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 46
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took place in this township in 1884. The five children of the parental household were John, now a resident of Tazewell County : Skillman, engaged at farming in LaSalle County ; Martha, the wife of C. Hodson, of Forest Township, and Mary, who married A. N. Opie, of Forest Township.
Isaac Voorhees received a common-school edu- cation which was completed in LaSalle County, this State. He came to this county with his mother's family, with whom he remained until after reaching his majority, and made his first purchase of land in 1864. After reaching his twenty-fourth year he was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Ten Eyek, who was born in New Jersey about 1850, and came to Illinois with her parents in about 1855. Of this union there have been born four children, all living and at home with their parents, namely, Rosa, Clara, Zilla and Tunis. Mr. Voor- hees, politically, votes the straight Republican ticket. He has uniformly declined becoming an office-holder, preferring to give his attention to his farm and his family.
h ENRY BOEHM BARNES is perhaps one of the oldest men of Livingston County, al- though he has only been a resident of the county since 1882. Fle has been a citizen of Illinois, however, since 1834, and has seen the State pass through all the stages of prosperity up to its grand position among the States of to-day. He began life without any resources excepting his own hands and determined will. His life has been a success, but at the beginning, as was the case with hundreds of others, the obtaining of success depended entirely upon labor, judgment and per- severance. It was a common saying among the first settlers of Illinois, that people must " work or starve," but the remembrance of those days is very pleasant, and the experiences made men and women noble, brave and generous.
Mr. Barnes is a native of Sussex County, Del .. and was born Dec. 4, 1803. He is a son of Thomas and Sarah (Evans) Barnes, who were natives of Delaware. On the paternal side, his ancestors were of English descent, and of Welsh on the maternal.
When his parents, in the year 1809, removed from Delaware to Scioto County, Ohio, our subject ae- companied them. That section of Ohio was then upon the frontier of civilization, although it is now one of the most densely populated districts of the Middle West. The father died in Seioto County, Ohio, on the 19th of June, 1819, and with his wid- owed mother and one sister, our subject moved to Marion County, Ohio, in April, 1823, and there resided until 1834.
On the 13th of January, 1831, Mr. Barnes was married, in Marion County, Ohio, to Mary Dicker- son, and they had one child, Mary, who was born Jan. 16, 1832, and who is now the wife of W. P. Carruthers, of Saunemin Township. This wife died in April, 1832. Mr. Barnes remained a wid- ower until the 26th of September, 1839, when he was married, in Marshall County, Ill., to Jane M. Kilgore, who was born in Franklin County, Ohio, Jan. 1, 1819, and bore him six children, five of whom are living: Isabella K., born Feb. 28, 1841; Louisa, born Sept. 28, 1843, is the wife of W. M. Kilgore, of Sannemin Township; Dr. Sam- uel M., born Dec. 4, 1846, resides in Fairbury ; Dr. Henry E. W., born April 4, 1850, lives in Mad- ison County, Iowa, and Ollie S., . born July 23, 1854, is the wife of John Q. Brown, of Madison County, Iowa. Erastus T., born Feb. 1, 1858, died Dec. 6, 1858. In 1834 our subject came to Illinois and located in that region of country which is now included in Marshall County, and there re- mained, with the exception of five years spent in Whiteside County, until 1882. In that year he came to Livingston Connty, and settled on his present farm in Saunemin Township, on section 23. This farm consists of 200 acres of splendid land, which is under a high state of cultivation, and in the improvement of which all the best methods of agriculture have been adopted.
Mr. Barnes is a veteran Republican, having joined that party at its organization in 1856. While a resident of Marshall County, Mr. Barnes served as Supervisor of Riehland Township for eiglit years. He has been a member of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church for nearly half a century, in which he has served as Steward, Class-Leader and local minister, and has engaged enthusiastically
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in local ministerial work for many years. His sec- ond wife was also a devoted member of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, and lived and died a con- sistent Christian. her death having occurred on the 19th of May. 1882. Mr. Barnes has lived a long and useful life, and now, surrounded by friend- and relatives, is enjoying the fruits of a life spent in usefulness and well doing. Mr. Barnes has lo- cated each of his children on homesteads consist- ing of traets varying in size from eighty to 160 aeres, and still has 200 aeres left for himself in his declining years.
