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 23

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 23

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The wife of James L. Roberts was born at Noblesville, Ind., on the 6th of September, 1851, and moved with her parents to Bloomington, Ill .. when about five years of age. They remained there but one year when they removed to Living- ston County, where the father bought 120 aeres of land on section 22. She attended the district school during her girlhood, and received a very fair edn- cation. She is the seventh in a family of twelve children, all of whom are still living; their names are: Margaret, born on the 7th of November. 1839, married to William T. Brydia Dec. 7, 1863, has two children, and lives in Livingston County ; Letitia, born Nov. 29, 1841, married R. M. Hop- kins, has five children, and lives in McLean County, Ill. ; Joseph, born July 2, 1843, married and has three children, lives in Stephenson County, Ill. ; Eliza B., born April 25, 1845, married Robert Shields

Nov. 4, 1883, has five children, and lives in Liv- ingston County; James W., born March 4, 1847, has one child and lives in Nebraska; Benjamin S., born March 25, 1849, married Sept. 14, 1886, has one child and lives in Broken Bow, Neb .; Rachel Jane ; Leonidas L. H., born Oct. 5, 1854, is unmarried and lives in Williamsport, Dak .; Elvira, born April 1, 1857, married Oscar Pickering March 17, 1886, and lives in McLean County ; Effie K., born July 23, 1861, married Charles Hopkins Aug. 6, 1879, has three children, and lives in McLean County ; Mary Eudena, born June 15, 1865, is unmarried and lives at Lexington, Ill., with her sister; Williamette, born May 13, 1869, is unmarried and makes her home with her sister in Graymont.

The father of Mrs. Roberts came from Delaware, where he was born on the 30th of May, 1815; the mother was born in Ohio on the 22d of February, 1821. They were married Dec. 9, 1838. The father died April 2, 1883, and the mother Feb. 16, 1885; they are both buried at Pleasant Hill Ceme- tery, McLean County, Ill. Her maternal grand- father, Benjamin Smith, was born Feb. 3, 1782, and the grandmother, Rachel Smith, was born in 1786.

E DWARD COLLINS, an old and respected citizen who, besides displaying much enter- prise in his business affairs, has been largely instrumental in building up the schools and ad- vancing educational interests where he has lived, is a farmer and stock-raiser on sections 17, 29 and 7, Union Township. He was born in County Ros- common, Ireland, on the 19th of February, 1819, and was the sixth child in a family of seven chil- dren born to Patrick and Delia (Eagan) Collins, natives of Ireland. The paternal grandparents were Mark and Ellen (Dowd) Collins, the former a prominent politician connected with the Rebellion. The maternal grandparents were Patrick and Julia (Regan) Eagan. Mr. Eagan was a soldier in the war at the time the Frenehi invaded Ireland. The father of Mr. Collins was a farmer by occupation, and died in Ireland.

The subject of this sketch was reared a farmer lad and was educated in the public schools, where

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such fair opportunities were afforded that he ob- tained a good education. At the age of nineteen his school life ended, and at the age of twenty-five he was married, on the 30th of June. 1844. to Em- ma W. Burke, who was born in County Galway, Ireland, in 1825. and was the sixth child in a family of eleven born to James and Delia (Barlow) Burke, natives of Ireland. As soon as they were married. Mr. Collins and his wife prepared to come to America, and in August of that year sailed from Liverpool in the "New Hampshire," an American sailing-vessel, when after a stormy voyage of nine weeks and three days they landed at New York on the 13th of November. They lived in New York the first six months after their arrival, where Mr. C. was engaged as assistant book-keeper. They then moved to Orange County, N. Y., where he engaged in farming, and remained for nine years. At the end of that time they started for the West, where they first located in Kendall County, 111., and engaged in farming on rented land for twelve years. In 1865 they moved to Livingston County, where they had purchased 160 acres of partly im- proved land the year before, and they began to make for themselves a home. The township was not yet divided into districts, and Mr. Collins was largely instrumental in the advancement of the schools, in which work he entered with enthusiasm. During the time which has elapsed since Mr. Col- lins' settlement in Union Township he has added forty acres to his original purchase, besides im- proving the older portion of the farm, and now has 200 acres of as fine land as can be found in the county, which he has stocked with fine Durham cattle and Norman horses. He has a thoroughbred Durham registered as Ilibernia, and a large stock of well-bred Poland-China hogs. Mr. Collins al- ways takes an interest in politics and is now identified with the Democratic party, although he was formerly a Republican. It has devolved upon him to assess the township for seventeen years; he has been Commissioner of Highways for nine years, Collector for one year, and School Director for eighteen years.

