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 57

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 57

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Mr. Butler was married in 1858 to Miss Jane B. Tyrell, a native of Ireland, and they have a family of six children living : Margaret A .; William, ticket and local agent for the 1. C. R. R., married Miss Gusta Gunsell, daughter of H. B. Gunsell, one of the prominent citizens of Pontiac, and they have one sop; Charles E., who is telegraph operator at Kankakee, Ill .; John 11., our subject; Mary and Francis J.

Mr. Butler has affiliated with the Democratic

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party, but does not take an active part in politics. as his whole time is given to the work that he loves above all others-railroading. lle and his family are members of the Catholic Church.

J OHN CUMMINGS. The future is full of possibilities for the young man who has se- cured a foothold in Illinois, for he has none of the conditions to contend with that the early settlers had. The difference between the early settler and the young man who becomes the farmer of to-day, is about like the difference be- tween traveling by a path whose course is marked by blazed trees, and going npon a good broad high- way. The difficulties surrounding early citizen- ship have all passed away, and the conditions now, if not Inxurious, are at least comfortable, and if one becomes possessor of an Illinois farm now, it is all ready for the plow and the reaper. There are no wild prairies to reduce to a state of cultivation, no swamps to drain or trees to fell. This prelimin- ary work has been done by a hardy set of pioneers, and it is only necessary for those who follow them to reap the benefits of their labor. The subject of this sketch was born at a time when the pioneer days in Illinois were just closing, and he comes upon the stage of action at a time after the trans- formation has taken place.

Mr. Cummings is a native of the Hoosier State, being born near the town of Columbus, Bartholo- mew County, in 1859, and is the son of Nicholas (deceased) and Lavinia Cummings, who were na- tives of Germany. Of his father's family he is the oldest son, and when he was six years old his par- ents moved to Bloomington, Ill., where they re- sided for fifteen years, and where his boyhood days were spent in assisting in work upon a farm, and at such seasons, when it was possible, attending the common schools, where he made such reasonable progress that when he came to manhood he had a tolerably fair education.

In May, 1881, Mr. C. was married to Emma Youle, a daughter of William and Sarah Youle, of Delavan, Ill., who were natives of England, and came to America in 1851, coming direct to Illinois

upon their arrival, and where they reside in Taze- well Conuty. Mr. and Mrs. Cummings have one daughter, Iva A., born on the 25th of December, 1881. Mr. Cummings settled in Livingston County on the farm of his parents, in 1883. 1le is now the owner of 160 acres of land on section 29, P'on- tiae Township, and is making one of the snuggest farms of it in Livingston County. He cultivates it under all the improved methods, and is fast ac- cumulating modern labor-saving machinery. Ile is a Republican in politics, and displays his loyalty to that party by casting his vote for its candidates at every election. lle and his excellent wife are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and are highly esteemed by their neighbors and ac- quaintances of the township in which they live.

G EORGE BERRY, deceased, was a native of Devonshire, England, and was born about 1829. Ile grew to manhood in his native country, where he was fairly well educated, and emigrated to this country about the year 1850, taking passage at Liverpool. After a pleasant ocean voyage, he landed in New York City, and was employed for about one year as a farm hand near Batavia, in the State of New York. He then came to Illinois, and for several years was located near Ottawa, LaSalle County, where he was engaged in farming. He came to Livingston County about the year 1858, and settled on section 13, Owego Township.

On the 12th of March, 1853, in the town of Ot- tawa, Mr. Berry was married to llannah E. Howe, a native of England, who was born on the 21st of June, 1831, and is the daughter of Alfred and Elizabeth Howe, of England. Through hard work and good management he accumulated an estate of 320 acres of land and a good store property in the town of Rugby, Ill. He was known for his quiet, unassuming manner, and sterling integrity, and al- ways strove to do right. For a short time he car- ried on a grain business at Rugby, in which he was very successful. He was widely and favorably known throughout his locality, and was respected and esteemed by all who enjoyed his acquaintance.

