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 126

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 126

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In the illustration department of this ALBUM is shown a view of the residence of the Hon. James HI. Funk.

AMES B. AUSTIN, who occupies the posi- tion of Marshal of the town of Dwight, is of English and Welsh descent. The Austins were among the early settlers and pioneers of the State of Rhode Island, and James Austin, the great-grandfather of our subjeet, served on board a privateer during the Revolutionary War. The maternal great-grandfather. Samuel Mitchell, served all through the Revolutionary War, first as a soldier and then as a privateersman.

During the war the seafaring people of the East- ern States fitted out a great many private vessels to harrass the British shipping. They were of the greatest service to the cause of the struggling col- onies, as their vessels constituted nearly their entire

LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

naval force. Samuel Mitchell served on a vessel under Capt. George Waite Babcock, and assisted in the capture of an English man-of-war. taking her as a prize to Newport. R. 1. Samuel Austin, the grandfather of our subject, was born at North Kingston. R. I .. and there was reared to farming, which occupation he followed in after life. Ile married Miss Mary, daughter of Samuel Mitchell of North King-ton, and to them were born eleven children-Ruth. Emily G .. JJulia A., Maria P., Isaac, James S .. Margaret. Sarah. Harriet N .. Hannah E. and Samuel W .. all of whom grew to maturity, and are still living, except Roth and Harriet N. Mr. Au-tin owned a farm upon which he lived during his entire life. In religions matters he was a Close- Communion or " Hard Shell" Baptist, and politically he was an old-line Whig. He was an industrious, hard-working man, and brought up his family to habit- of industry, instilling into them good moral principle -. Although stern in. his teachings, he possessed a mild disposition, and was a kind father. He was a man of -trong constitution, and lived to the good old age of eighty-four years.

James S. Austin, the father of our subject, was born on his father'- farm in Rhode Island, Nov. 30, 1×13. Ile passed his early life on his father's farm, and besides learning farming, he received a good common-school education. In 1839 he married Mi -- Lucy. daughter of Silas and Sarah (Card) Allen. of North Kingston. R. I., and to them were horn eleven children, named as follows: Sarah. Isaac. Lucy, Ella, Henry F. Anme, Stephen A., Susin II .. Jame- B .. Susan II. (20) and Maggie. Mr. Austin lived on a farm on Mt. Hope. in Rhode I-land. the famous seat of King Phillip. the re- nowned Indian chieftain and warrior, who became edlebrated in song and story. Here Mr. Austin lived five years, and then moved to the northern part of Prudence Iland, in Narragansett Bay, whence in 1-55 le came to Illinois, where he purchased a farm on which he lived. and made good improve- ments. Howold this property and moved to Dwight Township. where he farmed until 1878, when he sold out and went to Rush County. Kan., where he took up a homestead, of which he still has posses- -ion. The returned to Livingston County in 1883, -iner which time he has been living in Dwight,

where he is Tax Collector. In political opinion> Mr. Austin is a Republican, and besides the office he now holds, has been Supervisor and Road Com- missioner.

James B. Austin, our subject, was born on Pru- dence Island. in Narragansett Bay, on the 5th of May, 1854, and was brought by his parents to Illi- nois when but one year old. He received a com- mon-school education at Dwight, and followed farm- ing until 1882. In 1879, on the 18th of March, Mr. Austin was married to Miss Nettie, daughter of George W. and Mary (Turubaugh) Boyer, and they breame the parents of four children: George S .; Albert, who died in infancy : Effie M. and Blanche. The young couple went to live on a farm near Dwight, where they remained five years, and then removed with their family to Dwight, where, in company with H. F. Boyer. our subject went into the horse-breeding business. They have four im- ported stallions, English draft and Norman, which were purchased at a cost of from $1,500 to $2,000. In 1887 Mr. Austin was elected to the office of Marshal of Dwight, which position he still holds, and is discharging its duties with credit to himself and satisfaction to the people. In polities he is a Republican, and takes an active interest in the affairs of his party.

Le EVASSEUR MASON is a prominent young farmer and stock-raiser on section 12, Pon- tiae Township, whose birthplace was Pres- ton County, W. Va., a county which borders on Pennsylvania, and has a diversified surface, con- sisting of a mountain region, fertile valleys and ex- tensive forests, and the products of which are corn, hay, oats, and cattle. The people are similar in their habits and customs to those of Pennsylvania, and upon their migration to the West readily assimi- lated with the people there. Preston County is largely inhabited by an industrious, frugal and in- telligent class of people, and when the State of Virginia sceeded from the Union and engaged with the other Southern States inaugurating the war of the Rebellion, the people of that section, now con- stituting the State of West Virginia, were largely loyal to the Union. The family to which the sub-

RESIDENCE OF L. MASON , SEC. 12. PONTIAC TOWNSHIP.