Mr. and Mrs. Collins are the parents of eight children, all of whom are living-Patrick B., Ellen, Mary A., Margaret, James E., Edward R., Sarah

J. and John C. Ellen is the widow of George W. Bradley, and lives in Emington, this county ; Patrick married Emma Decker, and lives on a farm in Odell Township; Mary, Mrs. John Kemp, lives in Kempton. this county : James is unmarried, and farming in Odell Township; Sarah is teach- ing school in Emington; Mary was also a teacher; Edward and John are unmarried and live at home. The family are members of the Catholic Church in Odell, and are regular worshipers with the congre- gation there.

HOMAS TALBOTT, a worthy English far- mer of Belle Prairie Township, owns a quar- ter of section 1, which constitutes one of the finest bodies of land in the county, prolific of the best crops of the Prairie State, and brought to a high state of cultivation. IIe has been promi- nent in township and county affairs, is a Deacon in the Christian Church, and a Republican who has exercised no small influence in his party in this section. His industry and energy are proverbial, and of which a forcible illustration is presented in the handsome home which he has built for himself and his family. The residence, with its surround- ings, invariably attracts the admiring observation of the passing traveler, and the farm with its beauti- ful fields and well-kept stock is creditable alike to the proprietor and the township which he has chosen for his abiding-place.

Our subject was born in Somersetshire, England, April 12, 1836, and is the son of Henry and Ann (Stuckey ) Talbott, also of English birth and par- entage. They emigrated to America with their family in 1857, and coming to this State located in Cook County, where the father engaged in farming, and where the mother died in 1880; the former is now living in Newton County, Ind. Their four children are all living, and Thomas was the eldest of the family. The others were James, Caroline and Christopher. Thomas remained with his par- ents until twenty-one years of age, then rented a tract of land in Cook County, upon which he operated five years. He was married in 1865. and then coming to Livingston County, purchased

RESIDENCE OF GEO . W. CLINE, SEC. 29. CHATSWORTH TOWNSHIP.

MILL.

STORE.

RESIDENCE , STORE AND MILL OF DAVID HOOBLER, MANVILLE. ILL.

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eighty acres of uncultivated prairie land which is now included in his present farm. This amount he afterward doubled, and has since devoted his entire attention to its cultivation and improvement. lle received no assistance whatever from his father or anyone else, and has the satisfaction of knowing that his possessions are the result of his own in- dustry.

The wife of our subject, to whom he was mar- ried Feb. 7, 1865, was formerly Miss Mary Stuckey, a native of Somersetshire County, England, and was born March 18, 1840. She came to America with her parents when seventeen years of age, in 1857, the same year that her husband came, and formed his acquaintance in Cook County, where her people bad settled. Of this union there have been born six children-Hattie, Nettie, Burt, Edward, and two who died in infancy.

E PENETUS DIXON is quite an extensive stock farmer on section 5, Newtown Town- ship, where he owns 200 acres under a good state of cultivation, and raises stock in sufficient quantities to consume the entire grain product of the farm. Mr. Dixon was born in Marshall County, Ill., Feb. 11, 1845. He is the son of Charles and Sarah (Hodges) Dixon, natives of England. The father was born in 1800 and lived in England, where he followed the business of brick-making until after marriage. The maiden name of the mother was Ann Whitaker, and she was born in England, and came to America soon after her son Charles emigrated, her husband having died in En- gland. Of their children one is buried in England, one in Marshall County, Ill., James lives in Kansas, and Charles, the father of our subject. The mother lived to be about ninety years of age, and is buried in Phillips Cemetery in Newtown Township.

Charles Dixon and wife came to America in 1835, arriving at New Orleans, from which place they ascended the Mississippi River to St. Louis, and then settled at Magnolia, Marshall Co., Ill., where they lived until about October, 1847, and

during the time were engaged in farming. In that year they moved to Livingston County, and pur- chased land on section 5, in Newtown Township, which is a part of the land the subject of this sketch now owns. The father died on the 21st of April, 1879, and is buried by the side of his mother. llis wife, Sarah, died on the 21st of September, 1871, and is buried in the same place. To them were born the following-named children: George, born in May, 1840, died in 1868, and is buried in the same cemetery as his parents; Richard was still- born; Joseph, born on the 14th of September, 1843, is engaged in farming in Iowa; Epenetus is the subject of this sketch; Wilbur, born abont 1847, died when eight years old; William, born on the 16th of November, 1850, is a Presbyterian minister, and lives in Illinois; Albert, born on the 18thi of May, 1852, is now the owner of the home- stead of his father in Newtown Township; Sarah Ann, born on the 29th of August, 1860, died in January, 1881; she was the wife of William A. Mason, who is now living in Nebraska.