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LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

Mr. and Mrs. B. were confirmed in their native land in the Church of England, by the Bishop of Exeter, but there being no church in Livingston County, they united with the Methodist Church, in which he remained a consistent member until his death. He filled many important offices, and was among its most prominent members, always advancing its in- terests, both by example and the substantial contri- bution of means. He was a kind and loving hus- band, and a good neighbor. He passed away in March, 1883.

In Mr. Berry's demise Livingston County lost one of her best citizens, who, during his life, was in favor of every measure to elevate society, and improve all the conditions of the county. In poli- tics he affiliated with the Republican party, but he would never permit his name to be placed upon a ticket for office.

OIIN BENNETT, one of the honored pio- neers of Avoca Township, is now pleasantly located on section 36, where he is passing his declining years in the midst of a people who have known him long and well, and who have learned to thoroughly respect and esteem him for his excellent traits as a man and a citizen. He has looked upon the changes transpiring in his adopted State with the interest peculiar to the intelligent and progressive spirit which first impelled him to leave his native State, near the Atlantic coast, and make the long journey toward the setting sun.

Mr. Bennett was born in Cape May County, N. J., Feb. 5, 1821, which county was also the birth- place of his parents, James and Deborah (Goff) Bennett. Ilis paternal ancestors were natives of Ireland, and his mother descended from an excel- lent old Welsh family which afterward was repre- sented by many descendants in the New England and Middle States. When John was a youth of fourteen years, with his father and step-mother, he started off on a long journey westward and lo- cated in Tippecanoe County, Ind., during its early settlement. Ilis mother had died when he was a little lad four years of age. His father only sur- vived until 1847, his death taking place at his home

in Tippecanoe County. John Bennett was there reared to manhood, receiving a limited education, his early studies being conducted in a log school- house which was built after the manner of those days, with puncheon floor and a place to let in the light which by no means could be dignified by the name of window. lle continued at farming, to which he had been reared, and to which his tastes naturally inclined, and after reaching his twenty- fifth birthday was married, Oct. 6, 1846, to Miss Rachel Shaw, a native of his own State and born in 1824.

Mr. and Mrs. Bennett commenced life in a mod- est manner on a farm in Tippecanoe County, where they continued to live until 1853, when our subject disposed of his interests there, and coming to Avoca Township operated for a time on rented land. In 1856 he purchased 120 acres of wild prairie, from which he eliminated his present comfortable and valuable homestead. Not a furrow had been turned when he took possession of it, and viewing the splendid farm of to-day the passer-by can easily imagine what years of labor and persistence must have been employed in order to bring it to its pres- ent condition. Mr. Bennett was thrown upon his own resources early in life and was content to start in a small way and labor and wait for results. When settling upon the land which he first purchased in Avoca Township he had about $80 in cash, a few rude farm implements and some live stock. He is now the owner of 320 acres, embracing one of the finest bodies of land in the southern part of Liv- ingston County, and which is a standing monument of his industry and perseverance. Ile is intimately acquainted with the hardships and difficulties of pioneer life, and the "shifts" which all the early settlers were obliged to make in order to keep soul and hody together. Besides carrying on the cul- tivation of his land in a wise and judicious manner, he still took time to interest himself in the welfare of the people about him, representing his township in the County Board of Supervisors three years, and serving as School Director and Trustee in his dis- triet. The community long ago learned to look upon him as one of its most trustworthy citizens, and he has never disappointed them.

Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, in addition to the other

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good things which befell them as the reward of worth and integrity, became the parents of a bloom- ing family of eight children, who are recorded as follows: Sarah was born Aug. 29, 1848, and is at home; Miriam was born July 20, 1850, and be- came the wife of Joshua Mills, of Ottawa, III. ; Win- field S. was born Nov. 15, 1851, and is at home: John E. was born March 5. 1855, married Minnie Merrit, and lives in this township; George HI. was born Nov. 19, 1857, married Jennie Crum, and lives in Belle Prairie Township; Rachel Emma was born March 17, 1862, and married John Mitton, of Fair- bury, Ill .; Aaron J., born Feb. 28, 1864, and Mary D., May 9, 1868, are at home. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett are members of the United Brethren Church. In politics Mr. Bennett has always voted the Republican ticket.