ILLIAM LEHMAN, A farm of 120 aeres of land in Owego Township, no matter what section it is located upon, is a prop- erty any man may be proud of, and when it is owned in fee simple, without mortgage or other in- cumbranee. the owner ean consider himself pretty well-to-do. Some men spend half a lifetime be- fore they secure such a prize, but the subject of this sketch had only been a resident of this country, to which he eame without capital, for nine years, when he became able. with the proceeds of his la- bor, to purchase the excellent farm on section 29 where he now resides. With the energy and econ- omy so characteristic of the German people, imme- diately upon his arrival in this country he set to work to secure a home where he might pass his life comfortably and independently, and the details of the following sketch will show how admirably he has succeeded.
Mr. Lehman is a native of Mecklenburg, Ger- many, where he was born on the Ist of May, 1852. He is the son of Carl (deceased) and Hannah Leh- man. natives of Germany, who emigrated to this country when the subject of this sketch was in his nineteenth year. Upon their arrival in America they came direct to Illinois and settled in Peoria County, where they lived for four years. In 1876 the family came to Livingston County and located in Pike Township, where the father died in Decem- ber, 1885. The family of his parents consisted of ten children, as follows: Carl, Johanna, Frederick, Minnie, Ricca, William, Louis, Lena, Matilda and
August. The mother still resides in Pike Town- ship. The parents were both members of the Ger- man Baptist Church, of which they were regular attendants.
Our subject received a limited edueation in the German language, and has always been engaged in the occupation of farming. On the 22d of Janu- ary, 1877, he was married to Augusta Laduck, daughter of Louis Laduck, of Pike Township, and they have had five children: Caroline, born Oct. 28, 1877 : Albert, Dec. 20, 1880; Emma, Sept. 1, 1882; William, Aug. 1, 1884, and Mattie, Oet. 4, 1886. Mr. Lehman purchased his present farm, consisting of 120 acres, in 1882, and settled per- manently thereon in 1894; the present condition of the farm is the result of his industry and good management. The first four years after his arrival in Illinois Mr. L. worked in Peoria County for William Spiser, receiving the compensation of $22 per month, and then, for seven years, he rented a farm in Pike Township, which he eultivated with good suecess.
Mr. Lehman's family belong to the German Baptist Church, in which they oeeupy a leading position, and to which they donate liberally. So far as political matters are concerned, while yield- ing true loyalty to the Republican party, Mr. Leh- man does not devote enough time to those mat- ters to be known as a politician. He is neither an otlice-holder nor an office-seeker, and attends strictly to his own affairs.
LBERT DAVIS is one of the most thor- ongh and skillful farmers of Forest Town- ship, where on section 34 he has been loeated many years, and has beeome closely identified with the agricultural and business interests of the community. He is a native of the wealthy and populous State of Ohio, and was born in Lincoln County, April 14, 1836, at the home- stead of his parents, Daniel and Mary Ann (Stat- ler) Davis, who were also natives of the Buckeye State.
The parents of our subject disposed of their property interests in Ohio in 1840, when Albert
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was a lad four years of age, and coming to the West located in Marshall County, this State. The father purchased a quarter section of land in Roberts Township, where he carried on general farming and stock-raising, becoming a useful and valued citizen, and died eighteen years later, Nov. 21, 1858, when fifty years of age. The mother is still living, making her home in this township, and has now reached the advanced age of seventy-six years. The parental household included eight children, two sons and six daughters. Of these. three are deceased, namely: Clara Ann, Laura : (both of whom died young), and John A. The lat- ter during the late war enlisted in the 11th Illinois Infantry and served until near the close. During one of the most important battles he was captured by the rebels and taken to Andersonville Prison, where he languished two years and was finally ex- changed. The privations and hardships, however, which he endured had undermined his health, and he died before reaching home, at the age of a little past twenty-one years. The other children were Malinda, Eliza, Charlotte and Amanda.
Mr. Davis became familiar with farm employ- ments during his early youth, and still finds his greatest pleasures in a country life. He established his first home in Marshall County in 1858, having been married March 18 of that year to Miss Emily E. Malone, who was born in Ohio, Jan. 5, 1835, and at the time of her marriage was a resi- dent of Marshall County, Ill. Mrs. D. was the eldest child of her parents, Hartley and Julia Ann (Trout) Malone, of Irish ancestry, and natives of Ohio. The father was a farmer by occupation and died some years ago. The mother is still living, making her home in Marshall County. They had two children, namely, Emily E. and William S. Mr. and Mrs. Davis became the parents of eight children, comprising three sons and five daughters, namely, Elma, Laura, Merissa, William Sherman, Katie, Minnie, Charles and Hartley Elmer. Laura is the wife of Charles Dixon, a highly respected farmer of Forest Township, and is the mother of two sons and two daughters; Mr. Dixon is the son of Springer Dixon, a wealthy farmer and stoek- raiser of Forest, Township. Merissa and Katie died in Forest Township, the former when an in-
teresting little girl of eight years and the latter at sixteen. The remaining children are at home with their parents.
