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 117

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 117

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When twenty-three years of age, June 3, 1856, Mr. Potter married Miss Mary JJ. Numer, daughter of John and Elizabeth ( Rupert) Numer, near Ship- pensburg, Cumberland Co., Pa. Mr. Numer was of high German ancestry, and came to this country when he was but eighteen years of age. Mrs. Nu- mer was of an old Pennsylvania family, who had settled in the beautiful Cumberland Valley many generations ago. Mrs. Potter was born on the 21st of November, 1833, on her father's farm near Ship- pensburg.

On coming to Illinois, Mr. and Mrs. Potter rented a farm in Grundy County, which was owned by David Me Williams, and upon which they remained for nine years. Mr. and Mrs. Potter are the par- ents of nine children-Adie V., William L., Julia F., Leander, Allen W., Rose A .. Elsie M .. Bertha Maud and Nellie E. William L. and Rose A. died in childhood, and Allen W. died when nearly seven- teen years of age; a bright. intelligent youth. cut down before he had entered the portals of manhood. llis death was severely felt by his parents. and he is still fresh in their memories. Adie V. married Daniel Schott, a farmer of Union Hill, Kankakee Co., Ill .. and they have one child living, named Al-

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LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

fred P .: Julia F. married David Dunean, a farmer of Round Grove Township, this county ; they have three children, named Leslie. Ethel and Leander. The other members of the family are at home with their parents. At the time of the writing of this sketch, Leander is on a visit to his friends in Penn- sylvania. He is an industrious young man of twen- ty-four years of age. and universally respected. The children were educated at the High School in Dwight.

In political matters Mr. Potter is in harmony with the doctrines of the Republican party. He has been school Director, Road Commissioner, and has held other township offices. Both Mr. and Mrs. Potter are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. and have both been faithful to their trusts, and by honest labor and patient industry, have succeeded in the contest of life, and have brought up their children to good moral principles and given them a good education. Descended from sterling ances- tor-, the children may well be proud of their fore- father>. When Mr. Potter came as a pioneer to this county. the fertile prairie was wild, and covered with high grass. He was obliged to haul his coal fromn Streator, twenty-two miles distant. across an uninhabited prairie. In crossing the "Slews," as the low places are called. the prairie grass was 80 high, that when standing on the seat of a common farm wagon. a tall man could not reach the top. The farm on which Mr. Potter now resides, con- sisting of 160 acres. was purchased in 1866, and since that time he has expended his best efforts in improving and cultivating it. A view of the home place is given in this ALBUM.

the exception of a few years spent in school at Ox- ford Academy. On leaving the mill he went to Canterbury, Windham Co., Conn., where he en- gaged to learn the trade of a molder, at which he served two years.

On the 20th of August, 1861, Mr. B. enlisted in Company F, 8th Connecticut Infantry, at Canter- bury, and was mustered in at llartford. under Capt. Elijah Y. Smith, Col. Edwin Harlan commanding the regiment. They were sworn into the service on the 23d of September, 1861, and sent to Jamaica, L. I., where they remained in drill camp until No- vember, and then went to Annapolis, Md., to join Burnside's expedition to North Carolina. They went by water to Hatteras Inlet in Pamlico Sound. and passed up to Roanoke Island, where on the 7th and 8th of February, 1862, the battle of Roanoke Island was fought. Thence they went by water to Newbern, where on the 14th of March, the battle of Newbern was fought. They then went by rail to Ft. Macon, which they placed under siege on the 14th of April, and by the 25th of that month had so completely riddled the fort that the garrison surrendered unconditionally. After remaining practically idle for a week, they embarked for Fortress Monroe, where they landed and met Me- Clellan, who had retreated down the Peninsula. After this they returned to their vessels and went to Yorktown, but soon reshipped and went up the Pamunky River, to within thirteen miles of Rich- mond. where they destroyed the railroad to the north to head off Lee's first raid into Pennsylvania. They then crossed the country to Point Comfort and -ailed to Aqua Creek, and thence to Freder- icksburg, where they were on picket duty until Au- 20000- ! gust 31, and then marched to Brook's Station, guarding that portion of the country until the mid- n2 ELSON A. BEMIS, who is engaged in farm- ing and stock-raising on section 2, in Esmen Township. was born in Oxford, Chenango County. N. Y .. on the 9th of September, 1840, and is the oldest child of Amariah N. and Lucinda ( Bachu-) Bemi-, sketches of whose lives appear in another part of this work. The subject of this sketch passed bi- younger days in town, and was first put to regular work in a sawmill with his father, alle of September. They then reported at Wash- ington City, and went on through to attack Lee by the way of Frederickstown and Sharpsburg. They overtook the enemy and had a sharp skirmish at Frederickstown, and on the 14th of September fought the battle of South Mountain, driving the enemy for a day and a night. They again en- countered the enemy at Antietam Creek and Sharps- burg. Here the company had but thirty-six men where he remained until eighteen years of age, with ; at the beginning, and when night came on but five

