day and the father engaged in farming in Shabbona township. He was also a Wesleyan minister and put forth carnest and effective effort toward the moral development of the communities in which he lived. His death occurred in 1872 but his widow is still living in her eighty-sixth year, enjoying excellent health for one of her age. She came to Illinois when a maiden of twelve sum- mers, settling in La Salle county, and is now one of the oldest residents of this part of the state, having witnessed the remarkable changes which have occurred as the county has emerged from pioneer conditions and taken on all the evidences of an advanced civilization. By her marriage she had nine children, of whom four are yet living. namely : Enoch S., who is a professor in a college in Pennsylvania ; Peter M., general manager for the Moline Plow Company at Moline, Illinois ; Mina, the wife of H. S. Miner of Earlville, Illi- nois; and Mrs. Firkins.
Unto our subject and his wife have been born nine children : Ashley M., who is now teaching in the Shabbona Grove school; Gertrude, who died at the age of four years ; Russell H. and Oliver S .. at home; Rollin, who died in infancy : Zilpha J., Peter T., Stanley 1. and Neal E., all yet under the paternal roof.
Mr. Firkins formerly gave his political ai- legiance to the democratic party but is now a pro- hibitionist, being in hearty sympathy with the temperance movement and doing all in his power to secure the inculcation of temperance principles. In fact he stands for all that is honorable and up- right in life and for all that is just in man's rela- tions with his fellowmen. His life record may well serve as a source of inspiration and encour- agement to others, showing what may be accom- plished by determination and earnest purpose.
Without assistance at the outset of his career Mr. Firkins has steadily worked his way upward, mak- ing the most of his opportunities until he stands today among the prosperous agriculturists of the county and one whose efforts have also demon- strated the possibilities of this district for horti- cultural development.
DAVID MARSELUS.
No history of Sandwich township would be com- plete without mention of David Marselus as one of the few remaining old settlers. He was for many years closely identified with agricultural in- terests, owning and operating a farm of two hun- dred acres near Sandwich, but for twenty-five years he has lived retired, enjoying in well earned ease the fruits of his former toil. His residence in De Kalb county dates from 1866, covering a period of forty-one years, and he is therefore familiar with many of the changes and events which have shaped the history of the community and the policy of the county. His birth occurred in Am- sterdam, New York, April 24, 1821, and hence he has passed the eighty-sixth milestone on life's journey. His father, Manning Marselus, was born in Montgomery county. New York, and having reached adult age, was married there to Deborah De Graff, also a native of the Empire state. Mr. Marselus followed farming in Montgomery county and upon the old family homestead reared his fam- ily.
No event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of farm life for David Marselus in his youth. He had good common-school advantages. On the 20th of June, 1850, he married Sarah Knights, also a native of New York, and, taking up their abode upon a farin in that state, they there lived for fifteen years, during which time six children were born to them. In 1866 they came to De Kalb county, Illinois, and in the fall of that year Mr. Marselus purchased a farm fairly well improved, repaired the dwelling, built a barn and other outbuildings, drained his land by the judicious use of tiling, fenced his fields and in the course of years developed a valuable property. In addition to raising the cereals best adapted to the soil and climate, he also fed stock, making a
David Classelus
JM; ENOX ACEEA INCATIONS.
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specialty of hogs. He fattens a carload each year, also raises good cattle and feeds a carload of steers annually.
In 1826 Mr. Marselus lost his first wife, who died upon the home farm. There were six chil- dren, tive sons and a daughter, in the family, of whom the oldest, James D. Marselus, is mentioned elsewhere in this work. The others are: Edwin, a farmer of York, Nebraska, who is married and has two children, Harry E. and Raymond E .; Alfred, a business man of Mendota, who is mar- ried and has one son, David; Hattie, who grew to mature years and became the wife of Edward M. Patten, but died at their home in Colorado ; Elmer E., a farmer of Lee county, Illinois, who is mar- ried and has four children, Charles B., Glenn, Ruth E. and Belle S .; and Harmon, who is now in Alaska.
On the 5th of December, 1877, Mr. Marselus was again married, the wedding being celebrated at Delevan, Walworth county, Wisconsin, and the lady of his choice being Sarah E. Carter, who was born and reared in New York and who was for some years a teacher in Wisconsin prior to her- marriage. She later returned to the Empire state and it was there that she met Mr. Marselus. Her father, John Carter, was a native of England and when a young man came to New York, where he lived for some years, after which he removed to Wisconsin. He was married in the Empire state to Ann Pentecost, an English lady. Mr. and Mrs. Marselus began their domestic life upon the old homestead farm in De Kalb county, where they lived for five years, at the end of which time Mr. Marselus bought a tract of one acre in Sand- wich, in the midst of which he erected a large sub- stantial residence that has since been his home. He and his wife are members of the Sandwich Presbyterian church, take an active part in this work and also in the Sunday school and contribute generously to its support.