RESIDENCE OF ELI W. PEARSON, SEC. 26. ESMEN TOWNSHIP.

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LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

ject of this sketch belonged resided there during the greater time the war was in progress, and nec- essarily suffered the consequences of the inenrsions of both armies.

Mr. Mason was born on the 2d of May, 1848, and is the son of William D. and Mary R. Mason, who were both Virginians by birth. In the year 1864, which was a year before the close of the war, his parents removed from Virginia and settled in Adams County, Ohio, where they remained until 1872, when they concluded to go further West, and came to Livingston County, settling on the farm now occupied by the subject of this sketch, on section 12, Pontiac Township. The family of his parents consisted of six children, three of whom are living: Albert S .; Elizabeth L., the wife of T. E. Grandy, and Levasseur. The father, William D. Mason, who died in 1884, was considered one of the representative and progressive farmers of Pon- tiac Township. He was purely a self-made man, as whatever he accomplished in life was through his own unaided efforts. lle was a Democrat in politics, and always consistently acted with that party. He also took a lively interest in the moral and educational welfare of the people of his town- ship. His widow, who is a woman of many excel- lent qualities, survives him, and resides in the eity of Pontiac.

The subject of this sketch remained with his par- ents until he arrived at the age of maturity, and for a number of years was employed in his father's store in Winchester, Ohio, where he was a general merchant. In this capacity he learned many of the rudiments of business which have served him well in after life. He was fortunately situated so that he secured a good common-school education. In April, 1873, he was married to Maggie S. DeBruin, of Adams County, Ohio. She is a daughter of Rev. J. II. DeBruin, of that county, who is a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church. To Mr. and Mrs. Mason have been born four children : Willie on the 12th of June, 1875: Ella on the 7th of March. 1879; Frank on the 14th of July, 1881, and Edna on the 26th of June, 1884.

In 1882 Mr. Mason removed to Nebraska, and in Pierce County was engaged in mercantile busi- ness, which included the sale of farm machinery

and hardware. In 1886 he returned to bis present farm, which consists of 2662 acres in Pontiac Town- ship. This farm is composed of excellent land and has always been very productive. Under Mr. Mason's manipulations its physical condition will be much improved. It is with pleasure we present a view of Mr. Mason's residence, together with its environments, on an accompanying page. Like his father Mr. Mason is a Democrat in politics, but is in no sense an offensive partisan. He has already established himself in the esteem of his neighbors, and will no doubt find his residence in Pontiac Township both profitable and pleasant.

E LI W. PEARSON, farmer and Supervisor of Esmen Township, also a dealer in cattle and hogs, was born in Miami County, Ohio, on the 11th of August, 1836, the third in a family of five children born to Aaron and Rachel (Moore) Pearson, who were natives of Virginia and Ohio re- spectively. His paternal grandparents were na- tives of England, and early emigrants to America. There were two brothers at that time, and the name they then bore was Preiser, which was afterward merged into Pearson. They were originally Quak- ers. The maternal grandparents were natives of Germany, and were very early emigrants to Amer- ica. The father of Mr. Pearson was born and reared in Ohio, where he resided all his life. The greater portion of his life was devoted to agricult- ural pursnits, but in his later years he was engaged in the milling business.

The subject of this sketch was educated in the common schools, and his advantages were very limited, having been left an orphan at the age of six years, and growing to manhood amidst stran- gers, having been put out for a permanent home. He lived with a family named Swallow, in Mont- gomery County, Ohio, until fourteen years of age, and then began to look out for himself. Ile first worked for a Dunkard named Blickerstaff, with whom he remained four years. After this he chose a guardian, one H. N. Kerr, instead of his uncle, and remained with him until nineteen years of age, when he rented land and began farming for him-

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LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

self. which he engaged in for one season, and then followed his guardian, II. N. Kerr, West, the latter having gone on in the spring. He arrived at Bloomington, IH., on the 26th of October. 1855. and thence went to Cuba, in Odell Township, Liv- ingston County, where Mr. Kerr then lived. In this township he farmed one year, and then bought eighty acre- of wild land, which he improved. While there he concluded to settle in life, and re- turned to Miami County, Ohio, for the purpose of marrying.

