USA > Illinois > Marshall County > Past and present of Marshall and Putnam Counties, Illinois > Part 25
USA > Illinois > Putnam County > Past and present of Marshall and Putnam Counties, Illinois > Part 25
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On the 3d of January, 1894, Mr. Newman was united in marriage to Miss Sarah M. Salisbury, of Henry, and unto them have been born four chil- dren: Everett S. and Olen R., who are now in school; Levina D .; and one died in infancy. He is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America, belonging to Whitefield camp, No. 1963. He has served as school director for twelve years and believes in the employment of competent teachers. His political allegiance is given to the republican party, and he is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His entire life has been passed in this county, so that he is widely known and his many good qualities have won him the favorable regard of those with whom he has been associated.
ROBERT PRINGLE.
No history of Marshall county would be com- plete without mention of Robert Pringle, one of the most venerable citizens of La Prairie town- ship, where for more than a half century he has made his home. Many events which have here occurred and are to others matters of history were to him matters of actual experience and he has watched with interest the growth and develop- ment of the county as it has emerged from fron- tier conditions to take on all of the evidences of a modern and progressive civilization.
A native of Dumfriesshire, Scotland, he was
born on the 10th of October, 1821, his parents being Andrew and Elizabeth (Pringle) Pringle. The father was born in Selkirkshire, Scotland, October 30, 1793, and the mother's birth occurred in Dumfriesshire, October 15, 1800. Although of the same name, they were not related. In his native country Andrew Pringle was employed as a shepherd and as a laboring man, but rightly judging that the business opportunities of the new world would prove more advantageous he came to the United States in 1850, remaining for a time in New York. The year 1853, however, witnessed his arrival in Marshall county, where he spent his remaining days, passing away De- cember 14, 1870, at the age of seventy-seven years. His wife survived him and died July 8, 1887, when in her eighty-eighth year. The members of their family were as follows: Adam, who was born in October, 1819, and died November 7, 1863; Robert, of this review; Jessie, who was born in April, 1823, and died in July, 1841; James, who was born in April, 1826, and died in April, 1892. William and Jane, twins, who were born in Jan- uary, 1829, while the former died July 4, 1873, and the latter April 29, 1883; Christina, who was born in 1832 and died in 1837; John, who was born in 1835 and died in 1836; and Mrs. Betsy Trobridge, who was born in 1839 and is living in Phillips county, Colorado, being the only living member of the family with the exception of our subject.
Robert Pringle of this review was reared in Roxburghshire, Scotland, where he acquired his education. His opportunities in that direction were somewhat limited, but his training at hard work was not meager and lessons of industry and economy were early instilled into his mind and in later years have borne rich fruit. He heard favorable reports of the new world and its ad- vantages, which he compared with the business outlook before him in his native country. This comparison decided him to seek a home in Amer- ica and in 1848, when twenty-six years of age, he bade adieu to friends and native land and took passage on a westward bound vessel. Land- ing in New York city, he thence made his way to Ontario county, New York, where he remained for four and a half years, during which time he scorned no employment that would yield him an honest living. He carefully saved his money, anxious to establish a business of his own, and
ROBERT PRINGLE.
.
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in December, 1852, he came to Marshall county, Illinois, where he had an uncle and aunt living, and his parents and family followed him in 1853.
While still living in Ontario county, New York, Mr. Pringle was united in marriage to Miss Jeannette Turnbull, a native of Roxburghshire, Scotland, and a sister of Robert Turnbull, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work. They trav- eled life's journey happily together for many years, but were separated by the death of the wife on the 30th of August, 1873. Their children were seven in number. Beatrice, who was born April 19, 1855, died March 22, 1877. She was the wife of John Titus, a farmer of La Prairie township. Lizzie, born January 8, 1857, is the wife of Robert Scoon, who is a farmer by occu- pation and now lives in Denver, Colorado. They have three children : John, born October 10, 1858, operates the home farm. Andrew, born Decem- ber 16, 1860, married Lillie Stewart, who died October 23, 1893, leaving a daughter, Lillian. For his second wife he chose Ida Peck and they have two children, Robert and Philip, who are living with them on the farm in La Prairie town- ship, Marshall county. Mary, born December 8, 1862, is at home. Adam, who was born April 16, 1865, and was a student in Quincy College, died February 4, 1897. Jennie, born October 11, 1867, is at home.