Mr. Davis uniformly votes the straight Demo- cratic ticket, and in 1885 was elected Road Com- missioner, of which office he still retains possession. Mr. Davis farmed in Marshall County for a period of ten years and then, in 1869, purchased 160 acres of his present farm. It was then raw prairie and required the outlay of years of labor and hun- dreds of dollars to bring it to its present fertile condition. He also owns 160 acres on section 33 and 160 acres on section 5, Fayette Township. 1Ie has made good improvements, and of late years is giving his principal attention to stock-raising, dealing mostly in cattle and swine, keeping of the former from twenty to twenty-five head, including Short-horn and good grades of common blood. Ile has pursued the even tenor of his way as a peaceable and law-abiding citizen, taking a kindly interest in the welfare of the people around him and enjoying in a marked degree their esteem and confidenee.
S OLOMON E. KENT, farmer and stoek- raiser, on section 17, Belle Prairie Town- ship, does not confine himself exclusively to either farming or stock-growing, but owns a large meat-market and slaughter-house in the town of Colfax, McLean County, where the stock product of his farm finds a ready market. Mr. Kent was born in Greene County, Pa., on the 19th of September. 1831, and came to Illinois in 1868, and located on the farm named above. He remained in Pennsylvania on his father's farm un- til he attained his majority. in the meantime avail- ing himself of the advantages afforded by the com- mon schools of that State. His parents were Thomas and Sarah ( Ingersoll) Kent, natives of Pennsylvania. The father was a farmer by occu- pation, and in his business affairs was successful. For twenty years he was a Deacon in the Christian Church, and was a prominent member nearly all
LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
his life. He was born in 1801. and died in 1876, in LaSalle County, Ill. The mother was born in 1801. and was an active and faithful member of the Christian Church. She died in 1872, after hay- ing become the mother of nine children, seven of whom grew to manhood and womanhood: George married Miss Deba Eagon: Abraham; Mordecai married Susan Fry: Susan married Harvey Fry ; John married Elizabeth Fry : Thomas married Eliza Inger-oll: Elmer and Martha died in infancy.
Mr. Kent was married to Miss Mary A. White, Nov. 23. 1853. She was born in Greene County, Pa .. Oct. 8, 1836, and is the daughter of David and Leah (Strosenider) White, natives of Pennsylvania. The father was born in 1794, and is still living and in vigorous health. which is demonstrated by the fact that not many years ago, without any assist- anee whatever, he reshingled his own house, which is one and one-half stories high. For sixty-five years he has been a minister in the Christian Church, and during that time has refused to receive any pay for his services in the pulpit. In his boyhood days he attended a college presided over by Alex- ander Campbell, a man of whom Henry Clay said, he was the profoundest theologian in the world. He has perhaps traveled more miles on horseback than any other man of his age now living. The mother, who was also a member of the Christian Church. was born in 1798, and died in Pennsylva- nia in 1866.
To Mr. and Mrs. Kent have been born seven children, named as follows: David W. married Miss Emma Jones; Thomas J. married Annie C'as- sidy : M. L. married Miss Grace Taylor; George B., Larry S., Cora L. and Albert E. George, the fourth son of Mr. and Mrs. Kent, was educated at the schools of Fairview and Colfax, and for several years has been teaching in District No. 4, Lawndale Township, McLean County. Four other members of the family have taught school, and one took a law course in Bloomington, Ill., and is now practic. ing his profession with success in Hutchinson, Reno Co .. Kan. Mr. and Mrs. Kent have a family of children of whom they may well be proud. They are all naturally bright, and were very ambitious in availing themselves of the opportunities afforded by their parents for obtaining good educations.
Taken all in all, it is one of the model families of Belle Prairie Township. Mr. and Mrs. Kent are both members of the Christian Church, in which the former has served for many years as Deacon. In his political affiliations Mr. Kent is in harmony with the Democratic party, at the hands of which he has held various township offices.
