USA > Illinois > DeKalb County > Past and present of DeKalb County, Illinois, Volume II > Part 5
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The decade of the '70s had come before Locke. the Gordon Brothers, Whittington, Appleby and others began to attach their respective binders to the Marsh harvester. From 1858 until 1863 the firm of C. W. & W. W. Marsh, beside managing their farm and other business interests, were en- gaged in perfecting the details of their machine and endeavoring to interest capitalists in its manu- facture. In 1863 they arranged with the Stew- ards, of Plano, Illinois, and established there a manufactory, so that the harvester was soon after- ward placed on the market. It was operated so
successfully during the season of 1864 that oth- ers became interested in its manufacture and a li- cense was granted to Easter & Gammon, who a few years later dissolved partnership and divided up their territory, the business being re-organized by the former under the name of J. D. Easter & Com- pany and by the latter under the style of Gammon & Deering. The shops at Plano were enlarged from year to year and there the harvesters were manufactured for the firm of Marsh, Steward & Company and later for those just named. The firm of Gammon & Deering soon obtained an in- terest in the Plano shops and finally purchased the entire property. In 1869 the Marsh Brothers es- tablished the Sycamore Marsh Harvester Manufac- turing Company at Sycamore, Illinois, and in 1876 sold a controlling interest to J. D. Easter & Company, retiring from the business the following year. Easter & Company failed and deeply in- volved the Harvester Company. The Marsh Broth- ers then came to the rescue but undertook too mnuch, with the result that in 1881 the business of the Harvester Company was closed out and was succeeded by the Marsh Binder Manufacturing Company. The latter company attempted unsuc- cessfully to establish a new binder, lost largely and in 1884 failed, dragging down the Marsh Brothers, who were too heavily loaded with the debts of the old concern. Meanwhile the Plano shops had be- come a great manufacturing plant, turning out thousands of harvesters annually with some au- tomatic binders as early as 1874, and increasing from year to year until 1879, when the firm of Gammon & Deering was dissolved and Mr. Deering removed his interest to Chicago.
In 1885 the Farm Implement News was estab- lished and C. W. Marsh, being out of the manu- facturing business at that time, became its editor- in-chief, which position he has held continuously since, making this journal of great interest and benefit to the implement industry. The paper was a success from the start and now has a wide cir- culation in this country and abroad, being one of the leading trade papers of the world. It has been an important element in bringing to the public a knowledge of what is being done in the improve- ment and development of farm machinery and of possibilities that lie before the agriculturist through the use of modern implements.
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PAST AND PRESENT OF DE KALB COUNTY.
Though not strongly partisan or aggressive in politics Mr. Marsh has been a republican since the organization of the party. He was elected to the lower house of the state legislature in 1868 and on the expiration of that term was nominated and elected to the state senate, for his course in the lower house had been one which proved en- tirely satisfactory to his constituents. He was a wise and able legislator, taking counsel of mature judgment and supporting measures only after careful deliberation. He served for twenty con- secutive years as a trustee of the Northern Illinois Hospital for the Insane, leaving that position only when the democratic party came into control of the state, and later he was appointed a trustee by Governor Yates, remaining in the position until he had completed his twenty-five years of service. when under Governor Deneen's administration he resigned. Men of little merit may sometimes secure a position but they cannot hold it, and his long continued service stands in incontrovert- ible evidence of his fidelity and efficiency and is also indication of the trust reposed in him.
On the 1st of January, 1860, Mr. Marsh was married to Miss Frances Wait, and unto them were born three children, George C., Mary F. and Fan- nie S., all of whom are yet living. The mother, however, died May 12, 1869, and on the 10th of January, 1881, Mr. Marsh was joined in wedlock to Miss Sue Rogers. In the county where he has long resided he has a very wide acquaintance and his name is equally honored in manufacturing cireles, in legislative halls and in private life. True, his have been "massive deeds and great" in one sense and yet what he has accomplished has been but the fit utilization of the innate talents which are his. He has been and is distinctively a man of affairs and one who has wielded a wide in- fluence, and his capabilities and efforts have gained him prestige as one of the foremost men that the state of Illinois can claim as a citizen.
