Portrait and bigraphical album of Livingston County, Ill. : containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, together with portraits and biographies , Part 101

Author: Chapman Brothers (Chicago) publisher
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Chicago : Chapman brothers
Number of Pages: 1208

USA > Illinois > Livingston County > Portrait and bigraphical album of Livingston County, Ill. : containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, together with portraits and biographies > Part 101

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Mr. Wooding was married, while a resident of

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LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

Fulton County, March 1. 1860, to Miss Sarah Humphrey, at the home of the bride, in Canton Township. This union resulted in the birth of four children, namely: Benjamin F., Charles S .. Nettie and Jessie. The two younger died in child- hood and the others continue with their father. Mrs. Sarah ( Humphrey) Wooding departed this life at her home in Pike Township, in 1873, and her re- mains were laid to rest in Rook's Creek burying- ground.

The present wife of our subject, to whom he was married Oct. 4. 1874, was formerly Mrs. Susanna (Cheney) Myer, widow of Martin H. Myer, and daughter of David and Susannah (Stallings) Cheney. both natives of Alleghany County, Md. They spent their entire lives in their native county, and there their remains were laid to rest. Mrs. W. was born in the same county as ber parents, July 3. 1837. and was the eighth in a family of fourteen children, namely: Nancy, Robert, Eliza- beth. Thomas. Deborah, Isaac, Maria, and six who died in infancy. Naney, the widow of H. Harris, is living near Columbus, Ohio; Robert is a resident of Hampshire County, Va .; Elizabeth is deceased ; Thomas is living in Missouri; Deborah, Mrs. Ed- ward O'Neill, remains in Maryland; Isaac occupies the old homestead, and Maria is the wife of Thorn- ton Crabtree, a resident of Cumberland, Md. The parents of Mrs. W. were active and devoted mem- hers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in the doctrines of which they faithfully reared their chil. dren. Mrs. Wooding by her first marriage had three children: Eli B .; Adelia, now the wife of Levi Lacock, of Eppard's Point Township, and William T.

During the past three years Mr. Wooding has wisely taken hfe easy, enjoying the fruits of his early labors. During the summer of 1887, he crossed the ocean and visited the scenes of his childhood in Northamptonshire, being accompanied by his brothers. William and Joseph. Although they greatly enjoyed the trip, and were received with open arms by their kindred and friends, Mr. Wooding. when his visit was ended, cheerfully re- turned to hi- adopted county. and exclaims with enthusiasin, "Give me Ansica." llis admirable qualities a- a citizen received carly recognition by

the people of Pike Township, whom he served as School Director and Trustee for seven years, and has been otherwise prominent in local affairs. He cast his first Presidential vote for John C. Fremont, and has been a stanch Republican since the organ- ization of the party.

The paternal grandfather of our subject, Stephen Wooding by name, was also of English birth and ancestry, and spent his entire life in his native shire. He was the father of five children, the eld- est being a daughter, Avis, who married George Sparks, and immigrated to America in 1855. They settled in St. Paul, Minn., where both died, leaving one child, a daughter, who is now a widow and lives in St. Paul. Rebecca and her husband. Benjamin Stanton, are both deceased; Jesse, the father of our subject, was the third child; Elizabeth and her husband, James Winters. both died. and left two children ; James, the youngest, lived and died in England.

2 ENRY IMMKE, a gentleman in the prime of life, proprietor of a splendid farm on section 36 in Owego Township, is a man respected for his sterling worth and integrity, and come, of that class of citizens noted for their en- ergy and determination to get on in the world. He is a native of Germany, where he was born on the Ist of September, 1843, and is the son of John and Christina Immke. He remained in his native conn- try until in his eighteenth year, when, making up his mind that whatever future there was for him lay in America, he took passage on a sailing-vessel at Bremen in 1861, and after a voyage upon the ocean of six weeks, with the usual discomforts and thrilling episodes, landed safely in New York, and almost immediately came west to Illinois. In 1867 he came to Livingston County, where for a time he worked as a farm hand, and in this manner accumu- lated sufficient money to begin business for himself.