P ETER LAUBENHEIMER, who for many years was engaged in butchering and deal- ing in meat, but is now occupied in farm- ing near Fairbury, was born in Dexheim, the Empire of Germany. on the 24th of February, 1834. He is the son of Philip and Gertrude (Schtark) Laubenheimer, natives of the same Prov- ince. The father was born in 1803, and died in Wisconsin in 1878. Most of his life he was in the grocery business. The mother was born in 1805, and died in December, 1842. She only lived two months after going to Wisconsin. Their family consisted of seven children : Clara, the wife of Ja- cob Breifogle, lives in Wisconsin; Elizabeth mar- ried Antone Walderbach; of Philip no trace has been had for over thirty years; Peter, the subject of this sketch, was the fourth child; Frederick, of whom all trace has been lost, was a soldier in the Civil War; Gertrude, Mrs. G. H. Shape, lives in Milwaukee, Wis.
On the 10th of December, 1872, Mr. Lauben- heimer was married to Annie Billhartz, who was born in Baden in 1852, and came to this country with her parents when she was one year old. Mr. and Mrs. Laubenheimer have had five children, four of whom are living, namely-Annie, Harry P., Golda and William P. Hattie died at the age of five months. The parents of Mrs Laubenheimer were Henry and Annie (Zane) Billhartz, natives of Germany. The father was a harness-maker by trade, and came to America in 1854, landing at New York City, from whence he proceeded to Ot- tawa, LaSalle County, where he died in 1857. The mother died in April, 1861. They were both de- vout members of the Catholic Church, and the parents of ten children, seven of whom lived to be-
RESIDENCE OF AARON BECKER, SEC. 17. BELLE PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP.
000
RESIDENCE OF O. ARTHUR. SEC.28. PLEASANT RIDGE TOWNSHIP
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come men and women. They were named respect- ively, Henry, Otto, Mary, Benjamin, Annie, Louisa, Caroline and Amiel.
Mr. Laubenheimer came to Illinois in the fall of 1862, and located in LaSalle, where he engaged in the butcher business for three years, and then came to Fairbury, March 31, 1865, and entered into partnership with Louis Werling, continuing in the same business. This partnership existed for eight- een years, and during that time the firm never had a settlement, and dissolved with the best of feeling on the part of each member. After discontinuing this business Mr. Laubenheimer purchased 480 acres of land and a fine residence in the village of Fairbury. This land is all under cultivation and is very productive and valuable. Mr. Laubenhei- mer's long business career in Fairbury established for himself an enviable reputation for integrity and uprightness, and he now enjoys the confidence of the citizens of that section of the county. He is a member in good standing of the Masonic frater- nity, and of the Blue Lodge in Fairbury. Relig- iously, he belongs to the Lutheran Reformed Church; his wife for many years has been a Cath- olic. In politics Mr. Laubenheimer is a liberal Democrat, but does not take a very active part in public affairs.
ARON BECKER. The raising of blooded cattle and hogs has grown to be one of the greatest industries of Illinois, and growers differ as much in their choice of breeds as woman do in their notions of the fashions. The subject of this sketch in his choice of cattle has cer- tainly made no mistake, for there is no breed more popular than the Durham, not only in Illinois but in every section where cattle connoisseurs live. Of Durham cattle Mr. Becker has made a specialty, and his experience with them convinces him that that breed will do to tie to. Ile is a large farmer and stock-breeder on section 17, Belle Prairie Town- ship, and was born in Lancaster County, Pa., on the 18th of June, 1834. His mother died in 1875 at
the age of sixty-four years. Of her family of five children three are now living-Aaron, Annie and John William.
Mr. Becker was married on the 27th of August, 1862, to Fannie Austin, a native of Virginia, who was born on the 20th of January, 1846. By this marriage four children were born : John and Martha J., both of whom died in infancy; Sarah A., Mrs. W. L. Tarr. and Mary. Mr. Becker was a second time married, to Miss Sarah E. Wilhour, on the 29th of February, 1872. She was born in Lancaster County, Pa., on the 13th of November, 1845, and is the daughter of Peter and Susan (King) Wilhour, natives of Lancaster County, Pa. The father was of English descent, born in 1822, and is a farmer by occupation and a member of the Methodist Episco- pal Church; he is now living in Kingman County, Kan., to which place he went in 1883. The mother was born in 1824, of English descent, and has nearly all her life been a member of the Methodist Epis- copal Church. They are the parents of five chil- dren : Sarah E., Mrs. Becker; Martha A., deceased, was married to Daniel Humphrey ; Mary E. died at the age of two years, eleven months and thirteen days; William H. died at the age of two years and nine days; Eliza C. married John W. Patterson, who is now deceased. By Mr. Becker's second marriage there have been two children: Gertie A., born June 16, 1876, and Jessie B., Feb. 1, 1884.
