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 34

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 34

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Mr. Johnson has wisely invested his capital in real estate, which embraces farms in this county and property in the town, besides his office material. IIis land is cultivated by lessees. He was instru- mental in the organization of the Pontiac Union Coal Company, of which he became President, and which gives employment usually to sixty or eighty men. He is a stockholder in the National Bank, and has been identified with many important move- ments contributing to the best interests of the city. He was twice elected Mayor, has served as Super- visor of Pontiac Township, and was a member of the Board of Education. Politically he affiliates with the Democratic party, and socially is a member of the Masonic fraternity.

Mr. Johnson was married, Dec. 8, 1869, to Miss Carrie M. Saxton. Mrs. Johnson was born in Iluntingdon, Pa., Oct. 9, 1847, and is the daughter of James and Elizabeth Saxton, natives of Penn-

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sylvania. Of her union with our subject there have been born two children-Mary E. and Beulah J. Their home, located on the South Side, is the resort of the intelligent people of the city, and its inmates are surrounded by all the comforts and many of the luxuries of life.

UDOLPH WARNER. It is said that life is a lottery, and that all cannot draw prizes. Be that as it may, the man who was born in a foreign land and crosses the ocean to this country in his youth, knowing nothing of the language or customs of the people of America, casts his lot as he would invest in a lottery ticket, with the odds against him. And yet it is a notable fact that those sturdy people who emigrate from Germany to this country nearly always succeed in their undertakings. If they engage in trade and traffic they prosper, and if they till the soil they make it produce and blossom as the rose. Of this class of men is the subject of our sketch, a farmer and stock-raiser on section 36, Rook's Creek Town- ship, who was born in Germany on the 18th of No- vember, 1844, and is the son of John and Minnie (Peters) Warner, who came to this country in 1853, first locating in New York, where they re- mained about five years, and then moved to Chi- cago. From Chicago they moved to Will County, where they remained until 1848, and then settled in Rook's Creek Township.

The subject of this notice was the sixth in a fam- ily of thirteen children, five of whom are now liv- ing: William, the eldest, is living in Germany ; Rudolph; Albert, married, has one child, and lives in Livingston County ; Lecetta, Mrs. George IIowe, has two children, and lives in Livingston County ; Emma is unmarried. The father of Mr. Warner was born on the 14th of March, ISHI, and his mother was born on the 25th of December, 1813. They were married in 1836, and he died on the 28th of March, 1879. The early education of Mr. Warner was rather limited, on account of the lack of edu- cational facilities during his boyhood. His first Presidential vote was cast for Gen. U. S. Grant in 1872, and he has continued to support the Repub-

lican ticket since. lle is a member of the United Brethren Church, having been a leader in the chiss meetings of that denomination, and has held the office of School Trustee for six years, and School Director for several years.

Mr. Warner was married to Miss Caroline Fugar, on the 19th of February, 1874, and they are the parents of two children : Henry, born on the 15th of May, 1878, and George, born on the 16th of February, 1880. Mrs. Warner was born in New Jersey Sept. 26, 1857, and was brought to Will County by her parents in 1858. Her father was a native of Germany, born on the 18th of February, 1829, and came to this country with his mother in 1852, his father having died in Germany in 1832. The mother, Margaret Zibbet, was a native of New Jersey.

Mr. Warner has been successful as a farmer and stock-raiser, and besides bringing his farm up to a high state of cultivation, has been able to construct commodious buildings for the accommodation and comfort of his family. Ilis barns and out-build- ings are ample for the shelter and protection of his live stock.

E DWIN V. JOHNSON, one of the pioneers of thirty years ago, is now the owner of one-quarter of section 20, in Owego Town- ship, upon which he settled in 1883, having for- merly resided on section 16. 1Ie may properly be classed among the self-made men of Livingston County, as he commenced in life comparatively without means, and has by his own energy and per- severance, become the owner of a good property. He also struggled with the disadvantages of a lim- ited education. but he availed himself of such op- portunities as were afforded. to keep himself in- formed upon matters of general interest, and is numbered among those who encouraged the estab- lishment of schools and the other enterprises cal- culated for the advancement and welfare of the people. He was Director in his district for many years, and served as Road Commissioner, besides occupying other local offices.