On the 28th of October, 1858, Mr. Pearson was married to Rachel Sheafer, the third child in a fam- ily of ten, of whom the parents were Eckert and Rachel (Smith) Sheafer, natives of Pennsylvania. They were of German descent, their parents being natives of Germany, and early emigrants to Amer- ica. After marriage Mr. Pearson settled upon his farm of eighty acres in Livingston County, where he had made improvements adapted to his wants. But his enterprise soon made it necessary for him to have more land, and in 1866 he sold this farm and moved to Esmen Township, where he first bonght 160 acres of wild land on section 26, to which he added eighty acres, making for the home place 310 acres. This land he has placed under a high state of cultivation, and made splendid im- provements in the way of houses and barns. His orchard and shrubbery are unsurpassed in the town- -hip. A view of the premises is shown in this con- nection. Ile located upon this farm in 1866, and has lived there continuously ever since. During this time there have been born to him six children, whoare all living: Rachel, Sept. 10, 1859; Abra- ham Lincoln. March 1, 1861 ; Arthur N., March 22, 1×63: Sarah Emma, Feb. 11, 1866; Anna M., Ang. 22. 186%: Ida O .. Feb. 2, 1875. Lincoln married Savannah C'inpheuour, and now lives in Washing- ton County, Col., where he is engaged in farming : Arthur i- there also. and both have taken up land claim -: Emiaa married Royal E. Knapp, who lives on a farm two miles north of the homestead; the other children reside at home with their parents. Anna i- just entering upon the profession of school teaching.

his district until his removal to Esmen Township. He then helped to organize District No. 7, and served as Director until 1870, when he resigned and accepted the position of School Treasurer. which he has held ever since. He was largely in- strumental in securing the construction of the pres- ent commodious school building. He is now serv- ing his tenth year a> Supervisor of Esmen Town- ship, having been elected in 1878 on the Independ- ent tieket, which he voted at that time. He has always been independent in politics, and is quite active in township affairs.

Mr. and Mrs. Pearson are both enthusiastic and active in their support of all educational progress, and none wield a stronger influence for good than they.

E LON G. RAGAN, one of the honored pio- neers of Broughton Township, came to this section of country during its first settlement, and may be properly numbered among the self- made men, who not only have built up a comfort- able home for themselves, but have assisted in the development and progress of the township. He has been an interested witness of the remarkable changes which have occurred during the last thirty years in this section of the Prairie State, and while laboring for himself and family, has also kept in mind the welfare of those around him, and the in- fluence which each member of a community ex- erts in determining the general result. Broughton Township is fortunate in being settled up by intel- ligent people, among whom the subject of our sketch has borne no unimportant part.

Mr. Ragan was born in Lewis County, N. Y., Jan. 22, 1832, and is the son of Charles and Mary ( Reeves) Ragan, also natives of the Empire State. The first representative of the Ragan family who settled in New York State became a resident of Dutchess County, whence some of his descendants subsequently removed, and located in Lewis County. Among these was the father of our subject, who served, when a young man, in the War of 1812, and was subsequently engaged in farming pursuits. In 1844, when Elon G. was a lad twelve years of

Mr. Pearson taught the third term of school in hi- own dwelling. He served as School Director in i age, Charles Ragan with his motherless family, mi-

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LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

grated to Ohio, and located in Portage County, where they resided several years, and where the death of the father took place about 1853; his wife, Mary, had died in New York State about 1841. Charles Ragan was a second time married, and his family included a large number of children, of whom Ralph now lives in Ohio; Emily is the wife of Wells Hurlbut, of Ohio, and Catherine married Robert Close, of Broughton Township, this county.

Mr. Ragan remained in the Buckeye State until reaching his majority, and coming to Illinois in the spring of 1853, spent the first twelve years of his residence in this State in Grundy County, whence he removed to Livingston County in the spring of 1865. He first located in Dwight Township, and engaged in farming until the spring of 1871, when he took possession of his present home in Brough- ton Township. Here he has fifty-nine acres of land on section 31, which comprises the homestead, and he owns ninety-six acres in Sullivan Township. Hle has labored industriously all his life, and may reasonably look with satisfaction upon the results of his self-sacrifice and economy. The family resi- dence is a comfortable and substantial structure, flanked by a good barn and other necessary out- buiklings, and there is about the premises an air of comfort which is pleasant to contemplate. Mr. Ragan arrived in Illinois with a capital of $3 in his pocket, and his present possessions indicate how well he has spent his time, and how judicious have been his investments.