Mr. Becker came to Illinois in 1858 and engaged at work by the mouth for five years, when he pur- chased a team of horses and went to work for him- self. In 1863 he paid $1,000 for a substitute in the army. His first purchase of land was eighty acres of unbroken prairie, and he now owns 160 acres of highly cultivated land, well tile drained and hedge fenced, and well equipped with buildings, including the fine residence, barns, etc. Besides this farm he owns 320 acres of excellent land in Kingman County, Kan. For several years he has been exten- sively engaged in stock-raising, making a specialty of Durham cattle and high-grade hogs, and in this business has been highly successful. He and his wife are both active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to which they contribute liberally of their time and money. Mr. Becker acts with the Republican party and votes a straight ticket.
LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
As illustrative of the progress of this community we exhibit on another page of this work a view of the residence of Mr. Becker.
0 HIO ARTHUR, a native of the Buckeye State. has been identified with the agricult- ural interests of Pleasant Ridge Township since the spring of 1868. He then took possession of 160 acres of land on section 28, where he has since carried on farming and stock-growing, erected a set of fine buildings, and brought his land, natur- ally fertile, to a high state of cultivation.
Mr. Arthur was born in Brown County, Ohio, June 13. 1836, and remained a resident of that section until nineteen years of age, when he set out to seek his fortunes in the West. He located in LaSalle County, where he was employed as a farm laborer. and supplemented his somewhat limited education by futher attendance at the public school at his old home. His parents, James and Margaret (Reed) Arthur, people of modest means, were natives of Kentucky, the father born June 12, 1797; he is still living, and a resident of Brown County, Ohio. The mother was born in March, 1798, and died at her home in Lasalle County, III., in January, 1879. The household cirele included eleven children, who were named respectively, Elizabeth, Margaret, William, John, Sarah, Melinda, Mary J .. Albina, Ohio, Rachel and Augustus. The elder Arthur was a farmer by occupation, and the early life of our subject, like that of his brothers and sisters, was spent in the quiet retreat of their country home. I'pon reaching manhood and while a resident of LaSalle County, he was married to Miss Mary E. Braden, the wedding taking place at the home of the bride, Feb. 10, 1863.
Mrs. Arthur was born in Greene County, Pa., Nov. 17, 1841, and is the daughter of Robert and Nancy (John-) Braden, natives of Pennsylvania. The father is still living in Bureau County, Ill. ; the mother died in December, 1857, in LaSalle County, IH. Of this union there have been born six children, namely : Walter A., Howard D., Anna B .. Fannie R., Cora M. and Charles A. Of these two were laid away in carly graves, Howard D., at
the age of three years, and Anna B., aged three years and eight months.
Mr. Arthur in early life was independent in poli- ties but of late years has given his support to the cause of prohibition. He has served as Road Com- missioner in his township sixteen years and been School Director eleven years. Religiously he and his excellent lady are Second Adventists.
As representative of the buildings of this section of country, we present on an adjoining page of this ALBUM a view of Mr. Arthur's residence.
AVID RICE, located on section 20, Read- ing Township, is a native of Westmoreland County, Pa., and was born Feb. 18, 1834, His parents were Henry and Shebby (Re- gior) Rice, natives of the same county as their son ; the former was born in 1794, and lived to be sev- enty-eight years of age, his death taking place at his home in his native county in 1872. The pater- nal grandfather of our subject, John Rice by name, 'together with his wife, was also a native of Penn- sylvania, in which State they spent their entire lives. Mrs. Shebby Rice was born in 1800, and died in her native State in 1879.
David Rice was the fifth in a family of ten chil- dren ; the record of the others is as follows: Sarah continues in her native State, occupying with her husband the old homestead in Westmoreland County ; John died in infancy ; Nancy lives with her sister Sarah; Barbara is the widow of John Mumaw, and the mother of seven children; they also reside near the old homestead. Hannah is the wife of John Wright, a Pennsylvania farmer, and is the mother of five children; Abram died in child- hood, and Mary when eight years old; Henry mar- ried Miss Mary Alandus, and is the father of ten children : he is farming in Westmoreland County, Pa. Daniel died of smallpox when sixteen years of age.
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