S TEPHEN A. HOYT, banker, at Forest, has been a resident of this vicinity since the spring of 1865. He then engaged as a lum- ber and stock dealer, and afterward em- barked in the grain trade. Ile still buys and sells cattle, shipping them to the Chicago market, and is the owner of 1,000 acres of valuable land, 800 of which is in Dakota, and the balance in Illinois. He is distinguished as a gentleman of enterprise and energy, who has been uniformly successful and one who has a thorough contempt for the idler.

The main points in the career of Mr. Hoyt are substantially as follows: He was born in Ulster County, N. Y., July 27, 1834, and is the son of Curtis and Maria A. (Myer) Hoyt, natives respect- ively of Connecticut and New York. Neither of his parents reached old age, both dying before fifty years old. The father was a hatter, which trade he followed many years, and spent his last days in Delaware County. His mother died in Saugerties, N. Y., about 1853, and the father a few years later. Their seven children are recorded as follows: Sarah. Mrs. Turner, is a resident of Forest, Ill .; Theodore became a sailor, and was wrecked on the Feejee Islands, where he married the daughter of a mis- sicnary and has since remained; Francis M. married Miss Emma Hale, and is a resident of Eureka, Ill .;

Peter M. married Miss Kate Diedrich, and lives in Forest; George died in infancy; Elizabeth married T. J. Kerr, of Forest; Stephen A., of our sketch, is the oldest of the family.

Young Hoyt remained under the parental roof in his native county until after the death of his par- ents, and in the fall of 1857 migrated westward to this State. After a brief sojourn in Chicago he went to Prairie du Chien, where, two months later, he was attacked with chills and fever and suffered from this malady for some time. He had learned the carpenter's trade while a resident of New York, and followed the business up to the time of enlist- ment.

The outbreak of the Rebellion, which turned the current of the lives of so many young men, also in- terfered with the plans of our subject, as he consid- ered it his duty to forego his present interests and array himself on the side of the Union. Ac- cordingly on the 12th of May, 1861, soon after the firing upon Ft. Sumter, he enlisted in Company G, 17th Illinois Infantry, and followed the fortunes of war until its close. Ile was soon promoted Second Sergeant, the Orderly Sergeant being H. D. Clark, now a Christian minister of Bloomington, and the Captain, O. A. Burgess, also a Christian minister. Young Hoyt proceeded with his regi- ment to the scene of conflict. and at the battle of Shiloh was wounded in the left arm. He was de-, termined not to be sent to the hospital, and was ac- cordingly detailed to headquarters, where he acted as clerk for Gen. W. R. Rowley. He met the enemy in various engagements and skirmishes, and per- formed his duties in such a manner as to gain the approval of his superior officers and the esteem of his comrades. At the expiration of his term of en- listment he was mustered out at Springfield, Ill., in July, 1864, receiving his honorable discharge. Ilis army life was like that of many another soldier whose hardships and privations remain unchroni- cled; but who performed their duty faithfully and well, and have perhaps for their only consolation the approval of their own consciences.

Mr. Hoyt, after leaving the army, engaged as a builder and contractor, which business he followed in Eureka until the spring of 1865. On the 3d of October following, he was united in marriage with

LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

Miss Rutilia Gillum. Rev. Dr. Allen, of the Enreka Christian Church, officiating. Mrs. Iloyt was born in Christian County. Ky .. in 1840. and is the daugh- ter of James and Eleanor C. ( Harvey ) Gillum. also native- of the Blue Grass State.

The bank with which Mr. Hoyt is connected was established on the 5th of January, 1886, under the name and style of Hoyt & Co., with a capital stock of $25,000. Its business transactions extend over a large section of country, and its projector, and also the other gentlemen who are identified with it, are citizens of standing in the community, and in whom it has implicit confidence. It is fast becoming one of the indispensable institutions of Livingston County, and its methods are such as will insure suc- eoss.