Soon after his marriage Mr. Pringle came to Marshall county and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, for which he paid four dol- lars per acre. This was unimproved and in con- sequence he rented an improved farm, on which he resided until 1854, when he removed to his own land and began its development. A little later he purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land and he has added to his property until he now owns a valuable farm of three hundred and sixty acres on section 27, La Prairie town- ship. He has also carried on stock-raising, in which he has been quite successful, shipping large numbers of cattle annually. He was also at one time a breeder of sheep and on the organization of the Lacon woolen mills he became one of its stockholders. In his farming and stock-raising interests, of which he has had personal control, he has made creditable and gratifying success, and his life work is an illustration of the fact that the lack of means at the outset of a business career need prove no bar to later prosperity, for
if one has determination and energy they can overcome all difficulties and obstacles in the path and gradually advance to the goal of prosperity. This Mr. Pringle has done and is now accounted one of the prosperous as well as venerable and honored citizens of La Prairie township.
In politics he has been a stalwart advocate of republican principles since casting his first presi- dential vote for Abraham Lincoln. He has never had occasion to regret the resolution which he formed in early manhood to seek a home in the new world, for here he has found good business opportunities of which he has taken advantage and has also gained here a comfortable home and won many friends, so that his life in America has been attended with much comfort and happi- ness. He has now passed the eighty-fifth mile- stone on life's journey and from his fellowmen he receives the veneration and respect which should ever be accorded one of his years.
HENRY MARSHALL.
Henry Marshall is a retired farmer of Sparland, who, though he has put aside the active work of the fields, still owns a valuable and well improved farm of two hundred and forty acres in Saratoga township. He was born in North New Castle, England, January 3, 1842. His father, Francis Marshall, was likewise a native of England and came to the United States in 1852, crossing the Atlantic on a sailing vessel. He located first in Philadelphia, where he was employed in a black- smith shop, and later he removed to Pottsville, Pennsylvania, where he secured employment in a large machine shop. After remaining for a year in this country he sent for his family, who joined him in Pennsylvania. In 1854 he came west to Illinois, settling in Peoria, where he worked in a distillery for two years, and on the expiration of that period he removed to La Prairie, where he established a shop which he conducted for more than thirty-five years, when, becoming too old to work, he removed to Sparland and lived retired, making his home with his son Henry. He was the owner of eighty acres of good land, having made judicious investment in property. His po- litical allegiance was given to the republican party. He died in 1892 after a residence of forty years in the new world. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Jennie Wilson, was born in England and
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was a devoted member of the Methodist church. In the family were five children : Elizabeth ; Hen- ry; Mary Ann, deceased ; and Isabelle and Fran- cis, who died in infancy.
Henry Marshall spent his early boyhood days in his native country, coming to the new world when about eleven years of age. Not long after the father removed with his family to Illinois, settling in Marshall county, where he was reared. He afterward worked in a machine shop in Peoria for two years and then removed to Saratoga town- ship, Marshall county, where he was employed for two years in a blacksmith shop. In 1859 he turned his attention to farming, which he carried on successfully for a long period, but is now living retired in Sparland, having a good income from his farm of two hundred and forty acres of well improved land situated near Camp Grove. The soil is rich and productive and he derives from the rental of his place a very gratifying income.
Mr. Marshall was united in marriage to Mrs. Frieda Kline, who was born in province of Posen, in the northern part of Germany, January 12, 1858. She is a daughter of William and Louise (Mootz) Arndt and was one of a family of eight children, namely: Rosalie, deceased; Ernest; Emil; Louise, deceased ; Herman ; Amelia ; Frieda ; and William, who has passed away. Both Mr. and Mrs. Marshall are consistent Christian people, the former belonging to the Methodist church and the latter to the Baptist church. His political support is given the republican party and fraternally he is connected with the Masonic lodge, No. 441, at Sparland. Both are highly esteemed by all who know them and their friends are many. Mr. Mar- shall from early boyhood has depended upon his own resources for a living and has through his own diligence, capable management and enter- prise worked his way upward to success.