In politics Mr. Marselus was originally an old line whig and cast his first presidential ballot for Henry Clay. He continued to support the party until its dissolution, when he joined the ranks of the republican party, of which he has since been a stalwart advocate. He has never sought or de- sired office, preferring to give his time and atten- tion to farming interests, and retired from active business life about a quarter of a century ago. He
is indeed a self-made man. He started upon his business career as a farm hand, working by the month for his father for four years for fifty dol- lars a year, and when he had gained sufficient cap- ital he made a purchase of land and continued agricultural pursuits on his own account. He worked earnestly and persistently to acquire a property and make it a well developed farm, and his success was richly deserved. He is now eighty- six years of age, having traveled far on life's journey, and his honorable and upright methods have gained for him the veneration and respect of his fellowmen and won for him the friendship of many with whom he has come in contact.
EDWIN C. HENNIS.
Edwin C. Hennis, of Sandwich, is numbered among the native sons of De Kalb county. He was born November 23, 1868, and is a son of Henry ITennis, a farmer by occupation. The son was " brought to Sandwich when only a year old and pursued a publie-school education, after which he became a bookeeper. Later he entered the United States railway mail service, with which he was connected for eleven years, when he retired from that field of activity and in 1902 was made secre- tary of the Northern Illinois Telephone Company. On the 1st of November, 1903, he was elected secretary and general manager and has since acted in that capacity. The company has twenty-six hundred phones and connection with ten thousand more. The capital stock is two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and the lines cover five counties or two thousand square miles. The company was organized December 19, 1898, with a paid up capital of ten thousand dollars and today there is a paid up capital of one hundred and thirty-two thousand nine hundred dollars. For the past five years the company has paid good annual dividends and the business is substantially increasing-a fact which is attributable in no uncertain degree to the efforts and business capacity of Mr. Hennis. He also controls the Sandwich Pole Changer Com- pany, which manufactures telephone apparatus, including pole changers, ohmmeters, duplexers, rughplex and composite telegraph apparatus. This company was organized in 1906 with a paid up
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capital of five thousand dollars and is destined to become one of the successful business enterprises of Sandwich.
Mr. Hennis was married to Corinne Grace Winne, a daughter of Dr. Charles Winne, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this volume. The wedding was celebrated in June, 1901. and has been blessed with one daughter. Ruth Amelia. Mr. Hennis is one of the native sons of De Kalb conn- ty, whose continued residence here is indicative of the excellent opportunities along business, educa- tional and other lines that the county offers to her citizens. He has here found ample opportunity for the exercise of a spirit of energy, perseverance and ambition and although yet a young man has made for himself an enviable place in business circles.
JAMES W. DODGE.
James W. Dodge owns and cultivates a farm of eighty acres on section 4, Malta township. A na- tive son of New England, he was born in Vermont. July 25, 1868, and is the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Dodge. Ile spent his boyhood days with his parents, enjoying the usual advan- tages of a common-school education and the prac- tical training in the labors of the farm. whereby he was qualified to carry on general agricultural pur- suits on his own account after he had attained his majority. On the 2d of April, 1896, he won a companion and helpmate for the journey of life in his marriage to Miss Bernice Williams, who was born in Lake county. Ohio, December 8, 1868. Iler father, G. W. Williams, was a native of Penn- sylvania and married Miss Ruth Mitchell in 185%. She was likewise a native of the Buckeye state and after their marriage Mr. Williams began farming in Ohio. He there carried on the work of the fields until 1861. when his patriotic spirit was aroused by the attempt of the south to overthrow the Union and he offered his services in its defense. Joining the Sixty-seventh Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, he remained at the front until victory perched upon the Union banners and then when his aid was no longer needed in the south he re- turned to his Ohio home. In 186; he brought his family to De Kalb county. Illinois, where for six
years he engaged in general farmning. removing on the expiration of that period to Kirkland, where he worked as a carpenter and contractor. He has since continued in that line of business, being closely associated with the substantial improvement of the city. He owns a fine residence in Kirkland and is one of the leading business men of the town. In his family were twelve children : Lewis, Isabel, Georgia. Grant, Bernice, Maude, Musa, Kirk, Sumner, Asa, Oda, and Nina, and with the excep- tion of Asa all are yet living.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Dodge has been blessed with two sons and a daughter: Warren E., born April 11, 1892 : Ruth E .. December 10, 1899; and Harold A .. August 27, 1905. The family home is a good farm of eighty acres on section 4, Malta township, and the labors and progressive spirit of Mr. Dodge are the elements which make this farm a productive property. equipped with all of the modern accessories and conveniences that go to make up the model farm of the twentieth cen- turv.