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LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

able-bodied men remained. Gen. Rodman, their brigade commander, and the subject of this sketch received three gunshot wounds, in the right side and in both legs. The wounded lay for forty-eight hours before medical aid or any assistance could reach them. Mr. Bemis was carried to a farm honse and remained in field hospital two weeks, when he was taken to the hospital at Baltimore, and two weeks later, on the 28th of September. 1862, was granted a furlough and went home.

Four months later Mr. Bemis returned to Wash- ington and reported to the medical director for serv- ice, when he was put into convalescent camp. where he remained sixty-eight days. Ile then joined his regiment at Portsmouth. which was still under Burnside, but under the immediate com- mand of Gen Butler. From there they went to Suffolk and laid siege to that eity, while Longstreet was trying to hem in the Union forces and recap- ture Norfolk. This began April 11, 1863, and the West Branch Battery was captured April 19. On the 4th of May the enemy retreated toward Richmond and the siege was raised. The company then returned to Portsmouth and were sent to North Carolina, by way of the Dismal Swamp Canal, when they guarded the railroads in that State for a time. On their return they served on picket duty in Virginia until December, and then the veteran army re-enlistment occurred. Mr. Bemis re-enlisted for three years more, but was rejected on account of his wounds and discharged Jan. 15, 1864.

Upon leaving the army our subject returned to his home, where he farmed two years and then came West, in 1968, locating at Brimfield, Peoria County, where he engaged as a farmer. While thus engaged he made several trips further west, looking for a location, and in the fall of 1869 he came to Livingston County, where with his father, he bought 160 acres of wild land on section 2, Es- men Township. He now has 160 acres more on the same section and devotes his time to farming and stock-raising.

On the 16th of February, 1869. Mr. B. married Sarah L. Sheldon, eighth child in a family of nine, born to Benjamin and Lorinda (Thompson) Shel- don, who were respectively natives of Rhode Island

and Massachusetts. The daughter, Sarah, was born in Guilford, Chenango Co., N. Y., on the 29th of June, 1844, and came to Illinois first with her hus- band. Her father, who was a farmer by occupation, remained in the East; the mother is still living in the State of New York. The paternal grandparents were Benjamin and Anna Sheldon: the maternal grandparents were John and Lydia (Stone) Thomp- son. Of the great-grandparents the Thompsons were of Irish and the Shellons of English descent.

Mr. and Mrs. Bemis are the parents of four chil- dren-Virgil S., John B., Frank L. and Hattie L. Mr. Bemis has served as Town Clerk for twelve years and School Director ever since his district was organized. While not active in polities he is a warm supporter of the Republican party. Mrs. Bemis is a member of the Congregational Church.

We present on another page of this work a view of Mr. Bemis' residence.

AMES BROWN is one of the largest stock- raisers and most extensive land-owners of Livingston County, and resides in Nevada Township. He was born in the city of Deer- field, Oneida Co., N. Y., on the 14th of September. 1829. His grandfather, David Brown, was a native of Scotland, and was born in Ayrshire, where he re- sided until about 1802, when. accompanied by his wife and three children, he came to America, and settled in Schuyler Township, Herkimer Co .. N. Y., where he was an early settler. fle purchased a tract of timber land and cleared a farm in the midst of the wilderness. His settlement was made there very many years before railroads or canals were operated in New York State, and the market for grain and stock was many miles distant. His tastes ran to horticulture, and soon after settling upon the farm he planted a large orchard and sold the apple product at six cents per bushel, and in that way secured the money with which to pay for his farm. Ile and his wife spent the last years of their lives upon this farm.