The father and mother of the above-named chil- dren were members of the United Brethren Church, and during their connection with that denomina- tion were active in the duties of membership. Epenetns Dixon lived at home until twenty-three years of age, and attended the district schools of his township. Ile has been a resident of Newtown Township ever since he was two years of age, ex- cepting the year 1870, which would give him a resi- dence of thirty-nine years in the township.

Mr. Dixon was married on the 3d of February, 1870, to Mary M. MeCandlish, who was a native of Ohio, and was born May 1, 1848; she was the daughter of George P. and Catherine MeCandlish. Robert McCandlish, the grandfather, was born in Scotland, and immigrated to America, where he spent his last days. His wife, Mary Black, was born in Pennsylvania, and died in Ohio in the year 1855. They were the parents of eleven children, three of whom survive: Nancy Sammis was born on the 10th of November, 1817, and lives in Wes- terville, Ohio; Jane McCandlish, born April 24, 1814; Sarah Pyle, born Ang. 20, 1830, resides in Nevada, Vernon Co., Mo. The names of the de- ceased children are as follows: Martha Sammis,

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born May 1, 1828: Elizabeth Emrich, Sept. 5. 1823; Mary Ann Lamb, Nov. 20, 1819; Emily, born Dec. 9. 1834, died at the age of nineteen years; Margaret, born Sept. 25, 1825, died when twelve years old: Anthony S., born Aug. 25, 1821. died in 1860: William, born Oet. 4, 1812, died June 4. 1865; George P. was born Jan. 1, 1816. and died Aug. 13, 1875, in La Salle County, Ill.

Catherine Deenis, the mother of Mrs. Dixon, was the daughter of Henry and Margaret (Rodehafer) Deenis, natives of Virginia. To them were born seven children, of whom the living are Catherine. the mother of Mrs. Dixon; Nancy McGee, in Os- borne County, Kan., and Mary A. Heart, in Ge- neva. Neb. Catherine, the mother of Mrs. Dixon, makes her home with the latter, and is sixty-one years of age. The father was born Jan. 11, 1816. and died Aug. 13, 1875. George P. and Catherine MeCandlish were married on the 17th of June. 1847, in Fairfield County, Ohio, came to Illinois in the fall of 1856 and settled in La Salle County. To them were born four children: Mary M., the wife of our subject; Sarah J .. born April 28, 1850. is the wife of James I]. Mason, and lives near Man- ville: Robert HI., still-born Aug. 4, 1853; Emily Frances. born Oct. 15. 1855. died April 9, 1863. Mrs. Dixon's father enlisted in the army Ang. 14, 1862. in Company F, 104th Illinois Infantry, in which he served two years and eleven months. Ile was in the battle of Hartsville, Tenn., Dec. 7, 1862. During the latter part of the war he was in charge of a boat on the Mississippi River and the Gulf coast. Since his death his wife Catherine draws a pension of $12 per month from the Government. To Mr. and Mrs. Dixon have been born the follow- ing-named children : Sarah Catherine, born Nov. 2, 1-72, died March 2. 1874; Nora Louise, born June 26, 1875; Georgia Idella. born June 3, 1877, died May 29, 1879; Nellie Mabel, born Sept. 26, 1880.

Grandinother Black, the mother of Mary Black, was one hundred and four years old when she died at the home of Nancy and Smith MeCandlish, near Rushville, Ohio. She left Ireland during the time of the trouble between the Catholics and Orange- inen, and on leaving entrusted the care of her babe to her sister, expecting to return soon. The name of this child was William Black, and he grew to

manhood and was married before coming to this country. He located in Ohio, where he died in 1870.

Mrs. Dixon is a member of the United Brethren Church. When the Dixon family first came to Illinois, Livingston County was a wilderness, and to show what straits people were put to we have only to mention that buckwheat was ground in a coffee-mill with which to make flour for bread, and at one time corn was taken to a feed grinder, in which it was cracked and then used as food.