Our subject was born in Herkimer County. N. Y., July 28, 1824, and is the son of Dorastus and

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Bethsheba Johnson. who were of New England birth and parentage, and reared a large family of children. of whom only the following now survive, viz .. William. Edwin V., Dorus, Samuel and Ce- lina. This branch of the Johnson family is of Scotch ancestry, the first representatives of whom in this country settled in New England during the Colonial days. Dorastus Johnson, in 1834, re- moved from Herkimer to Cattaraugus County, and thence six years later to Warren County, Pa. Here our subject reached his majority, but he subse- quently returned to his native State and was mar- ried in Chautauqua County, in 1852, to Miss Susan Ilolman. Of this union there were born seven children, namely, Laura, Mrs. Burt Nichols, of Minnesota; Emma, Mrs. John Derry; Huldah, Mrs. John Brown, and Mary, Mrs. Henry Finhold, all of this county; George E. married Miss Laura Phillips: Calvin and Effie are at home with their parents.

Mr. Johnson came to this county in 1857, and since that time has been a resident of Owego Township. Considering the fact that he com- menced at the foot of the ladder, dependent upon his own resources alone, and that he is now the owner of valuable property, it is hardly necessary to say that he labored persistently for many years, and always made it a rule to live within his income. He possessed those qualities which at once com- mended him to the people around him, whose es- teem and confidence he has enjoyed since the time of his arrival on prairie soil. His children have been carefully reared and well educated. Those married are settled in comfortable homes, and the younger ones remaining with the parents are being carefully trained for their future position as mem- bers of an unusually intelligent community. Mr. Johnson generally votes the straight Republican ticket, but when there is a Greenback candidate in the field, he gives to the latter his preference. socially, he belongs to the 1. O. O. F., being a member of the Pontiac Lodge.

George E. Johnson, the eldest son of our sub- ject, occupies the old homestead on section 16, which comprises ninety acres of fertile land, and upon which his father first settled on coming to Livingston County. He was born Sept. 28, 1862,

and was reared after the manner of most farmers' sons, becoming useful upon the farm at an early age, and during the winter seasons pursuing his studies at the distriet school. Not long after pass- ing his twenty-first birthday, he was nited in mar- riage with Miss Laura Phillips, who is the daugh- ter of William R. Phillips, a pioneer of Livingston County. Iler mother was formerly Miss Mary Rusk; both are now deceased. George Johnson bids fair to follow in the footsteps of his father, possessing the same qualities of thrift and industry, and is carrying on his agricultural operations after the most approved modern methods. lle has al- ready attracted considerable notiee as one of the most promising young men of his community. He affiliates with the Republican party, and is School Director in his district.

C IIARLES YOUNGER. Among the younger farmers and newer citizens of Livingston County, none have made a fairer start than the subject of this sketch, and his prospects for the future are bright indeed. An eighty-acre farm, well managed, and cultivated with method and sys- tem, is as profitable as one of double that size that is conducted in a haphazard manner, and it is need- less to say that Mr. Younger's farm is one of the most productive in the county. Everything about the place denotes system and regulation, there be- ing a place for everything, and everything in its place. Since his advent in the county the subject of this sketch has popularized himself with its citi- zens, and is rated among the enterprising men of the county. Ilis farm is located on section 33 of Avoca Township.

Mr. Younger is a native of Woodford County, Ill., and was born on the 8th of February, 1848. lle is the son of Benjamin and Lodemia Younger, the latter of whom is deceased. His father was a native of Pennsylvania, and when ten years of age accompanied his parents when they moved to Ohio and settled near Salina, where they remained until he grew to manhood. They then came to Illinois and settled near Washington, Tazewell County, and | after remaining there for several years removed to

RESIDENCE OF P. F. REMSBURG, CHATSWORTH, ILL.

RESIDENCE OF EMMET R. SUTTON, SEC. 34. PLEASANT RIDGE TP.

SEARING MESSLER

T.P.M

ZP .. W

T. PUNE

T.P.

FARM IMPLEMENTS OLD'S WAGONSCANTON GLIPPERPLOWS

ELEVATOR OF SEARING AND MESSLER, CHATSWORTH, ILL.

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Woodford County, and there lived for about thirty years. The father now resides with his sons. in Belle Prairie Township. He has been married twice, and became the father of seven children, four of whom survive-William, John, Franklin, and Charles, the subject of this sketch. The latter was reared to man's estate in his native county, where he received a fair common-school education, and learned the rudiments of farming, which occupation he has followed all his life with the exception of about five years, when lie conducted a meat-market in Ainsworth, Iowa. In the fall of 1882 he came to Livingston County, purchasing eighty acres of land on section 33, Avoca Township.