In November, 1869, Mr. Immke was married to Anna Liesge, and they have had seven children, six of whom are living-Maggie, Katie, William, Frederick, Henry and Elizabeth. Upon coming to Livingston County, he did not chose any permanent

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abiding-place, bat shortly after marriage he settled in Saunemin Township, where he remained until he removed to his present residence in Owego Town- ship, in the spring of 1878. His home place con- sists of 400 acres of land, and he has the satisfaction of knowing that every acre of it, and all its equip- ments, are the result of his own hard labor and judi- cious management. Upon his arrival in America, he not only had no means, but was in debt to the amount of $43. This obligation he soon dis- charged, and then began the work of accumulating for the future. A visit to his home and an inspec- tion of his farm and its surroundings, will convince any one that he has been eminently successful.

Mr. Immke is a member of the Evangelical Asso. ciation, and is a devoted teacher in the Sunday- school of that church. He is a man of moral and religions sentiments, and is a liberal contributor of time and money for the enhancement of the moral tone of the community. lle is not a political par- tisan, but places his vote where he considers it will do the most good for the greatest number of peo- ple, regardless of the aspirations of party politicians. For three years he has served as Director of Schools, and takes a lively interest in educational matters.

RIN SNYDER, a native of Jefferson County, N. Y., took up his residence in this county in the spring of 1876, locating on eighty acres of land on section 32, in Broughton Township, where he has since remained and given his attention to the cultivation of the soil. He has been skillful and industrious, exercised good judgment in his operations and his investments, and is a man held generally in respect by his community. He comes of a good family, his father having been many years a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and who at present resides near Benton Harbor, Mich.

Mr. Snyder was born Aug. 29, 1844, his parents being Warren and Louisiana Snyder, natives of the Empire State, and the mother now deceased. His paternal grandfather, Richard Snyder, was one of the early settlers in the Mohawk Valley. where he spent the latter years of his life. The parental family included seven children, of whom the fol-

lowing survive, namely: Mahlon, a resident of South Chicago; Mary, the wife of (. J. Iluffstater, of Benton Harbor, Mich .; Orin, of our sketch ; Eliza, Mrs. Lewis Swisher, living near Benton Har- bor, Mich., and Jay, a resident of Iowa.

Our subject continned in his native county until reaching manhood, receiving a limited education in the common schools, and employed himself prin- cipally in farm pursuits. He was married not far from the home of his childhood, on the 17th of Au- gust, 1862, to Miss Martha Allard, a native of his own county, and born Sept. 15, 1845. The parents of Mrs. Snyder, Almon and Ann E. (Etheridge) Allard, were also natives of the Empire State, and are now dead. Their family included eleven chil- dren; those living are : William, and Dorcas A., the wife of James Huffstater, both residents of Jefferson County ; Matilda, Mrs. Francis Shoecraft, of Wayne County, N. Y. ; Clarinda, the wife of Boswell Brown, of Jefferson County; Edson, of Jefferson County, and Martha, Mrs. Snyder.

Mr. and Mrs. Snyder remained in New York State three years after their marriage, then in Michi- gan about two and a half, and then came directly to this county, locating a few years afterward on their present farm. The record of their eleven children is as follows: James A. was born Aug. 14. 1864. and married Hattie Stacey Nov. 26, 1887; Edgar, born June 8, 1866; Jennie, born Sept. 20, 1867, married Isaac Herner. March 16, 1886; Almond, born Dec. 11, 1869; Merton, Feb. 19, 1872; Cora, Ang. 18, 1873; Menzo, Aug. 18, 1876; Frederick, April 27. 1878; Eva, Oct. 27, 1880; Elmer F., Aug. 11, 1883: and Harry, April 18, 1885.