SADA

ACOB COX, who is a representative farmer and stock-raiser, located on section 19, Pontiac Township, is a typical Ohio man, be- ing a native of Adams County, that State, where he was born on the 9th of May, 1838. He is the son of James and Nancy (Summers) Cox, the former being a native of Ohio, and the latter of Virginia. His paternal ancestors were of Scotch descent. The grandfather, Jacob Cox, was a Vir- ginian by birth, who settled in the State of Penn- sylvania at an early date in its history, and subse- quently in Adams County, Ohio, where the father of our subject was born and reared. His parents had nine children, of whom four survive-Jacob; James G., Andrew D. and Mary C., of Ft. Scott, Kan. Two of Mr. Cox's brothers, Jobn S. and Ilenry C., were soldiers in the Union army, and gave their lives that the nation might live. In 1853, with his parents Mr. Cox came from Ohio to Livingston County, and settled in Pontiac Town- ship. At that time Livingston County was very sparsely settled, and this family was one of the first to make their home there. They remained in Livingston County until 1869, when the parents moved to Ft. Scott, Kan., where the father died on the 22d of December, 1884; the mother still sur- vives, and resides at Ft. Scott, in the seventy-fifth year of her age.

During almost all his entire life Mr. Cox has been accustomed to living on a farm, and during bis boyhood he received a very fair English edu- cation in the public schools; for a short time he

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attended Eureka College at Eureka, Ill. During twenty years of his life he devoted the winter months to teaching school, being employed both in district and graded schools. When the war broke out in 1861 he enlisted in the three months' serv- ice in Company D, 20th Illinois Infantry, and was with that regiment during the preliminary skirmishes and incidents at the beginning of the war.

On the 14th of February, 1868, Mr. Cox was mar- ried to Clara A. Syphers, a native of Pennsylva- nia, and daughter of Prof. J. and Sarah (Kent) Syphers, of Greene County, that State. By this union there are four children-Clara N., Beatrice C., Clemeth J. and Clifford E. Mr. Cox is now the owner of eighty acres of excellent land, to the cultivation of which he devotes his entire time, displaying unusual ability in farm management and the raising of stock. Politically he is a Repub- lican. He alone is entitled to all the credit that at- taches to his success in life, as what fortune he has was carved by his own hands. He is in the fullest sense of the word a self-made man. Everything which pertains to the good of the community re- ceives his liberal and hearty support, and in all these things he is cheerfully seeonded by his esti- mable wife.

OHN M. WINCE, of Owego Township, is one of the pioneers of the county, and dur- ing his long residence here has secured for himself the profoundest respect of his fellow- citizens. He is a native of Loudoun County, Va., and was born on the 15th of March, 1828, being the son of Philip and Catherine Wince, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of Vir- ginia. The paternal ancestors were of German de- scent, some of whom are supposed to have been soldiers in the Revolutionary War, as they lived in America at that time, and a vein of patriotism bas run through the family since its earliest existence. To his parents were born seven children, of whom the following are the survivors: Sarah, Catherine, Lucinda, Eliza A., Henry L. and John.

Mr. Wince grew to manhood in Londonn County, which is located in the northern part of Virginia,

bordering on Maryland, which in 1870 produced more wheat and corn than any other county in the State, but which during the boyhood days of our subject was neither highly cultivated nor far ad- vanced in educational facilities. Under these cir- cumstances Mr. Wince received bnt a limited edu- cation, the greater part of his studies being prose- cuted by the light of pine knots after night, but having obtained the rudiments of an education, he has been a constant and diversified reader all his life, and keeps posted upon all the general topics of the day.

In 1856 Mr. Wince left Virginia and emigrated to Livingston County, where he devoted the next ten years of his life to work upon the farm for monthly wages. In this manner he succeeded in accumulating sufficient money to start him in busi- ness, and located on his present farm on seetion 34 in Owego Township, in the year 1864, where he has resided ever since. This farm consists of eighty acres, which was composed entirely of raw prairie at the time of his purchase, but by hard work and good management he has reduced it to such a state of cultivation that it is now considered one of the best in the township. Mr. Wince can look back upon his past efforts with great satisfaction, for when he reached Illinois he was without money and among strangers; he now has a good farm, is comfortably surrounded, and enjoy's the esteem and respect of the people among whom he lives.