Mr. Hloyt has distinguished himselflas a liberal- minded citizen, and politically is a Republican, with strong Prohibition principles. He believes in giving to all classes of people the rights to which they are naturally entitled, and mantains that woman's work in particular should receive its just compensation, and that she should be eligible to all the offices under the Government. He has repre- sented his township in the County Board of Super- visors, and has officiated as School Director and Justiee of the Peace. Ile and his excellent wife are members in good standing of the Christian Church.

E LI PEARSON. The " village blacksmith " has been immortalized in song, but the ideal blacksmith of the poet is not the blacksmith of the present, but the one of many years ago, when he not only welded and forged but made wagons as well, and in those days they made honest wagons too, as all the wooden parts were made by hand and of the best timber obtainable, and the ironing was done substantially if not as artistically as to-day. The village blacksmith. whose praises are sung by the poet, has almost passed out of ex- istence, for mechanical inventions have supplanted him, and about all he finds to do now is to make repairs. At the time the subject of this sketch followed the occupation of blacksmith and wagon- maker the great (establishments which now monop-

olize manufactures in those lines had not come into existence ; since they[have assumed the sway they enjoy, the early mechanics who did all the work honestly and with their hands have been driven to the farm or other occupations. The subject of this sketch chose the life of a farmer, which he has followed for several years in Avoca Township. Ile is a native of Tippecanoe County, Ind., and was born on the 12th of July, 1835. He is a son of Lot and Sophia Pearson, of whom further men- tion is made in the biographical sketch of Martin Pearson, his brother. When about five years of age Mr. Pearson was left an orphan by the death of both his parents, and was thrown entirely upon his own resources. Wheu old enough to do so he learned the trade of blacksmithing and wagon- making, which he followed for about twelve years, and has devoted his life since to the occupation of a farmer. He and his brother, Martin Pearson, were the first mechanics in the line of wagon- making and blacksmithing to settle in the ancient village of Avoca, in Avoca Township, of which only a few ruins remain to mark the spot where once stood a prosperous hamlet. During his boy- hood days Mr. Pearson received a fair common- school education, which has availed him well in after life. He came to Livingston County, Ill., in 1856, and has been here continuously since that time.

On the 20th of April, 1856, Mr. Pearson married Mahala Virgin, daughter of Jeremiah M. and Amanda Virgin, who were among the early pioneer settlers of Livingston County. They have had four children: Alonzo, Meredith M., Ulysses G., and Flora, wife of Edward DeMoss. Mr. Pearson owns 100 acres of good land, and as a farmer has becu quite successful. When he came to Livingston County he had $100 in cash, and a sufficient quan- tity of tools with which to carry on his trade, in the prosecution of which he accumulated sufficient means to purchase and equip his farm. In his po- litical affiliations he acts with the Democratic party, whose principles and candidates receive from him an carnest support. For seventeen years he has served as Assessor of Avoca Township, and has heen Col- lector for two years. He interests himself in all matters which involve the welfare of the commun-

A Cunt.

Nancy J. Carry

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LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

ity in which he lives. He is quite liberal in his contributations of time and money to all local enterprises, and is considered in every respect a first-class citizen. He and his wife identify them- selves with the best elements of society, by whom they are deservedly esteemed and respected.

POLLOS CAMP, an aged and retired far- mer and capitalist who has lived a useful life and completed the sum of more than fourscore years, is now sheltered in an ele- gant home in the city of Pontiac, by whose people he is held in peculiar veneration and respect. An original Yankee, he was born in Plymouth (since known as Thomaston), Litchfield Co., Conn., March 19, 1806. His parents, Ephraim and Mabel (Par- dy) Camp, were also natives of Plymouth, where the father engaged in milling the early part of his life, and subsequently retired upon a competence. Ile had served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and possessed the hardy and resolute spirit of the men of his time.

The subject of this sketch was reared upon a farm, and upon reaching his majority learned the trade of a stonemason. After becoming proficient in this he engaged as a contractor exclusively for avy work, and was thus occupied five years. In 328 he was appointed foreman of the farm and perintendent of material in the shops of the great ock-maker, Seth Thomas, at Hartford, in whose mploy he remained for a period of eighteen years.