WILLIAM HUNTER WILLIAMS.
William Hunter Williams, deceased, was for many years a prominent representative of the farming and stock-raising interests of Putnam county. He traced his ancestry back to John Williams, a native of Wales, and Ann Williams, a native of Plymouth, England. They resided be- fore the Revolutionary war in the colony of New Jersey and during the period of hostilities their
home was burned by the British army. The family then became scattered and it is supposed the family records were lost or destroyed at that time. Thomas Williams, son of John and Ann Williams, was bound out for a number of years to a farmer, after which he removed to the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he learned the trade of house-painting. On the 2d of May, 1807, he married Frances Hunter, a daughter of William and Frances Hunter of that city, and unto them was born on the 15th of January, 1811, a son, William Hunter Williams, whose name in- troduces this review.
When he was a lad of about seven years his parents removed to Baltimore, Maryland, where on the 17th of October, 1822, the father died, leaving a widow with four children. They re- turned to Philadelphia, where William Hunter at- tended the public schools until about fourteen years of age, when he was apprenticed to William Ford to learn the business of silver-plating. In May, 1837, in consequence of the financial con- ditions that existed at that time, the country be- ing involved in a money panic, he sought to bet- ter his circumstances by removing to the western states.
Accordingly in the early part of June, 1837, Mr. Williams arrived at the village of Hartford in Dearborn county in the southern part of Indiana. In the month of August of that year he made a prospecting tour on foot to Indianapolis and thence west to the eastern part of Illinois, where his further progress was arrested by fever and ague. His objective point was Alton, Illinois, but the illness which he suffered caused him to endeavor to retrace his steps to Hartford, Indiana. This however, was accomplished with great effort, but he reached that place during the month of Sep- tember. In the year 1838 he had his first ex- perience as a farmer, but suffered from a relapse of the fever and ague. He had rented seven acres of land, whereon he raised a crop of corn. In the latter part of the summer of 1838 he accepted a position as a clerk in a country store and a few months later he became a clerk and employe on a flat-boat which was to take a cargo of flour and pork to the lower Mississippi river. This task accomplished, in the spring of 1839 he returned to Hartford, Indiana, making a detour to visit a brother in Putnam county, Illinois, upon which
WILLIAM H. WILLIAMS.
MRS. T.H WILLIAMS
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occasion he concluded to settle permanently in this state.
Returning to Hartford, Mr. Williams was of- fered a position on a store-boat and continued in the boating business until some time in September, 1839. On the 21st of that month he started on horseback for Marshall county, Illinois, where he arrived on the 1st of October. It was on the 1st of May, 1843, that he entered eighty acres of land on section 19, Senachwine township, re- ceiving the government patent for the same under the administration of President John Tyler, and on the 20th of December, 1856, he purchased eighty acres of land adjoining the farm of Samuel C. Bacon.