The lady who has for the last thirty years pre- sided over the domestic affairs of our subject, and been his best friend and close counselor, was in her girlhood Miss Maria West, and became his wife on the 6th of March, 1855. Mrs. Ragan was born in Susquehanna County, Pa., and came to this county with her husband, her early life having been spent with her parents in Pennsylvania. They became the parents of two children : Henry, now a resident of this township, and Effie, the wife of Orrin Hale, of Saunemin Township.

Upon first coming to this farm, Mr. Ragan was obliged to go fourteen miles to mill, which was also the nearest trading point. There were then no railroads or stage lines, transportation being effected with horse and ox teams. Mr. Ragan, however,

bore in mind the fact that he was as well off as his neighbors, and had only one thought in his mind, that of pressing onward until the lapse of time and the advance of civilization should bring about a better state of things. He believed that his pa- tience would be rewarded, and he was not di-ap- pointed. Ile and his estimable lady are passing their declining years surrounded by the comforts of life, and the kindly care of many friends.

Mr. Ragan when a young man identified him- self with the Republican party, to which he still ! adheres with the tenacity of his first convictions.

E. HEPPERLY. This gentleman commenced farming in Pike Township in the spring of 1876, taking possession of the land which he now occupies, and which comprises 120 acres. This he has brought to a fine state of cultivation, pro- vided it with neat and substantial fencing, and drained the low portions with tile, so that he has a farm which produces abundantly the various crops of the Prairie State. The dwelling is a shapely and convenient structure, and the barn and out-build- ings meet all the requirements for the storing of grain and the shelter of stock.

Mr. Hepperly is no unimportant factor in the af- fairs of his township, although comparatively a young man, while his industry and straightforward business methods long ago secured him the esteem and confidence of his neighbors, and there is every indication that his future career will be one of steady progress and prosperity. He is one of the most valued members of the Republican party in this seetion.

Our subject, a native of Tazewell County, was born Aug. 8, 1853, and is the second chikl of Will- iam P. and Margaret (O'Brien) Hepperly, the former a native of Gettysburg, Pa., and the latter of In- diana. They were married in Groveland Township, Tazewell County, and their union was blessed by the birth of six children, namely : John A., Orin E., Charles A., George II., Sarah E. and Mary E., all living, and the three eldest sons married. William P. Hepperly and his excellent wife are highly re- spected residents of Pike Township, and members

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LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Mr. lepperly was a little lad five years of age when his parents removed from Tazewell to Wood- ford County. where he was educated in the com- mon school-, and remained until selecting his future home in this county. This was land which his father had purchased several years before, and upon it our subject carried on farming three years before his marriage. This important event was celebrated at the home of the bride in Woodford County, Feb. 17. 1881, the lady of his choice being Miss Tarey D. Foster. Mrs. II. was born in Woodford County, Jan. 1. 1862, and is the daughter of Michael and Eliza (Myers) Foster, natives of Germany and Ohio respectively, and now residents of Tazewell County. The young people commenced house- keeping in a modest dwelling, and two years after- ward Mr. Hepperly increased his acreage by the purchase of a 40-acre tract adjoining the first. He now has 120 acres, the cultivation of which yields him a handsome income, and is enabled to provide himself and family with all the comforts of life.

AMES M. WYLIE, whose portrait is pre- sented in connection with this brief sketch of his life, located in Saunemin Township in the spring of 1870, and took possession of his present farm of 160 acres on section 5. Hle has since given much of his attention to stock-raising, although carrying on his general farming operations with enterprise and success. The residence and out-buildings bear fair comparison with those of bi- neighbor -. and his land has been rendered re- markably fertile by being underlaid with 500 rods of tiling. He has pursued the even tenor of his way as an industrious and enterprising farmer, at the same time possessing those qualities which have rendered him a desirable member of the commu- uity.

Mr. Wylie wa- boru in Warren County, Ohio, Ort. 15. 1830, at the homestead of his parents, Da- vid and France- (Ridinger) Wylie, who were also natives of the Buckeye State. His paternal grand-

father. James Wylie, is believed to have been of English birth and parentage; he was a gentleman of good education and followed the profession of a teacher in his own country until, through the so- licitations of Benjamin Franklin, he crossed the At- lantic, and pursued his calling thereafter in Ohio.