Mr. Snyder has been the architect of his own fortune, commencing in life with comparatively nothing. This condition by no means proved a drawback, as the men who have acquired their prop- erty by their own industry are usually competent to take care of it. He cast his first Presidential vote for Lincoln, and has since been a decided Repub- lican, although in local matters he sets politie- aside, and votes for the man whom he considers best quali- fied for office. lle has been School Director in his district several terms, and takes an active interest in the measures set on foot for the general welfare of his community.

LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

RLIN CONVERSE, one of the oldest living pioneers in his neighborhood. resides on sec- tion 33. Owego Township, and was born in Addison County, Vt .. on the Ist of November, 1834. Ile is a son of Heman and Hannah (Cramp- ton) Converse, both of whom were natives of New England. Ilis paternal ancestors were of English and the maternal of Holland descent. The grand- father. Paine Converse, was a soldier in the War of I$12. and was at the battle of Plattsburg.

To Ileman Converse were born ten children, nine of whom are living: Alonzo, Melissa, Hul- dah J .. Emily. Orlin, Louisa, George, Harvey and Melinda. Alonzo is in Dakota; Melissa is the wife of J. W. Benham, of Barber County, Kan. ; Huldah .l. is the wife of Harvey Newell, of Wisconsin ; Emily is the wife of Robert Smith, of Barber County. Kan .. and Louisa of W. O. Hinde, of Ad- dison County. Vt .: George resides in Addison County. Vt .. and Harvey in Butler County, Iowa : Melinda i- the wife of Denuis Norton, and they re- side on the homestead in Vermont. For many gen- erations the Converse family has been noted for its longevity, and the mother reached the age of eighty- nine years, dying in July. 1887, and the father in 1872. at the age of seventy years. The grandfather died in his eighty-first year.

Orlin Converse was reared to manhood in his native State, receiving a fair education in the com- mon schools, and in 1855 he migrated to the West and located in Livingston County, where he has ever since resided, with the exception of three years that he wa- a soldier in the Union army. He was married. Jan. 7, 1862, to Rebecca Rockwood, a native of Livingston County, and daughter of Dan- iel Rockwood, one of the pioneer settlers of the county, and one of the commissioners appointed to locate the county seat. To Mr. and Mrs. Converse two children were born-Roland P., and .Jessie, de- ceased.

On the 2d of August, 1862, Mr. Converse en- listed in Company (, 129th Illinois Infantry, in which command he served until the close of the war. and participated in the battles of Resaca, Peach- tror Creek, Kennesaw Mountain. Marietta, siege of Atlanta, Bentonville, and the entire campaign, which included Sherman's march to the sea, wind-

ing up with the grand review in Washington at the eessation of hostilities. He was discharged from the service with the rank of Sergeant, on the 20th of June, 1865. Immediately upon his discharge from the army he returned to Livingston County and settled permanently on his present farm. Ile now owns 360 acres of good land, which he has brought under a high state of cultivation, all of which has been accomplished through his own in- dustry and good management. For two terms he has served as Supervisor of Owego Township, and is at present serving as Road Commissioner. For twenty years he has served continuously as School Director in District No. 9, and takes a very great interest in all matters pertaining to schools and ed- ucation. In politics he is an adherent of the Re- publican party, to which he shows bis devotion by regularly voting its ticket and giving to its candi- dates a cordial support.

B ERNARD LYONS, who came to this coun- try a poor boy and is now the owner of numerous farms in Livingston and Kendall Counties, was born in Longford County. Ireland, on the 22d of November, 1822. He is the son of Daniel Lyons, and the grandson of Thomas Lyons, both natives of that county. They both followed farming and spent their entire lives there, the father dying at the age of eighty-four years. The maiden name of the mother of our subject was Aun Gilligan, a native of the same county, and a daughter of Bryan Gilligan. She died at the age of eighty-four years, having spent her entire life in that county. The paternal grand- mother of our subject was Ann Brady, and the maternal grandmother was Ann Corcoran. The parents of our subject had thirteen children born to them, and of that number eight came to America : Thomas G. now lives in Nevada Township; Ber- nard is our subject; John lives in Odell Township: Patrick resides in Dakota; Stephen, in Saune- min Township; Maria McCormick, in Saunemin Township: Kate Dougherty lives in Ottawa, La- Salle County; Francis, one of the brothers, was in this country about five years and while here en-

FARM RESIDENCE OF S. COLEMAN, SEC. 9. LONG POINT TOWNSHIP.