The father of Mr. Brown was ten years of age when his parents came to America. He was reared to manhood in Herkimer County, N. Y., and re-

LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

sided there until after his marriage ; he then bought a farm in Deerfield Township, Oneida County, and lived there several years. He then moved to Cam- den. where he bought a home and where his death took place. The maiden name of his wife, the mother of our subjeet, was Sophia Mumford, who was born in Connecticut in 1799. Her father was William Mumford, a native of Connectient, and an early settler of Deerfield Township, Oneida County. The mother died on the homestead in Deerfield at forty-four years of age.

To the parents of our subject were born nine children, and in the order of their birth he was the seventh. His education was begun in a district school. continued in the city schools of Oswego, N. Y., and completed by attending two terms at Whitestown Seminary. After quitting school he engaged in teaching six terms of winter school, and when not so occupied devoted his time to farming. In 1>54 he engaged in the butchering business in Oswego. N. Y .. and in connection with that dealt in new milch cows, buying the cattle in Canada and Pennsylvania and selling them to the dairymen in Herkimer County. He continued in this business successfully for nearly fifteen years. In 1865 he purchased two farms containing 320 acres, in Phoenix Township, Oswego Co., N. Y., and engaged in dairy farming for one year. In 1866 he sold that farm, and accompanied by his father-in-law, came west on a visit of inspection of the country. He purchased 180 acres of land in Nevada Town- ship. Livingstou County, in 1867, and soon after came here and located on this land. He immedi- ately commenced stocking his farm with good eat- tle, and in a little while had a considerable herd. From time to time he has added to his real estate until he now has 800 acres of fine land in Nevada and Dwight Townships. He is largely engaged in raising. feeding and shipping stock. For the last few years he has paid particular attention to raising hor-es. his favorite breed being Norman, of which he constantly keeps on hand a large number of line animal -.

On the 27th of July, 1863. Mr. Brown was mar- ried to Endora Wood, who was born in Oswego County. N. Y. Her father was Moses Wood, also a native of that county, where he was engaged in

farming, and lived all his life. The maiden name of the mother of Mrs. Brown was Pattie Bostrick, a native of Oswego County. To Mr. and Mrs, Brown have been born eight children. four living. whose names are: Eva, Addie, George and Eudora Blanche. Those deceased were James, Mabel, Daniel and one unnamed.

Mr. Brown was, in the earlier years of his man- hood, an old-line Whig, and was a radical Aboli- tionist during the slavery agitation in this country, and naturally joined the Republican party under the banner of Fremont and Lincoln, and he is to- day as strong in the Republican faith as ever. But few men have attained the success which has crowned Mr. Brown's efforts, who started under the same disadvantages that he did. His first earnings as a teacher when a young man clothed him, and the money which he made in the work of farming he saved until it accumulated to a sum large enough to constitute a capital upon which to begin business. All his life he has been careful and prudent, as well as economical in all his affairs. Since his residence in Livingston County he has been considered by his neighbors as an enterpris- ing, solid and thrifty business man, possessing all those manly qualities that are characteristic of the hardy race of men from which he springs. Honor- able in business, pleasant in manner, cautious in action, he has the high regard of all who know him.

It affords us pleasure to present a view of Mr. Brown's handsome residence in this ALBUM.

ANIEL GALLUP, a highly respected and well-to-do farmer of Dwight Township, was born in Windham County, Conn., May 11, 1822. His family is of Puritan ances- try, and tradition has it that three brothers of this name came from England in 1630 or 1632, and landed in Boston. One of the brothers returned to England and was drowned. John and Isaac, the other two, remained in this country. From John descended this branch of the Gallup family.

The historian, John S. C. Abbott, mentions John

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LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