HON. DAVID ALEXANDER SYME.
Perhaps no resident of Sycamore has done more for its development than David Alexander Syme. whose activity has touched its material progress and promoted its public interests. He stands as a high type of that class of American citizens who,
while promoting individual success, also contrib- ute to the general good. He has lived in Syca- more since 1868, and his interests are most closely associated with the city and county. He was born September 15, 1841, in Ballymena, County Antrim, Ireland, and is a son of James and Ann (Young) Syme. The parents were natives of Perthshire. Scotland, belonging to families long established in that place.
Mr. Symo of this review gained his commercial training in two of the largest cities of Ireland. When fifteen years of age he entered a wholesale mercantile house in the city of Belfast, where he remained for five years. He then joined some friends going to Australia and New Zealand and was engaged in mercantile pursuits and in gold mining in those countries for a few years, but the opportunities of the new world attracted him, and on the 28th of March, 1868, he arrived in Syea- more. Illinois, becoming at onee a factor in its business life. He began dealing in grain, seeds and agricultural implements in connection with his brother, John Syme, the partnership being maintained for about eight years, when, in 1876, the business relation was dissovled, David A. Syme continuing in the grain trade. He extended his business in this line to Kirkland and other points in the vicinity and for some time was one of the prominent grain merchants of this part of the state. He has also dealt extensively in real estate and as opportunity has offered for judieions invest- ment he has extended his holdings until he is now the possessor of more than seventeen hundred acres of valuable land in this vicinity. He also has large holdings in the west and northwest. He was one of the promoters of the Sycamore Preserve Works and for several years its manager and treas- urer. He is now president of the Sycamore Na- tional Bank and also occupies the presidency of the Bank of West Chicago and is a stockholder in the First State Bank of Maple Park. He has ever been watchful of opportunities pointing to success, has utilized these to the best advantage and has wrought along modern lines in the development of business interests of extent and importance which have made him one of the most prosperous resi- dents of his adopted county.
His individual interests, however, have not claimed his entire attention. for he has found
Samlet Syme
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EVOX 1
TILEERO
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PAST AND PRESENT OF DE KALB COUNTY.
time to devote to public interests and few if any have done more for the development of Sycamore along those lines which are a matter of civic virtue and of civic pride. He has served as mayor of the city, has been president of the school board and also of the Sycamore Chautauqua Association, in which connection he has contributed to the intel- lectual progress of the community. He has also been a liberal donor to the Sycamore public library. having been chairman of its building committee. To the work of the library he has devoted consid- erable time and attention and takes just pride in the completion of one of the most modern and attractive library buildings in northern Illinois. He is likewise an active member of the Sycamore Congregational church and belongs to the Congre- gational Club of Chicago.
On the 3d of February, 1873, Mr. Syme was married to Miss Margaret E. Morton, of Sycamore, who was born in Montreal, Canada. Their home on Somanauk street is one of the handsome resi- dences of the city, reaching a high ideal of archi- tectural beauty both in external and interior ar- rangement. Mr. Syme possesses untiring energy, is quick of perception, forms his plans readily and is determined in their execution, and these char- acteristics have been as strongly manifest in his public service as in his private interests. His close application to business and his excellent man- agement have brought him the high degree of pros- perity which is today his, and the methods which he has followed have been such as to command for him unqualified confidence and admiration.
JAMES LYNCH.
In the face of difficulties and obstacles which would have utterly discouraged many a man of less resolute purpose James Lynch has worked his way steadily upward and is now successfully en- gaged in general farming and in the feeding of cat- tle in Clinton township, where he owns and culti- vates two hundred and forty acres of land. He was born in the state of New York. March 1, 1853, and is a son of Thomas and Margaret Lynch, who were natives of Ireland, whence they came to the United States in early life, settling in New York. After some years spent in the east they made their
way westward to La Salle county, Illinois, and in 1865 arrived in De Kalb county, the father pur- chasing a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Shabbona township. Both died in 1878 and only a week apart. In their family were seven chil- dren. of whom James is the eldest. The others were Mary. Anna, George, Thomas, Katie and Charles, of whom Mary is now deceased, while Anna and Katie are living in Ottawa, Illinois.