On the 1st of January, 1873, Mr. Younger was married to Phobe Combes, a native of Woodford County, III., and daughter of Alfred and Betsey Combes, of that county. To them have been born four children-Alfred, Cora (deceased), Benjamin and Herbert. Early in life Mr. Younger took no- tice of the political events which were occurring throughout the country, and when he arrived at his majority cast his lot with the Republican party, with which he has affiliated ever since. Ile has never been a seeker after office, and the only one which he would consent to accept was that of School Director, for which he is peculiarly fitted on account of the interest he takes in educational mat- ters. Mrs. Younger is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and both identify themselves with all social and moral matters.

M RS. FRANCES McDOWELL, Fairbury. This lady is the widow of the late James McDowell, a well-known business man of Livingston County, who was the possessor of a fine property, which he accumulated partially in mercantile pursuits, and for many years was occu- pied as an extensive farmer and stoek-raiser. The valuable estate left to his family embraces 1,700 acres of land, embellished with fine buildings, besides the residence which Mrs. McDowell occupies in the village of Fairbury.

Mr. McDowell was a native of Wayne County, Ind., and was born Jan. 28, 1824. He was reared

to farm life, and pursued his early studies in the district schools. le came to Illinois with his fa- ther's family in 1832, and his home for several years afterward was in Avoca Township, this county. His marriage to Miss Frances Wilson took place Dec. 11. 1845. Mr. and Mrs. McDowell lived in Avoca Township until June, 1873, during which time he held the position of Postmaster nine years. After locating in Fairbury he officiated as School Treasurer many years, and represented Indian Grove Township on the County Board of Super- visors. He had identified himself with the Meth- odist Episcopal Church during his early manhood. and was prominent in its councils for thirty-five years. Hle officiated as Steward most of this time, and contributed largely to the maintenance and advancement of the society. Politically, he was strongly Republican. In his family he was kind, generous and indulgent, and in the community no man was held in higher esteem.

The death of Mr. McDowell occurred under very painful circumstances. In December, 1879, he was greatly injured by a runaway team, and suffered a fracture of one of his limbs, which resulted in his death five weeks later, Jan. 12, 1880. The be- reaved family included his widow and five children. Of the latter the eldest sou, Jason L., married Miss Florenee Wilson, and is a resident of Kansas; John W. married Miss Luella Tanner; Sarah J. is the wife of Hiel Ramsey ; Grant Yates and Lillie E. are unmarried and at home with their mother.

Mrs. McDowell's parents, John and Mary ( Will- iams) Wilson, were natives of North Carolina. the father of English and the mother of German ances- try. John Wilson followed farming all his life, and died in Carroll County, Ind., in 1843, aged fifty- two years. The mother had died in 1829, leaving seven chikIren, namely, Isaac, Sarah, Rachel, Thomas, Jacob, Frances and William. After the death of Mr. McDowell, his son assisted in the ad- justment of the estate and the carrying on of the farm; this included a tile manufactory, from which each year is derived a fine revenue. The land is mostly devoted to pasture, and the raising of grain and hay for the consumption of the fine ! stock which is raised upon it. This includes En- glish and Norman horses, which are held for sale at

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Avoca. Grant MeDowell has inherited largely the business capacities of his father, and will keep up the reputation of the estate in the same admirable manner as he who projected and established it. He is a strong Republican, politically, and bids fair to become prominent in the local affairs of his township.

ENRY J. DEMOSS, who ranks among the pioneers of Avoca Township, began life among the hills of Highland County, Ohio, on the 2>th of June, 1830. His parents, James and Margaret ( Nace) DeMoss, were also na- tives of the Buckeye State, the father of French ancestry and the mother of German. His paternal grandfather. James DeMoss, Jr., was born in France. and when a child two years of age was brought by his parents to the United States, where they settled near the town of Cicero, Ind. Ten years later they came to this county, arriving in the spring of 1840. They located about six miles southeast of Pontiac. and from there, a few years later, removed to a point one mile north of the old town site of Avoca. where the father of our subject passed his last years on the farm now owned by Daniel Street. The death of James De Moss took place in the spring of 1852, and that of his wife eleven years later. Their household included eleven children, of whom the following survive, namely. Henry J., of our sketch; John, a resident of Highland County, Ohio: Alexander, who is farming in In- dian Grove Township, this county ; Eleander, of sumner County, Kan. ; Maria, the wife of Daniel Street, of Avoca Township, and Emma, Mrs. Wiley Sparks. also of Avoca Township.