On the 29th of June, 1843, Mr. Williams was married to Miss Theodosia Holmes Lyon, a daugh- ter of Abijah and Comfort (Holmes) Lyon, who were natives of Westchester county, New York, and the father removed from New York city to Marshall county, Illinois, in the spring of 1839, the mother passing away in New York. Mr. and Mrs. Williams commenced housekeeping on the first purchase of land in the spring of 1844, pass- ing through all of the pioneer experiences inci- dent to that period in the history of this part of the state. In 1847 Mr. Williams was elected to the office of justice of the peace of Senachwine township and continued in the office for many years. He was also county judge for a period of six years, succeeding Joel W. Hopkins, who was elected a member of the state legislature. For nearly a decade he served as postmaster of the village of Senachwine, now called Putnam, and was township clerk for a number of years. He was likewise township school treasurer for thirty years and for several years was collector. In all of these positions Mr. Williams discharged his duties with promptness and fidelity and his record therefore reflects credit upon himself and his service was entirely satisfactory to his constitu- ents.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Williams were born nine children, seven of whom are yet living: Frances H., the wife of Samuel A. Wilson, a resident of California; William A., who is living in Texas where he has a large fruit ranch; Martha, the wife of C. M. Hobbs, who is living in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and has been yardmaster at the Union Pa- cific Railroad transfer for thirty-five years; Mary, the wife of O. H. Lincoln, a farmer and successful
raiser of fine horses living in McHenry county. Illinois; John Howard, who is living on the old homestead; Emma Elizabeth, the wife of W. B. Berry, who is a minister of the Christian church and editor of the Christian Pacific, living in San Francisco, California; James A., a resident of Chicago; Theodosia Ann, the deceased wife of Thomas Hill, a resident of Adin, California ; and David Herbert, who was drowned in Ten- nessee.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Williams were members of the Henry Society of the New Jerusalem or Swe- denborgian church, and Mrs. Williams has been identified therewith for forty-six years. She is still living. on the old homestead with her son, John H The death of Mr. Williams occurred August 22, 1898. He had for a long period been an active factor in the agricultural development of this locality and at all times was a busy man, leading an active, useful and honorable life. While he carefully controlled his own farming interests and developed a productive tract of land, whereon he annually harvested good crops, he always managed to find time to aid in the promotion of interests which were of utmost benefit to the community and to assist those who were less fortunate than himself. Any plan or measure that was promul- gated for the welfare of the county received his endorsement and support and he was widely recog- nizd as a valued citizen. Mrs. Williams still survives her husband and is now the oldest resi- dent of Senachwine township. She was born and educated in New York city and although now eighty-five years of age is a most bright and intel- ligent woman and of excellent health for one of her years. She recalls many interesting pioneer experiences. Her father built the first log house on Whitefield prairie in 1839, at which time wolves and other wild animals were very numer- ous in the county, while herds of deer were fre- quently seen. The pioneer families largely lived in log cabins, did their cooking over fireplaces and lighted their houses with candles, while the work of the fields was largely done with the hand plow, the sickle, the scythe and the hoe. Mrs. Williams has lived to see many great changes in the methods of farming and in ways of life here. She still owns the home farm of eighty acres which her son John Howard is conducting for her, and he also owns eighty acres.
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MARSHALL AND PUTNAM COUNTIES.
JOHN HOWARD WILLIAMS.
John Howard Williams was born February 26, 1854, and has spent his entire life on the old homestead with the exception of a few years passed in the west. He acquired his education in the country schools and the city schools of Henry On the 11th of December, 1878, he was married to Miss Naomi Rogers, of Henry, who was born at Lone Tree, Illinois, September 30, 1858, a daughter of Gardner and Elizabeth Jane Rogers.
Mr. Williams brought his bride to the old home- stead, having purchased a part of the farm. He has since bought other tracts and now operates nearly a half section of land, most of which he owns. To his farm he has given the name of The Oaks and here he is successfully engaged in stock raising under the firm name of J. H. Williams & Son, the place having become well known espe- cially for the breeding of Poland China hogs and polled Durham cattle. In this line they have gained more than a local reputation.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Williams have been born six children, but the eldest died in infancy. Gard- ner Rogers, the second in order of birth, attended the village and Henry schools and later pursued a course in agriculture at the University of Illinois. Myrtle Bell, a talented elocutionist, having pur- sued a course of study at Plows Conservatory of Peoria, Illinois, is now the wife of Charles E. Stickel, of Mount Vernon, South Dakota. Mary is a teacher. Meta Naomi and William Howard are still in school.
BENJAMIN JUDD.