SCALES

STOCK

LOTS .

RED JERSEY HOBS

FARM RESIDENCE OF ELIAS J. LUNDY, SEC'S. 28&29, NEW TOWN TOWNSHIP.

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LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

gaged in teaching a portion of the time. He re- turned to Ireland, and now resides on the old home- stead.

Mr. Lyons remained a resident of his native country until he was twenty-four years of age and then came to America, at first locating in New York City. Upon his arrival in New York he was without funds, but soon found employment of var- ious kinds, which enabled him to support himself. He remained in New York and vicinity until the fall of 1849, when he concluded to come West and see what there might be in store for him. He traveled by rail to Buffalo, and by boat across the Lakes to Detroit, and then by rail across the State of Michigan to Chicago. Upon his arrival in Chicago he supplied himself with a stock of Yankee notions, which he engaged in peddling throughout the surrounding country. In the spring of 1850 he began farming in Kendall County, where in the fall of that year he purchased eighty acres of wild prairie land. and the following sum- mer built a frame house of small dimensions. He resided there until 1855, and improved the land materially and erected good frame buildings. In 1865 he rented this land to other parties and came to Livingston County, where he first purchased 160 acres of land in Nevada Township, and has been a resident continuonsly of the county all the time. In 1868 he bought the farm he now occupies, which at that time was wild prairie, but through his untiring energy it has been reduced to a state of splendid cultivation, and he has erected a good set of frame buildings. In this home farm there are 360 acres of well-improved land. In addition to this he owns 160 acres in Owego Township, and 160 acres in Esmen Township, besides the farm he owns in Kendall County. These farms were all wild prairie lands when he first purchased them, but they are now all models of cultivation and im- provement.

On the 13th of August, 1851, Mr. Lyons was married to Mary McKanna, who was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, on the 29th of July, 1833. She is the daughter of John and Ellen (Trayner) McKanna, both natives of County Tyrone. They came to America in 1835, and located in Lowell, Mass., where they remained four years, and then

came to Illinois and settled at Lockport, Will County, where they lived until 1844. In that year they moved to Kendall County, and bought a tract of unbroken prairie land. At that time wild ani- mals were numerous, and game of all kinds was plenty. Hle built a log cabin on his land and lived there until 1858, when his death occurred. The wife died about 1876. Mr. and Mrs. Lyons are the parents of cleven children, whose names are as follows: Ann, John II., Margery E., Daniel S., Sarah J., Joseph P., William F., Catherine M., Michael E., Adeline A. and Bernard A. Daniel S. resides on the farm in Esmen Township.

Mr. Lyons has been Highway Commissioner for three years and has served as School Director and Trustee, and has been Supervisor for the township one year, and in all these various official capacities has given excellent satisfaction. In his attention to public business as well as his own private business, he displays much intelligence and enterprise. and pardonably prides himself on the accomplishments of his life, considering the humble start he had.

S TEPHIEN COLEMAN, who has for many years been a resident of Long Point Town_ ship, is now engaged in farming and stock- raising on an excellent farm of 174 acres located on section 9. He is a native of Ohio, and was born on the 10th of September, 1831. He is the son of George and Sallie (Triplet) Coleman, who were natives of Ohio. The father was born in 1799, and died Dec. 23, 1856. He taught school for some time in Ohio, and in the fall of 1833 he came to Illinois and engaged in agricultural pur- suits. By this marriage, besides the subject of our sketch there were born the following-named chil- dren : Edward was born on the 26th of May, 1833, married Miss Hattie Smith, of Bureau County, Ill., and they have six children; Eli was born Aug. 30, 1835, and went to Colorado twenty-one years ago, since which time no intelligence has been had from him: James was born May 10, 1837, and died on the 6th of May, 1843, from the effects of being scalded by the contents of a coffee-pot; Emily was born May 29, 1840, and was the wife of Marion

LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

Ament : she died on the 7th of March, 1872, leav- ing one child. William L. was born May 11, 1842. and died May 1, 1852; Mary was born Nov. 18, 1843, and married Miletus Ellis, of Bureau County. Ill .; he died in Colorado, leaving four children. Chester was born Nov. 8, 1846, is married, and lives in Dakota.

stephen Coleman was married, on the 6th of No- vember. 1853. to Emily, the daughter of Moses and Mary (Terry) Fowler, natives of New York, who were the parents of the following-named chil- dren : Laura, Emily S., Thomas, Caroline and Louis Le Grand. Laura was born in September, 1828, and was married to M. E. Allen; they had eight children, two of whom are deceased. Emily was born May 28. 1832; Thomas was born in 1834, and married Julia Whitmore; they reside in Long Point Township. Caroline, whose age is not exactly known, died in Bureau County in 1850: Louis Le Grand was married to Martha Smiley, and they re- side in Kansas. Both parents of Mrs. Coleman are dead.

Our subject and his wife are the parents of the following-named children: Mary L .. George A., Sarah, John, Lydia. Leonora, Julia, Laura, Charles and Stephen E. Mary was born Ang. 25, 1854. married John Halstead, and has a family of four children ; they reside in Nebraska. George A. was born March 27, 1857, and married Emma Stewart; they have two children. Sarah was born March 6, 1859, was married to George B. Raub, and they have a family of three children ; John, born Dec. 28, 1860, and married Miss Lucretia Hakes: Lydia was born Aug. 29. 1862, and was married to Franklin Ellis; Leonora was born Oct. 29, 1864, and died March 8. 1872: Julia was born Jan. 12, 1867. and died Oct. 30. 1877 ; Laura was born March 6, 1868, and Charles, Jan. 3, 1871; they reside at home. Ste- phen E. was born March 18, 1873, and died Ang. 29,1874.

Stephen Coleman came to Illinois with his par- ents and settled at Princeton in 1833. In the course of time he purchased a farm of eighty acres, which he sold after one year's ownership. He how owns 171 acres, which is well improved and drained by 1.300 rods of tile ditch. Everything about the place denotes thrift and enterprise, and

the home of an intelligent and progressive farmer. In connection with this sketch is shown a view of Mr. Coleman's residence. Politically Mr. C. is a Democrat, and while taking an interest in his party does not allow polities to interfere with his business. Mrs. Coleman is a member in good standing of the Protestant Methodist Church. They enjoy the universal esteem of all their neighbors.

E LIAS J. LUNDY. This gentleman occu- pies one of the most valuable farms in New- town Township, which is doubly prized by him as having been the homestead of his father. He was born in a log house not far from the site of the present dwelling, July 12, 1849, and is the son of Henry and Mary (Copse) Lundy. llis father, a native of Logan County, Ohio, was born June 3. 1816, and was the son of Nathan and Amy ( Pick- erel) Lundy, natives respectively of New Jersey and Virginia, and of Welsh and Scotch descent. Nathan followed the occupation of a farmer. The great-grandfather of our subject was Amos Lundy.