Gallup as the Captain of a vessel in 1635. The following account is copied from Abbott's History of King Phillip: " A man by the name of John Gallup was in a small vessel of about twenty tons on his passage from Connecticut to Massachusetts Bay. A strong northerly wind drove him near Mariens or Block Island. This island is about font- teen miles from Point Judith. To his surprise he found near the shore an English vessel, which he immediately recognized as Capt. Oldham's, filled with Indians, and evidently in their possession. Sixteen savages, well armed with their own weap- ons and with guns and swords which they had taken from the English, crowded the boat. Capt. Gallup was a man of iron heart. inspirited by that Puritan chivalry which ever displayed itself in the most amazing deeds of daring without the slightest ap- parent consciousness that there was anything extra- ordinary in the exploit. His little vessel was con- siderably larger than the boat which the Indians had captured. His erew, however, consisted of only one man and two boys, and yet without the slightest hesitancy, he immediately decided upon a naval fight with the Indians. Loading his muskets and spreading all sail, he bore down upon his foe. The wind was fair and strong, and standing firmly at the helm, while his crew were protected by the bulwarks from the arrows and bullets of the Indi- ans, and were ready with their muskets to shoot anyone who attempted to board, he guided his ves- sel so skillfully as to strike the smaller boat of the foe fairly upon the quarter. The shock was so se- vere that the boat was nearly capsized, and six of the Indians were knocked into the sea and drowned. Capt. Gallup immediately stood off and prepared for a similar broadside. In the meantime he lashed the anchor to the bows of the vessel in such a way that the flukes would pierce the sides of the boat, and serve as a grappling iron. As there were now only ten Indians to be attacked, they decided to board the boat in case it should be grappled by the fluke of his anchor.

" Having made these arrangements, Capt. Gallup again came running down before a brisk gale, and striking the boat, again tore open her sides with his anchor, while at the same moment he poured in a heavy discharge of buckshot upon the terrified sav-

ages; most of them. however, had plunged into the hold of the little pinnace, and the shot effected bnt little execution. A third time he ran down upon the pinnace, and struck her with such force that five men in their turn leaped overboard and were drowned. There were but five savages left, and the intrepid Gallup immediately boarded the enemy. The savages retreated into the small cabin, and with swords they defended themselves. Two were taken captives and bound. Having no place where he could keep these two Indians apart, and fearing that they might get loose, and in co-operation with the three savages who had fortified themselves in the cabin, rise successfully upon him, Capt. Gallup threw one of the Indians overboard, and he was drowned. This was rough usage, but the savages, who had apparently rendered it necessary by their previous acts of robbery and murder, could not complain. The pinnace was stripped of her rigging, and all the goods which remained. The body of Capt. Oldham was found awfully mutilated beneath the sail. The rest of the crew, but two or three in number, had been carried off captives by the sav- ages on shore. Capt. Gallup buried the corpse as reverently as possible in the sea, and then took the pinnaee in tow, with the savages barricaded in the cabin. Night came on, dark and stormy ; the wind increased to a tempest, and it was necessary to cut the pinnace adrift, and she was never heard of more.'

Capt. John Gallup, son of the above, was killed by the Indians in King Phillip's War of 1675, in the famous swamp fight, while he was leading his men across the trunk of a tree, the only entrance to the fort. He was one of the six Captains killed in this assault. John Gallup, son of the above, was born in 1675, about the time of his father's death. His son, Isaac Gallup, was the great-grandfather of the subject of our sketch, and he settled in the town of Sterling, Windham Co., Conn. He was a very large land-holder, and possessed over 10,000 acres. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. Ben Adams, the grandfather of our subject, was a far- mer who inherited lands from his father. lle mar- ried Miss Margaret Dorrenee. of Connecticut, and they were the parents of seven children-George, James, Margaret, Elizabeth, John A., Nathaniel

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LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

and Chester. Like his father, he was a sollier in the Revolutionary War. In religions doctrines he was an Old-school Presbyterian, and was a man temperate in his habits and of upright character. Ile lived to the patriarchial age of ninety-two years. John Adam. the father of the subject of our sketch. was born on the okl homestead, which had been in the family for generations. He was educated in the common schools of that day. and learned the trade of a carpenter. He married Miss Polly Bar- ber, of Rhode Island, and they were the parents of nine children-Ben, Adam, Daniel, Orrin, Sabra, Leonard H .. Ralph W .. Miranda and Diana. Mi- randa died at the age of seventeen years. In 1850 he moved to Illinois and settled on a farm in La- Salle County, near Mendota, where he lived for twenty years, He died at the home of his son Dan- iel. at the age of eighty years. He had been a sol- clier in the War of 1812.

Daniel Gallup. the subject of this sketch, received hi- education in the common schools, and when not so engaged his boyhood was spent in learning the practical feature- of farming. At the age of twen- ty-three he went to New York and engaged in the market business. When twenty-seven years of age Mr. Gallup married Miss Helen M. Beach. daughter of William and Sallie ( Remington ) Beach, of Weeds- port. N. Y., and to them were born two children, John L. and Nellie L., the latter dying at the age of twenty-four years. Mr. Gallup engaged in the grain business at New York, where he remained for two years. In 1864 he moved with his family to Dwight, where he lived for five years, and then moved to his present residence on a farm near Dwight. a view of which is given in this volume. Mr. Gallup's political affiliations are with the Re- publican party, and the principles of that party find in him at all times and under all circumstances a fearless advocate. The entire family are members of the Baptist Church. in the affairs of which they take a deep interest. Mr. Gallup is a member of the Masonic fraternity in high standing.