The maternal grandfather of our subject, An- drew Ridiger, served as a soklier in the Revolu- tionary War, on account of which he wasafterward a pensioner. Ile finally took up his abode in Warren County, Ohio, during the early settlement of that State, and there spent his last years. There also he reared his family, and his daughter, Frances, the mother of our subject, was married.

James M. Wylie is the only surviving child of his parents. with whom he removed when about seven years of age to Indiana, and they settled near Craw- fordsville. where the death of the mother took place. The father survived several years, and died in Liv- ing>tou County, Il., in 1865. James M., when about thirteen years of age, began learning the blacksmith's trade, which he followed eight or nine years, In 1850, when twenty years of age, he started on an overland trip to California, crossing the plains with a team in company with three other men. Their journey occupied 103 days after cross- ing the Missouri River. Young Wylie continned in California for a period of twenty years, engaging in mining, farming and stock-raising. . He returned to Illinois in 1870, and at once settled upon his present farm.

Mr. Wylie, upon his return from California, was married to Miss Leah Jones, a native of Fountain County, Ind., and the daughter of Isaiah and Leah (Slaughter) Jones. The event occurred on the 1st of December, 1870, The parents of his wife were natives of New York, and are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Wylie at once settled down upon the farm, and in due time became the parents of seven children, namely : Addie B, Frederick, Jessie M., James B., Mande E., Claude C. and Mary E. The eldest is fifteen years of age, and the youngest three years.

Mr. Wylie bas always voted the Republican ticket ; he takes a genuine interest in the welfare of the people around him, and has served as School Di- rector in his district for some years. He is a man

Jag. m. Wylie

myers John F.

LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

1025

of fair education, mostly acquired through his own efforts, and keeps himself well posted upon matters of general interest. He commenced in life without means, and his property is the result of his own in- dustry and perseveranee.

OIIN F. MYERS, a prominent and wealthy farmer of Indian Grove Township, owns a fine property on section 29, comprising 233 acres of valuable land, a fine residence with ample and substantial out-bnihlings and all the ap- pliauces of a first-class modern homestead. His land is largely devoted to the raising of grain and hay, and of late years he has given his attention principally to the breeding of fine stock, making a specialty of standard trotting horses, mostly of the Hambletonian and Mambrino stock.

Mr. Myers came to Illinois with his parents in 1835, when scarcely a year old, his birth having taken place Dec. 13, 1834, in Christian County, Ky. We give the main points of an interesting family history as follows: The great-grandfather of our subject is remembered as having long been a resident of Lancaster County, Pa., where he was married three times, and reared a large family of children, comprising eighteen sons and one daugh- ter. These mostly grew to mature years, and it is supposed were scattered throughout Pennsylvania and the States adjoining. Henry, the grandfather of our subject, after reaching manhood was united in marriage with Miss Catharine Negley, a native of Pennsylvania, and a lady of a high order of in- tellect, who in her palmiest days could carry well her side of the question in regard to Scriptural inatters with any of the divines of that period. She was endowed with a vigorous constitution, and her personal appearance attracted much admiration. She was of commanding height, with broad fore- head, dark eurling hair, fair complexion and blue eyes. She lived to a ripe old age.

After marriage Henry Myers and his wife mi- grated to Kentucky, which was then considered the far West. They located in the midst of the wilder- uess, in Mercer County, while savages still roamed

the forest, together with wild animals. After re- maining in Mercer County a few years they secured possession of a tract of land in Christian County. which they cultivated, and Grandfather Myers also carried on a wagon-shop. Their family consisted of five sons and four daughters, all of whom, with one exception, have passed away. The sole sur- vivor, Mrs. Cassandra Allen, is still a resident of Christian County. Their son, John G., the father of our subject, was born in Christian County in 1799, and during his youth worked in the wagon- shop of his father, obtaining a good knowledge of blacksmithing and working some at coopering. lle was not blessed with a robust constitution, however, and early in life was threatened with lung disease. He was accordingly compelled to abandon manual labor for a number of years. In the meantime, having a talent for music and a fine voice for sing- ing, he studied this art and taught singing-school, becoming very popular among the people of his lo- eality. In personal appearance John G. Myers inherited in a large degree the beauty of his mother. He was also a lover of literature, and his ballads and poems, many of which are still preserved by his friends, indicate him to have been of rare genius. He was particularly given to the writing of patriotic songs. Socially, he was genial and companionable, and a man who never betrayed his friends. In his family he i- remembered as kind and indulgent, and as a citizen, acquitted himself creditably.

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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 126

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