James Lynch was a young lad when brought by his parents to Illinois, where he has since made his home. He was educated in the public schools of La Salle and of De Kalb counties, being a youth of twelve years at the time of the removal of the family to Shabbona township. He worked in the fields through the period of his boyhood, early gaining practical knowledge of the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops. In 1879 he was married to Miss Elizabeth Cargan, who was born in Ireland, September 12, 1859. Her par- ents were also natives of that country and both died at the age of seventy-eight years. In their family were nine children : James, Bridget, Julia, Katie, Margaret, Marie, William, Jennie and Elizabeth. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Lynch has also been blessed with nine children: Katie, who was born December 6, 1880, and is the wife of Charles Dugan; Margaret R., who was born December 9, 1882, and is the wife of Stephen Powers; James and Thomas, twins, born September 18, 1886: William, born August 19, 1891 ; Marie Elizabeth, born June 14, 1894; one who died in infancy; Paul, who was born on the 11th of July, 1898; and Helen, born October 7. 1902.
The family home stands in the midst of a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres of rich and productive land in Clinton township. The fieldis are well tilled and everything about the place is indicative of the care and labor of the owner. He is an extensive cattle feeder and this branch of his business proves very profitable to him. He is an excellent judge of stock. so that he is enabled to make careful purchases and profitable sales. A few years ago he had the misfortune to lose his home by fire but since that time has erected a fine residence and has also put up substantial barns and outbuildings upon his place, the farm being now well improved in every particular, while the owner is elassed with the leading agriculturists of the township. He and his family are members of
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PAST AND PRESENT OF DE KALB COUNTY.
St. James Catholic church at Lee, Illinois, and in politics Mr. Lynch is a democrat. He has been school director for twenty years and believes in the employment of competent teachers. His interest in community affairs is that of a public-spirited citizen and one whose loyalty to the general good is above question. As he has carried on his business affairs he has met with a goodly measure of pros- perity, his life record proving that success is not a matter of genius, as held by some, nor does it de- pend upon fortunate circumstances. but may be acquired through persistent, carnest labor.
F. S. AULT.
F. S. Ault is classed among the enterprising agriculturists of Mayfield, his native township. where he owns and operates a well improved farm of one hundred and forty acres, and in addition to carrying on general farming he also raises stock to some extent. Mr. Anlt was born on a farm in Mayfield township. a son of Matthias and Sarah Ault, both of whom were born in Pennsyl- vania and are of German descent. The year 1854 witnessed the arrival of the parents in De Kalb county, and purchasing a farm of two hundred acres in Mayfield township they settled here and this place has been their home to the present time. being today numbered among the substantial citizens of this part of the state.
F. S. Ault was reared in much the usual man- ner of farm lads, carly becoming familiar with the duties and labors of the home farm. which he as- sisted in cultivating during the summer seasons. while in the winter months he pursued his educa- tion in the district schools near his father's home. His early education was supplemented by a two years' course of study at the Illinois State Nor- mal. at Bloomington. He subsequently accepted the principalship of the school at Maple Park. Illinois. continuing in that position for two years, during which time he gave the utmost satisfaction in promoting the intellectual develop- ment of that town and community. His health finally became impaired and he went to Texas in the hope of being benefited by the change of climate. Having recuperated his health, he once more returned to De Kalb county and purchased
a farm of one hundred and forty acres in May- field township, and this property has continued to be his home to the present time. He raises the cereals best adapted to soil and climate, using the latest improved farm machinery to facilitate his labors, and in addition to the cultivation of his fields. he is also engaged in raising and feeding stock for the market, and this branch of his busi- ness is proving a profitable source of income to him. His well directed labors and capable management have brought to him a high degree of prosperity. so that he is today numbered among the leading farmers and stock-raisers of Mayfield township.
Mr. Ault's study of the political questions and issues of the day has led him to give stalwart support to the republican party. He has taken an active part in local political ranks. having served as supervisor and assessor. and he likewise acted on the building committee at the time of the erection of the new courthouse in Sycamore. He is a valuable member of the Masonic order. com- manding the highest esteem of his brethren in the craft.