Politically Mr. Dodge is a republican but has never had ambition for office. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias lodge. No. 541. and to the Modern Woodmen camp, No. 217, and has taken the Entered Apprentice degree in Masonry at Cres- ton, Illinois. He and his wife attend the Con- gregational church at Malta. Mr. Dodge is a worthy representative of that class of citizens who lead a quiet. industrious. honest and useful life and who constitute the best element of a com- munity. In manner he is pleasant and cordial and these qualities, combined with his sterling worth, make him one of the popular citizens of the town- ship.
THOMAS MCCORMICK.
Thomas MeCormiek, who started out in life a poor boy when land and labor were cheap, and who has added to his possessions acre by aere until he has become one of the county's large landowners. is now living retired in the city of De Kalb, his labors in former years having made it possible for him to enjoy life without further recourse to busi- ness. A native of Ireland. he was born April 22. 1840, and was the third in a family of eight chil-
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dren, whose parents were Daniel and Mary ( Far- rel) McCormick, also natives of the Emerald isle, the former born in 1820 and the latter in 1815. They came to America in 1853, settling first at Chicago, where they remained for three years, after which they removed to De Kalb county and in December, 1856. took up their abode upon a farin in Clinton township. There they spent their re- maining years. One of their sons, John McCor- mick, was a soldier of the Civil war. Both he and Thomas of this review, enlisted as members of Company E, One Hundred and Fifth Illinois Vol- unteer Infantry, on the 13th of August, 1862, and remained members of that command until muster- ed out on the 4th of June, 1865. They partici- pated in the battles of Resaca, Georgia, September 20, 1863, Kenesaw Mountain, Burnt Hickory, New Hope Church, Manhattan, Peach Tree Creek, and Atlanta. They later went with Sherman on the celebrated march to the sea and took part in an en- gagement at Savannah in the Carolina campaign, proceeding to Raleigh, North Carolina, thence to Richmond, Virginia, and on to Washington, D. C., where they took part in the grand review, the most celebrated military pageant ever seen in the western hemisphere. The brothers there received an honorable discharge and returned home.
Thomas MeCormick was educated in the schools of Ireland and De Kalb county, being thirteen years of age when he came with his parents to America. After leaving school he worked by the month as a farm hand being thus employed for three years, when, desiring that his labors more directly benefit himself, he began the cultivation of rented land and was thus employed for four years. The Civil war then came on and he put aside all business and personal considerations in order to respond to his country's call. He went to the front where he remained for two years and ten months, and upon his return home he worked for his father on the home farm for two years. He then began farming on his own land, purchasing sixty acres in Clinton township, after which he purchased eighty acres in Shabbona township and took up his abode thereon. Three years later he disposed of that property and bought one hundred and sixty acres in Victor township, where he made his home for ten years, when he again sold out and also disposed of his first purchase of one hun- dred and sixty acres. Ifis capital was then in-
vested in two hundred and twenty acres in Shab- bona township and from time to time, he has bought more land, including a quarter section ad- joining the farm of two hundred and twenty acres. He afterward bought one hundred and ninety acres more in the same township and later one hundred and sixty acres in De Kalb township, while two years ago he purchased a house and two lots in the city of De Kalb. Ilis property interests are now valuable, his landed possessions aggregating five hundred and seventy acres. which constitute a very desirable farm property.
Mr. McCormick was married in Aurora, Ili- nois, February 13, 1867, to Miss Margaret Grady, who was born in Ireland, September 22, 1844, and came to America with her parents when she was a child. IIer father, Patrick Grady, was born in Ireland about 1815, while her mother Mrs. Bridget (Irving) Grady, was born in Ireland about 1825. They came to America in 1845 and located upon a farm near Belvidere, Illinois. There were twelve children in their family of whom Mrs. McCormick was the seventh, while six of this number are now deceased. For a time the Grady family lived in De Kalb county and later became residents of Butler county, Iowa, where the death of Mr. Grady occurred. His widow then returned to Illinois and made her home with her daughter Mrs. Mc- Cormick, until her death on the 16th of August, 1885.
Mr. and Mrs. MeCormick have become the par- ents of eight children: Mary E., who was born November 10, 1868, and died September 20, 1870; Margaret, who was born April 4, 1870 ; Daniel .J., born November 29, 18:1, and died June 6, 1906; William J., born September 6, 1873; Mary E., born April 20, 1875, and died July 3, 1825 ; John E., born October 21, 1877, and died April 24, 1890; Edward J., who is a twin of John; and Thomas F., born September 20, 1881. There are also several grandchildren, and the children of Daniel J. MeCormick are : Ruth I., who was born July 21, 1897 ; Florence M., who was born April 9, 1901 ; and Margaret L., born January 24, 1904. Edward M. also has a son Thomas Edward, born December 29, 1905.