John L .. the only surviving child, is in connec- tion with bis father engaged in farming. He re- ceived hi- education in the New York City schools, and in the High School at Dwight, in which he titted himself for the profession of teaching, in

which calling he has been successfully engaged at various times. The Gallup family is one of the pioneer families of the country, and they have al- ways made their impress in whatever section they may have resided.

20 09

ASIIINGTON STAFFORD. This gentle- man for the past thirty-five years has been the interested observer of the many and great changes which have taken place in Central Illinois since his first arrival here, in 1852. He was then a young man thirty-two years of age and had come to the West to build up for himself a perma- nent home. He possessed very little means, and being dependent upon his own resources at once began to exercise those habits of industry and econ- omy to which he had been trained, and which had become his second nature. These were qualities quite common among the early pioneers, and were the only basis upon which they could hope to build successfully in their efforts to secure their own comfort and well-being and that of their children.

Our subject is pleasantly located on section 21, Eppard's Point Township, where he owns eighty acres of valuable land which he has brought to a good state of cultivation and provided with substantial buildings. He has carried on general farming. and of late years has made a specialty of stock-rais- ing, in which he has been successful. Ile has just passed the sixty-seventh year of his age, and with " his estimable wife, is still in good health, which is the usnal result of correct and temperate lives.

Mr. Stafford was born in Hampshire County, Va., Sept. 5, 1820, which was also the birthplace of his parents, Joseph and Elizabeth (Meyer) Stafford. His paternal grandfather, John Stafford, was a na- tive of Belfast, Ireland, whenee he was brought to this country as a soldier by the British during the Revolutionary War. He was taken prisoner by the soldiers under Gen. Washington. He afterward married, and located in Hampshire County, Va., where he reared a family of eight children, all of whom have since passed away. Joseph, the father of our subject, spent his entire life in the Old Do- minion, and served as a soldier in the War of 1812.

CBronson Smith

Wstafford

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LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

The parental household included eight children- Lizzie Jane, Washington, John, Sarah, Susan, Mary, William and James. Lizzie Jane married B. Wiley. and died in her native State, in 1851; John died in the army, in 1862, leaving a wife and two children ; Sarah is the wife of John Long, and the mother of a large family ; Susan, Mrs. William Brace, is now a widow, her husband having died in September, 1876, in Maryland; Mary, Mrs. William Ridgeley, lives in West Virginia, and has six children; Will- iam is a resident of Richland County, Ohio, and has a family including four daughters and one son ; James is married and lives in West Virginia; he is the father of seven children.

Our subject remained under the parental roof until 1844, then migrated to Ohio and engaged in farming about twenty miles from the town . of Janesville. Eight years later he came to this county, settling first a short distance north of Pon- tiac, and in the spring of 1854 removed to his present place, where he has since resided. During his various removals he has been accompanied by his wife, who is now the mother of eight children. She was formerly Miss Elizabeth Lickliter, and was born in Virginia, Feb. 5, 1823. Their marriage took place in their native county, in 1842. Mrs. Stafford is the daughter of George and Rosa (Cook) Lickliter, natives respectively of Maryland and Pennsylvania. Of her seven brothers and sisters, two of the boys died in the Union army, and the names of the survivors are: John, a resident of Nebraska: Mary, the wife of Willis Stafford; Ara- belle, the wife of Elias Heyser; Matilda, Mrs. Lewis Stull, and Martha, Mrs. Nathan Jones, all of whom live in Ohio.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Stafford were named as follows: James, John, Joseph, George, Louisa, Matilda, Lyda and Mazy. James is a prosperous farmer of Wilbarger County, Tex., is married and the father of seven children; John is farming in Iowa, is married and has two children ; Joseph went to Arizona in 1881, since which time he has never been heard from; he left a wife and five children in Iowa; one of these children, Onary, is in Living- ston County, another, Lafflin L., is with his grand- father, our subject, and the other children are in Iowa with their mother. George is married, and

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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 117

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