The children of Grandfather Nathan Lundy were ten in number, and named respectively : Susanna, John, Amos, Nicholas, Enoch, Samuel, Nathan, Henry, Diana and Eli; of these four are still liv- ing. Nicholas is farming in Iowa, and although an old gentleman, is quite active. Uncle Samuel has lived with Elias J., our subject, nearly forty- seven years, and has been blind since a boy eight or nine years old, which affliction was brought abont by a severe attack of fever. Ile came with his parents to Illinois when a youth of fifteen, and remained with them until their decease. With the sense of touch peculiar to the blind he has cos- trived to make himself quite useful, and was for many years engaged in the manufacture of baskets and brooms. He also exhibited great ingenuity in the carving of chains from peach pits, in which work there was necessarily employed much time and patience, and which were marvels of beauty and greatly admired by all who saw them. Ile is now seventy-three years old and in very good health. Another son, Nathan, when last heard from was in Nebraska; Eli lives in Missouri ; John,

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LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

Amos and Nicholas served as soldiers in the Black Hawk War, and are now deceased. The mother of these children died in Ohio at the age of about fifty-five years. Her husband, Nathan, came to Illinois during its early settlement, making the trip overland by wagon. He located among the pio- neers of Logan County, where he built up a com- fortable home from the wilderness and spent his last days.

Henry Lundy, the father of our subject, came with his parents to Illinois about 1829 or 1830, lo- cating first in Sangamon County, where they lived about three years, and thence removed to what was then Tazewell but is now DeWitt County, where he reached manhood and was married in February. 1837. The young people shortly after- ward removed to LaSalle County and rented a tract of land, but a year later they came to Liv- ingston County. After gathering in the erops of three seasons from the soil of that section, Mr. Lundy came to the conclusion that it was about the best locality that could be found. He accordingly entered a tract of Government land besides pur- chasing claims adjoining, and was greatly pros- pered in his labors thereafter. He continued to purchase land nntil he became the owner of 560 arres, the greater part of which he afterward di- vided among his children, giving eighty acres to each. He was a very industrious and hard-work- ing man, kindly and generous in disposition, and a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

He lived to a good old age, passing away at his home in Newtown Township on the 9th of August, 1885. The mother was the daughter of Robert Copse, one of the pioneer settlers of Livingston County. His family included nine children, namely : Catherine, Susannah, Nancy, Mary, William, Jacob, Sarah, Elizabeth and Thomas. Of these but three are living-Susannah, William and JJacob. Snsan- nah resides with her grandson, Levy Snyder, of Newtown Township, and has reached the advanced age of eighty-four years; William is a resident of Logan County, this State, and Jacob, some years ago, migrated across the Mississippi into Kansas, where he now resides. The father, Robert Copse. died in Newtown Township, Dec. 10, 1853, at the age of one hundred years, six months and ten days.

llis remains were laid to rest in Phillips Cemetery, and he is remembered as a good man in the broadest sense of the term.

The family of Henry Lundy included four chil- dren-Diana, Samuel Porter, Francis Marion and Elias J. Diana was born Nov. 15, 1837, and be- came the wife of Lansen Pope, of Newtown; she lied Feb. 18, 1880, leaving several children. Sam- nel Porter was born Dec. 2, 1839, and is farming in Newtown Township; Francis Marion was born June 30, 1842, and is conducting a hotel and liv- ery stable at Cornell. The mother of these chil- dren spent her last years in Newtown, where her death took place July 21. 1884, at the age of sev- enty-four years.

Our subject remained under the parental roof until the fall of 1879, when he was over thirty years of age. He then moved across the creek, where he lived until the fall of 1881, and then re- turning to the home farm, remained with his par- ents until their decease. lle was married in Pon- tiac, April 9, 1879, to Miss Lizzie L. Goddard. There was already provided a home for his bride, and they settled down comfortably upon the place where they now live. Mr. Lundy is keeping pace with the various improvements introduced in con- nection with farming, and is highly valued as an agriculturist and a member of the community. He has of late years given considerable attention to stock-raising, and has attained to quite a reputation in this line. The premises are marked by an air of solidity and comfort which distinguishes the home as one of the most comfortable in Newtown Town- ship.

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Portrait and bigraphical album of Livingston County, Ill. : containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, together with portraits and biographies , Part 101

Author: Chapman Brothers (Chicago) publisher Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Chicago : Chapman brothers Number of Pages: 1208

Author: Chapman Brothers (Chicago) publisher
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Chicago : Chapman brothers
Number of Pages: 1208