On the 13th of December, 1868, our subject was married to Mary Keith, a native of Maine, dangh- ter of Howard C. Keith, who at the time of the marriage resided in the northern part of Living- ston County, of which he was one of the original settlers. Mr. and Mrs. Wince have had two chil- dren : Ida M., born June 9, 1873, and Lillie D., Nov. 7, 1875. While Mr. Wince has never identi- fied himself with any particular religious denomi- nation, he takes an active interest in church matters, and was largely instrumental in organizing the first church and Sunday-school located in the southern part of Owego Township. His politieal proclivi- ties are Democratic, and he is a strong advocate of temperance principles. His office-holding experi- ence has been somewhat limited, having held the office of Justice of the Peace one term, the duties

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of which he discharged with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents. On account of the warm interest which he takes in educational matters he was appointed to the position of School Director in his district. which position he heldl four years, and that of School Trustee two years.

AMIES D. SIDLE. hotel-keeper and assistant grain buyer at the Graymont Elevator, is the son of Daniel and Catherine (Zorn) Sidle (formerly spelled Seidle), and was born on the 3d of May. 1850. in Somerset County. Pa. When he was about five years of age his parents came to Illinois, locating in Stephenson County, where his father bought a farm in 1857. procuring the money to make the first payment from Benjamin Snyder, and with the help of his son carried on farming and blacksmithing, having learned the latter trade in Pennsylvania.

On the 24th of March, 1864, Mr. Sidle, at four- teen years of age, ran away from home, and after making seven efforts, at length was sworn into the service as drummer to the 93d Illinois Regiment. Ile soon threw away his drum and took a gun. The regiment to which he was attached was as- signed to duty at Camp Fry. Chicago, guarding prisoners, and at about the end of four months it was sent to Camp Butler, Springfield, Ill., where it remained in the same duty. About the 18th of February. 1865. the regiment was sent to Memphis, Tenn .. but it was not needed there and returned to springfield. Mr. Sidle received an honorable dis- charge. being mustered out on the 26th of March, 1×65. After his return from the army he once more joined his father and assisted him in farming until he was eighteen years of age, when he worked by the month in Livingston County until he was twenty.one years of age, at which time he had ac- cumulated enough money to buy a team of horses, harnes- and wagon.

It was in Livingston County that Mr. Sidle be- came acquainted with Mary J., daughter of John Crow (who is mentioned in the biography of William Crow), whom he married on the 6th of August, 1871. In the fall of that year they moved

to Stephenson County, and farmed for one year, during which time the oldest child, John Henry, was born on the 18th of September, 1872. In Feb- ruary, 1873, they started for Nebraska, making it convenient to visit some friends on the way, and arrived at Palmyra, Otoe County, the latter part of March. Here he devoted the first summer to farming and raised a fine crop, of which, however, 100 bushels of wheat were stolen. In February of the following year he suffered a paralytic stroke which disabled him from work for four years. They returned to Stephenson County, where his father started him with a small stock of confection- ery, which business be carried on until he became so disabled that he was not in a condition either physically or mentally to attend to it, and his father closed up the business for him. During this time the second child, George Burtin, was born, June 9. 1874. In 1875 Mr. Sidle removed his family to Livingston County, where they resided with his wife's father, John Crow, until April, 1876, when they moved into a little log hut on section 21. where he undertook to earn something by cob- bling. The neighbors gave him their work to do, and they remained there about one year, when they moved to section 32. The people elected him to the following offices : Constable, Town Clerk, Collector, Pathmaster and Township Treasurer. During this time his third child, Harry Watson, was born, on the 15th of November, 1878.

While here a very important incident in the life of Mr. Sidle occurred, which was that in answer to prayer he was instantaneously cured of his afflic- tion, so that he was immediately able to go to work. They remained on section 32 until the spring of 1880, when they moved to Pontiac, where he worked on the railroad about five months, and then went to cobbling through the winter, as he was not yet able to bear exposure to the inclement weather. While in Pontiac his wife took in boarders in order to assist in the support of the family. After re- maining in Pontiac about one year he returned to section 32, where he engaged in farming for about two years. At the end of that time he moved to Graymont, where he has since resided. In 1885 he was again elected Township Collector. In po- litical matters he always acted with the Republican

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party until two years ago, when he became an ad- vocate of prohibition. In 1875 Mr. Sidle was con- verted to religion and joined the United Brethren Church. While a member of that church he was granted a license to preach, and in that capacity he served the Master for four years. About this time his attention was called to sanctification by the preaching of B. F. Goodwin, and under the teach- ings of J. S. Allison he accepted that doctrine and has sinee held no membership with any sect. The fourth child, Jesse Daniel, was born on the 14th of July, 1883.

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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 23

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