Mr. Ault has spent the greater part of his life in De Kalb county. so that he has a wide and favorable acquaintance within its borders and his upright and honorable principles everywhere com- mand for him the good will and confidence of all with whom he comes in contact.
ROBERT R. RENWICK.
Among the prosperons and representative agri- culturists of Mayfield township may be numbered Robert R. Renwick, who owns and operates one hundred and fifty-seven acres of well improved land on section 29. He was born on this place August 15, 1866, a son of George and Mary (Young) Renwick. who were natives of Scotland and Canada respectively. They came to the United States in 1835. settling on the farm which is now the home of our subject.
Robert R. Renwick pursned his education in the district schools near his father's home. He was early trained to the duties of the home farm, as- sisting his father in the cultivation of the land and the care of the crops, so that he was well fitted to
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PAST AND PRESENT OF DE KALB COUNTY.
continue work along this line when he started out in life on his own account. With the exception of a brief period of two years he has spent his entire life on this farm and during the years that have come and gone he has worked diligently and earn- estly in his efforts to acquire a competence. He has brought the fields under a high state of culti- vation and each year harvests rich and abundant erops as a reward for the care and labor which he bestows upon the fields. He is practical and pro- gressive in all that he does, keeping everything about his place in a good state of repair, so that his property is numbered among the valable farms of Mayfield township.
Choosing a companion and helpmate for life's journey, Mr. Renwiek was married December 17, 1890, to Miss Alice Rote, a daughter of Samuel Rote, a farmer of Mayfield township, and his sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. Two children, a son and daughter, have come to bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Renwick: Clive Duane, who was born July 19, 1892; and Gladys Irene, born May 11, 1900.
Mr. Renwiek gives stalwart support to the re- publican party and has taken an active interest in its work, having served as tax collector of his township, while for the past twelve years he has served as school director, the cause of education finding in him a warm friend. Fraternally he is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America, belonging to camp No. 47, at Sycamore, while both he and his wife hold membership relations mentality, an invincible courage and most deter- with the Methodist Episcopal church in their township. They are a highly esteemed couple of their community, having a host of warm and last- ing friends, while Mr. Renwiek is everywhere known as a substantial and reliable man in his business transactions.
SAMUEL A. HALDEMAN.
Samuel A. Haldeman, secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association, at De Kalb, was born in Brown county, Kansas, December 16, 1875. His father, Benjamin Haldeman, was a native of Mont- gomery county, Pennsylvania, born September 24, 1847. He was a farmer and also a barber, and about 1868 he removed from the east to Illinois.
He married Miss Ella R. Smith, whose birth oe- curred in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, July 11, 1850, and in 1873 they removed to Kansas, where the death of the wife occurred on the 23d of De- cember, 1905. Later in the year Mr. Haldeman returned to Illinois, where he is now living. A brother and brother-in-law of Mrs. Haldeman were soldiers in the war and after defending the Union cause upon southern battle-fields returned in safety to their homes.
Samuel A. Haldeman began his education in the common schools of Kansas and completed a course in Morrill College in that state. After putting aside his text-books he entered upon newspaper work and was thus engaged for some time, but desiring to devote his life to the religious in- struction of young men through the medium of the Young Men's Christian Association, he pursued a special course in training at Lake Geneva, Wis- consin. 1Ie first entered upon his chosen field of labor in 1901, and for seven months was assistant seeretary at Canton, Illinois. He was then ap- pointed secretary at. Galva, Illinois, where he re- mained for two and a half years, and on the 10th of October, 1904, came to De Kalb, accepting the secretaryship of the association here and has sinee remained. He has the society excellently well organized in its various departments and good work is being done for the physical, mental and moral training of boys and men. Mr. Haldeman is wide-awake, alert and energetie, and an engaging personality is a factor in his success, combined with unremitting zeal and earnest purpose. His sincerity is manifest and his deep and friendly in- terest is felt by those who come in contact with him.