Mr. McCormick maintains pleasant relations with his old army comrades through his member- ship in the Shabbona post, No. 436, G. A. R. He exercises his right of franchise in support of the
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democracy and is a member of the Catholic church, of which all his family are communicants. In the review of his life history. it will be seen that his success is attributable entirely to his own labors. Wages were small when he started out for himself in this country, but land was also cheap and he made his first purchase at a low figure. His pros- perity is largely due to the fact that he has made judicious investments, being now most comfortably situated in life with valuable property interests to return to him a good living. He resolutely set to work when ambition was strongest and hopes were brightest and though he has led a busy life. he did not forget the duty he owed to the land of his adoption and put aside business cares when his country needed his aid, faithfully following the old tlag upon southern battle-tields. Still enjoying the companionship of the wife of his youth, they are pleasantly located in a comfortable and at- traetive home of their own at No. 306 North Third street. De Kalb. Mrs. McCormick has indeed been a faithful companion and helpmate to her husband on the journey of life, being an excellent housekeeper and capable manager, and Mr. Me- Cormick acknowledges his indebtedness to her as- sistance. Both are most highly esteemed people and it is with pleasure that we present this record of their life to our readers.
JAMES SHARP RANKIN, M. D.
Dr. James Sharp Rankin, an active member of the medical fraternity at De Kalb, was born in Plainwell. Michigan, April 15, 1871. His father, Dr. John M. Rankin, was born in Clarion county, Pennsylvania, in 1833. He remained a resident of his native state until after the Civil war. in which he served for one year as surgeon of the Eleventh Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He then removed to Michigan, locating in Plainwell, after which he went to Richland, that state, where he now resides. His wife, Mrs. Harriet Sharp Rankin, was also a native of Clarion, Pennsyl- vania, born about 1834. She died soon after the birth of her son James. The father married again and there were six children in the family. D :. Rankin of this review being the third in order of birth.
Accompanying his father on his removal to Richland, Michigan, Dr. Rankin of this review there acquired his early education, while later he attended the Normal School at Clarion, Pennsyl- vania. He was graduated from the Chicago Col- ledge of Pharmacy in 1890 and received his med- ical degree from the Northwestern University Med- ical School in 1895. Soon after graduation from the school of pharmacy he went to Kalamazoo, Michigan, as a pharmacist, there remaining until 1892. when he entered medical college. When he had completed his medical course he served as house physician at Mercy Hospital in Chicago for a year. In April, 1897, he came to De Kalb, where he still continues in practice, having a well equipped office at 157 East Main street. His busi- ness has developed along healthful and gratifying lines and he has a good patronage, which is indica- tive of the trust reposed in his professional skill by the general public.
Dr. Rankin was married in De Kalb, on the 30th of March, 1898. to Miss Clara Louise Tyler, who was born in this city in 1870. Her father, Sanford A. Tyler, was a native of the state of New York, and after removing to the west engaged in business as a stock-buyer, but later was connected with the American Steel & Wire Company. He mar- ried Sarah L. Taylor, a native of Kentucky, and they became the parents of four children. of whom Mrs. Rankin is the eldest. In 1854 her father came to De Kalb and entered land from the gov- ernment. being numbered among the pioneer set- tlers of the county. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Rankin has been born one child. James Tyler Rankin, whose natal day was May 2, 1906.
The Doctor owns a nice residence on Locust street, where he and his family are now comfort- ably located. He belongs to the Elks and Masonic lodges at De Kalb and is also a member of the Illinois State Medical Society : the De Kalb County Medical Society, and the American Med- ical Association. He gives his political support to the republican party. He is a self-made man, who by his determination and enterprise has gained a place among the representative members of the medical profession in De Kalb, making substantial advancement in a calling where success depends en- tirely upon individual merit and knowledge. He now holds the position of district surgeon for the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Company, is
DR. J. S. RANKIN.
I NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX TILDEN FOUNDATION8.
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local surgeon for the American Steel & Wire Com- pany, physician to the De Kalb county poor farm, and is also examining physician for the New York Life, the Mutual Life and the Equitable Life In- surance Companies, all of New York. He and his wife are very prominent socially and the hospital- ity of their own attractive home is greatly en- joyed by their many friends, who esteem them highly because of their genuine worth.
GEORGE REMINSNIDER.
George Reminsnider, whose name indicates his German ancestry, was born in the kingdom of Hanover, August 10, 1845. but for a long period has been numbered among the loyal citizens of De Kalb county, having come to America in his elev- enth year. His mother died when he was only three years of age. His father, August" Remin- snider, was born in Germany in 1820 and in the year 1844 sailed for the new world, making the journey about a year before the other members of his family as he had not enough money to bring them with him at the time of his emigration. Ar- riving in this country, however, he sought imme- diate employment and saving every cent that he could, he soon sent for his family to join him in the new world. For many years he was a resident of De Kalb county where he died in 1899.
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