The father of our subject was a millwright, a trade which he followed all his life, allowing his boy's to do most of the farming. lle put up the machinery in the first mill built at Pontiac, and built the seats of the first court-house there. Hle possessed great energy, and was a man of integrity and one in whom the people had entire confidence. In hi- death Livingstou County lost one of her most worthy pioneers and public-spirited citizens.

The subject of our sketch was reared to man- hood in this county, receiving the meager advan-

tages of its common schools. He remained under the parental roof until his marriage, which took place in the spring of 1851, his bride being Miss Mary J. Popejoy, who was born in Tippecanoe County, Ind., Sept. 27, 1832. Mrs. DeMoss is the daughter of Nathan and Mary (Gregory) Popejoy, natives respectively of Kentucky and Ohio. When six weeks old she was brought by her parents to this county during its early settlement. They resided for two years on the farm now owned by Philip Rollins east of Pontiac, and thenee removed to seetion 25, in Avoca Township, where the mother died in 1846, and the father the year fol- lowing.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. DeMoss, six in number, were named respectively, Levi L., Theo- dore M., Edward W., Henry B. ; Margaret M., the wife of Lewis Carter, of Pleasant Ridge Township, and Isadora, Mrs. Edward Skinner, of the same township. Mrs. DeMoss was the fourth of ten children, of whom four are living, namely, John W., Theodore M., Hiram G. and Mary J.

The property of our subject includes 106 acres of good land with a comfortable residence and all other suitable farm buildings. He has been prin- cipally employed in attending to his own concerns, and has, therefore, uniformly met with success in his farming and business affairs. He supports the principles of the Democratic party, and has served as School Director in his district several years. He also occupied the same position while in Pleas- ant Ridge Township.

BRAIIAM HI. STATES, a resident of this county for the past nine years, is carrying on the manufacture of tile at Long Point, where he has all the buildings and machinery necessary for the successful prosecution of this in- dustry. He probably operates on a larger scale than any other gentleman in this section, and turns out an excellent product which obtains ready sale throughout the county and elsewhere. His factory buildings and his residence, with its surroundings, occupy nearly six acres of ground. The dwelling is a neat and substantial structure, and with its out-

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buildings forms a complete home, which in all its appointments suggests the outlay of ample means and the exercise of refined tastes.

Our subject, who is the son of Daniel and Ann (Krews) States, was born in Bucks County, Pa., Jan. 19, 1833. Ilis parents were also natives of the Keystone State. The father was a farmer by occupation; the mother died early in life, in 1839, when our subject was a lad but six years of age. He was afterward taken to Maryland to live with an unele, with whom he made his home five years, and then, on account of ill-usage, ran away and went to sea. He was a sailor for twelve years thereafter; has twice crossed the ocean, and been the witness of strange sights and strange peoples, thereby gaining a rich experience and a close in- sight into the manners and customs of people in various portions of the globe.

After Mr. States had resolved to settle down on terra firma, he first located in Ohio, where, in 1856, he became a resident of Clinton County. He there made the acquaintance of Miss Louisa Johnston, the result of which was his marriage, Oct. 27, 1857. Mrs. States is the daughter of Stephen and Jemima Johnston, and was born in January, 1838. The young people began life together in Liberty, where they remained until the outbreak of the late war. Soon after the first call for volun- teer troops, our subject enlisted in Company B, 149th Ohio National Guards, being stationed for a time at Ft. MeHenry, Baltimore, and thereafter go- ing to the front. Ile was at the battle of Fred- erick, Md., and at Charleston, and in the engage- ment at Frederick, Aug. 17, 1864, was captured by the rebels. Four days later, however, he made his escape by crawling into a ditch, and secreting himself until they took their departure from that region. He was ten days in reaching his regiment which was quartered at Snickers' Gap, and in the meantime was kept alive by the kindness of negroes who supplied him with food. The leaden bullets afterward whizzed by his ears at Strasburg, Va., but he escaped unharmed and received his honor- able discharge at the close of the war.