Mr. Haldeman was married at Morrill, Kansas, August 30, 1896, to Miss Mary E. Hill, who was born in Virden, Macoupin county, Illinois. March 11. 1879. Her parents were Robert W. and Melvina (Wilfong) Hill, the latter a native of Illi- nois. They were the parents of four children, of whom Mrs. Haldeman was the youngest. The father was married three times, losing his first and second wives by death. His second wife was Emma Pyles, by whom he had one child, and since her demise he has married Mary Smith. Mr. Hill served in the war of the Rebellion, being a bugler of the Fourth Regiment. He remained with the army for four months and was wounded in an en-
PAST AND PRESENT OF DE KALB COUNTY.
gagement. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman have been born two children : Gertrude E., born Sep- tember 17, 1897; and Miriam L., December 12, 1906.
Mr. Haldeman holds membership in the Mission Baptist church and in polities is an independent republican. Ile keeps well informed upon the questions of the day, political and otherwise, and in touch with the trend of modern thought and progress. He has won many friends during the two and a half years of his residence in De Kalb county and the earnestness of his purpose and his devotion to duty as he sees it are recognized by all and have won for him the favorable regard in which he is uniformly held.
FRANK LESLIE CARTER.
Frank Leslie Carter, who is engaged in the ice business in De Kalb county, was born in this county about three and a half miles southwest of the city of De Kalb, on the 25th of March, 1862. His parents were Clark and Laura E. (Barber) Carter, of whose family of six children four are vet living, namely : Clarence W., of Shelby, Mich- igan : Emma A., who is the widow of Harry Jack- son and resides in De Kalb : Lillie B., the wife of John Rawson, of De Kalb ; and Frank L.
The father is a native of Ohio, born December 16, 1831. During his boyhood days he accom- panied his parents on their removal to the state of New York and some years afterward to Chicago. which was then but a small and unimportant village. In fact, the ground was very swampy and the location was considered undesirable as a place
of residence, so after a brief period the Carter family came to De Kalb county, the year of their arrival here being 1853. At that time Clark Car. ter and his brother Orlando entered one hundred and sixty acres of land from the government. Of this Clark Carter soon became sole owner, his brother purchasing a neighboring farm. The land was wild and uncultivated, but with characteristic energy the father began its development and im- provement and it was upon this place that his son, Frank Leshe, was born. In fact, the farm remained the family home until 1875, when the father sold the property and removed to De Kalb.
Here he engaged in the livery business, building the barn now owned by Mike Hanrahan. Seven years lated he sold his livery business and in the meantime he had engaged in the machinery and farm implement business in partnership with Rich- ard Roberts under the firm name of Carter & Rob- erts. This connection was continued for five years, when a change in partnership led to the selection of the firm style of Carter Brothers, D. H. Carter having acquired Mr. Roberts' interests. This part- nership existed for eleven years, when Frank L. Carter of this review became a member of the firm as a successor of his uncle. For a year there- after the business was conducted under the name of Carter & Son. In 1898 they sold out to Sheets, Knodle & Company, the father retiring to private life
At that time Frank Leslie Carter engaged in the ice business, in which he has prospered His pro- gressive methods have been demonstrated in the success which has attended him and in 1906 he built an artificial lake near the town, cementing the sides and bottom. This he fills from a drilled well. pumping the water by a gasoline engine and thus obtaining a product absolutely pure. He is also a heavy buyer of outside ice, which is shipped to him from Crystal and Geneva lakes, Wiscon- sin. His patronage has become very extensive and he is now recognized as one of De Kalb's leading business men.
Mr. Carter acquired his education in the public and high schools of De Kalb and as early as his fifteenth year was employed by the firm of Carter Brothers, with whom he remained during the period of their business life. About 1888, in part- nership with his unele. D. H. Carter, he purchased a steam threshing machine, which was the second in this section of the country. They operated this early and late and after the threshing season wa .: over in Illinois they continued in business in Min- nesota and the Dakota wheat fields. This proved to be a most profitable investment, and when Frank L. Carter purchased his unele's interest in the im- plement business he also acquired his interest in the thresher, which he continued to operate for four years, when he sold out. He is a man of ex- cellent business capacity and enterprise, carrying forward to successful completion whatever he un- dertakes. He forms his plans readily, is notably
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