Benjamin Judd is today the oldest resident of Marshall county in years of continuous connec- tion with this portion of the state, and as such he was honored at the old settlers' reunion held in Lacon on the 6th of September, 1906. His memory compasses the period of pioneer develop- ment as well as of later day progress, and he relates many interesting events concerning the early days when the typical home on the prairie was the log cabin and when all of the evidences of frontier life were to be seen. He was born in Wilkes county, North Carolina, March 14, 1829, and was therefore but two years old when brought by his parents, Thomas and Elizabeth (Darnell) Judd, to Marshall county in 1831. His grand- father, John Judd, who died in North Carolina,
was of English lineage. He came to this country as a soldier in the British army during the Rev- olutionary war, and at the close of hostilities de- cided to remain in the new world, settling in North Carolina, where he spent his remaining day:
Thomas Judd, the father of our subject, was born in Wilkes county, North Carolina, in 1800, and having arrived at years of maturity was mar- ried there to Elizabeth Darnell, also a native of that county, born in 1803. Her father was Ben- jamin Darnell, who came to Marshall county, Illinois, in 1828, settling on Sandy creek, in what is now Evans township. He was the first white settler of that township, and made his home in the edge of the timber. Before coming to the middle west he had read medicine, and here en- gaged in practice. The journey westward was made in a large panelled box wagon with room enough in it for several to sleep. He was accom- panied by his wife and ten children, and on reaching the county they camped on Crow creek at a place called Bennington's Grove. At that time his nearest and in fact his only white neigh- bor was Jesse Roberts, who had located in what is now Roberts township, six miles distant. Indians were quite numerous and during the time of the Black Hawk war a fort was built on his farm enclosing his log cabin and called Fort Dar- nell. It was used as a place of refuge by families for miles around. Two of his sons served in Colo- nel John Strawn's regiment during that struggle. In 1839 Benjamin Darnell left his farm in Mar- shall county and removed to Kendall county, Illi- nois, where he opened up another farm and located his children around him .. There he died in 1856. The children were: Elizabeth, John, James, Enoch, Larkins, Benjamin, Abram, Mrs. Polly Adams, Mrs. Susan Hollenback and Lucy. The last named died at the age of fourteen years and hers was the first death in Evans township and the first to be interred in the Cumberland cemetery located on the old Darnell farm. The others are also now deceased. The parents of our subject were married in North Carolina, where the father engaged in farming until 1831, when they came to Marshall county and located in Evans town- ship, adjoining the Darnell farm on the north. He built a log cabin in the edge of the timber on Sandy creek, and there remained until his death in January, 1848. The mother remained on the
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farm after the death of her husband and there reared her family. She died at the age of seventy- six years, and the remains of husband and wife lie side by side in Cumberland cemetery. They were the parents of ten children-Alfred, de- ceased ; Mrs. Nancy Gants; John and Thomas, deceased; Benjamin, our subject; Mrs. Elizabeth French, deceased; Frances, deceased; Mrs. Matil- da Brown, living in Wenona; William and Al- mira, deceased. Before his death Thomas Judd greatly improved his farm, leaving it in good condition to his wife and children. He was a well educated man, an old school teacher, and served as county commissioner of schools at one time. He was also a justice of the peace for many years. On coming to this county he was comparatively a poor man, and in the few years of his life here acquired a competency.
Benjamin Judd is the only surviving member of his father's family and is now in his seventy- eighth year. He is still a hale and hearty man, enjoying good health and weighing two hundred and seventeen pounds. He seems to possess the vigor and strength of a man in his prime and when seen by the writer of this article was found digging potatoes. He was reared amid the wild scenes of frontier life, being brought to the county prior to the Black Hawk war. He relates that many a time, being very much afraid of the In- dians, he crawled under the bed when they came to the house. At one time the red men camped on Sandy creek about twenty-five rods from his father's cabin and there remained for several days, often visiting the house for provisions. There were few settlers in Marshall county or the northern portion of the state and Mr. Judd re- members being in Chicago when the metropolis was not as large as Wenona and well remembers seeing old Fort Dearborn there. Most of the homes were built of logs, were heated by immense fire places, over which the family meal was also prepared, and were lighted by candles. One could ride for miles over the prairie without coming to a house or fence to impede his progress and the timber along the streams was uncut. Gradually, however, settlers came from the south and the east and wrought a marked transformation in the ap- pearance of the country, converting its wild lands into rich and productive farms. Upon the old Judd homestead farm in Evans township the sub- ject of this review was reared. He attended the
subscription schools of the pioneer days, but the meager advantages of that period made his edu- cation rather limited, but reading, experience and observation in later years have counteracted this early deficiency. At the age of nineteen years he entered upon an independent business career by operating the old home farm on the shares and he still owns a portion of that farm, which his father entered from the government in about 1839, and he has never had a mortgage upon it.
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