Upon his return from the army Mr. States lo- cated in Clinton County, Ohio, and engaged for a time in the manufacture of tile and brick, when

he came to this county in 1878. To himself and his estimable lady have been born the following- named children : Stephen E., a stenographer and type-writer in the office of the S. F. R. R. at Strea- tor; Amie L., wife of Daniel Mills, formerly of Long Point, and the mother of two children-Roy and Glenn; they are now residents of Barton County, Mo. Louis A., an engineer and machinist, makes his home with his parents. The younger ones are Mary A., George E., Maude S. and Aerl 11.

Mr. States with his wife and their two eldest daughters and one son, are members in good standing of the Christian Church at Long Point. Mr. S., politically, is one of the most reliable mem- bers of the Republican party, and greatly inter- ested in the success of the prohibition movement. lle possesses all the elements of good citizenship, and has contributed no little toward building up the business interests of his community.

AMIJEL SCIILOSSER. Illinois is indebted for her grand and rapid development very much to natives of Pennsylvania, who had the courage to settle here while it was a wilderness inhabited by Indians, Wherever a nu- cleus of Pennsylvanians were gathered the country has been made to approach very near to perfection, so far as improvement of the land and its cultivation is concerned.

Although the subject of this sketch did not be- come a citizen of Illinois while yet the Indians held possession of a large part of the State, he be- came a citizen early enough to be a pioneer in every sense of the word. Ile was born on the 6th of September, 1820, in Adams County, Pa., and is the son of John and Mary Schlosser, also na- tives of that State. The grandfather, Conrad Schlosser, was a soldier in the American Revolu- tionary army and fought under Gen. Washington. The grandfather was the progenitor of the Schlos- ser family in America, and after the close of the Revolutionary War he settled in Adams County, Pa., and afterward in his declining years removed to Preble County, Ohio, where he died. There were born to John and Mary Schlosser seven chil-

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dren. four of whom are living-Moses, Jonas, Sam- uel and John. The parents were pioneers of Preble County, Ohio, where they both died.

Mr. Schlosser spent his boyhood days in Preble County. attending the district schools as opportu- nity permitted. and succeeded in securing an average education. Ile was married, on the 16th of May, 1839, to Eliza Ebersult, who was a native of Ohio. To them eight children have been born, five of whom are living, as follows: Elijah; Sarah, wife of James McCoy : Thomas; Mary, Mrs. Eben- ezer Colkins, and Emeline, Mrs. Wilber Tallman.

Mr. Schlosser came to Livingston County in 1854 and settled in Pontiac Township, where he still resides on section 6. His excellent farm con- sists of 126 acres, and is cultivated in such a man- ner as to produce very remunerative crops. What- ever Mr. Schlosser can call his own has been secured through his own unaided efforts. His polit- ical proclivities are Republican, and he gives the men and measures of that party a cordial support. He is liberal in his views on all questions of local concern, and takes an active interest in everything that will benefit and elevate the members of the community.

RS. ELIZABETH (KOMER) FROBISCH, who resides on a farm on section 31, Rook's Creek Township, was born near Bern, Switzerland, on the 14th of Novem- ber. 1824. The canton of Bern, in which she was born, is the most populous in the Confedera- tion, and the city of Bern, near which her birth- place lies, is the finest in all Switzerland, and one of the inost handsome cities in Europe. It is built entirely of freestone, and is remarkable for the ar- cades formed by the houses in all its principal streets, and for its numerous fountains, many of which are ornamented with curious sculpture. It has a Gothic cathedral, a university, an observa- tory, a public library, a museum, an arsenal and a inint. In all its aspects it is one of the most inter- esting of European cities.

Mrs. Frobisch is the daughter of John Komer and Elizabeth (Matthias) Komer, the youngest

of their five children; her sisters and brothers are Barbara, John, Farina (now called Fannie) and Mary. Barbara was married twice, her first hus- band being George Cook, and her second John G. Frobisch; she lives in Monroe County, Ohio. John married Susan Gosser, and lives in Belmont County, Ohio; they are the parents of four children. Fan- nie married Jacob Steiner, and lives in Butler County, Pa. : she has nine children. Mary married Jobn G. Frobisch, and had one child, William, who has been twice married and lives in Monroe County, Ohio; she died in Ohio in 1862.

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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 34

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