Mr. Camp, now desirous of a change, invested his capital in 120 acres of land in his native county of Litchfield, which he tilled about two years. In May, 1852, he sought the great West, and entered from the Government 320 acres of land in Sunbury Township, this county. He returned to Connecti- cut in October following, and in May, 1853, moved his family to Illinois and purchased about 800 acres more land, mostly in Esmen Township, some, how- ever, reaching over into Amity Township. The same year he built a house on his first farm and gradually effected the valuable improvements which made it so well known throughout the county.

Mr. Camp was married in Connecticut, in June,

1833, to Miss Nancy Thomas, a native of that State. Of this union there is but one child living, a daughter, Harriet, now Mrs. Bennet Humiston, of Pontiac, with whom Mr. Camp makes his home. Mr. Humiston settled in Esmen Township in 1852, and engaged extensively in farming. In 1876 he moved to Pontiac and took a fine residence, remain- ing there until his death, Nov. 14, 1883. Edward T. Camp, the only son of our subject, was born in Thomaston, Conn., Dec. 24, 1843, and was nine years of age when his parents came to this county. His early years were spent on the farm in Esmen Township, and at school. Ile was a student one winter in Clark's Seminary, at Aurora, and after- ward for three years attended Lombard University at Galesburg, Ill. He was intensely ambitious, and as the result of too close application to his studies, his system became in a measure enfeebled, and readily succumbed to an attack of typhoid fever during the summer vacation. He died Sept. 14, 1864, after an illness of ten days. He was a young man of great promise and fine intellectual attain- ments. The blow to the stricken father was doubly hard to bear on account of the recent death of the wife and mother. Mrs. Nancy (Thomas) Camp departed this life Jan. 21, 1864.

Mr. Camp was one of the most successful farmers and stock-raisers of Livingston County. He con- tinued to live in the country until 1880, then re- tired from active labor and took up his residence in Pontiac. Seven tenant farmers attend to his rural interests. In Pontiac he is a stoekholder and Director in the National Bank, and owns valuable shares in the Pontiac Coal Company. He was al- ways active, stirring and industrious, and retains much of his old-time vigor with his mental capaci- ties. Ilis accumulations stand as the best evidence of his prudence and economy. He never sought or wished for office, but has invariably voted the Dem- ocratic ticket.

Mr. Camp is of a particularly kind and generous disposition, and in him the poor and needy have always found a reliable friend. We take the lib- erty of citing an instance of his manner of doing the right thing at the right time. One of his ten- ants for a period of nine years had cultivated the soil with little profit, the seasons having been al-

LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

most without exception unpropitious. Not long since Mr. Camp requested this tenant to accompany him to the Recorder's office and pay $1 he owed there. The tenant did so, and upon the payment of the dollar was handed a warrantce deed to the farm, the only stipulation being that he should pay the usual rental during the lifetime of Mr. Camp. It is needless to say that the tenant accepted the deed and the terms with alacrity.

The portrait list of Livingston County would by no means be complete without the pictured features of this honored pioneer and the companion of his youth, who has preceded him to the better land, and we accordingly give them place as representa- tives of a by-gone time, whose history and whose people will be cherished in future years by their proud descendants.

INCENT I. AARON, the subject of this sketch, is engaged in the hardware trade in the village of Strawn, where he has con- ducted a successful business for several years. lle is a gentleman who fitted himself for business af- fairs by education in one of the most prominent business colleges of the country, and his practical life has been a success. He is a native of Penn- sylvania, was born in Jefferson County June 6, 1×50, and is the son of Thomas H. and Mary T. Aaron. a biographical sketch of whom will be found in another part of this ALBUM. Our subject came to Livingston County with his parents in 1869, and they located in Fayette Township on section 4. where they now reside. Vincent remained with them until he was twenty-three years of age, giving excellent service on the farm, and attending school in the winter. In the winter of 1869-70 he at- tended the Bryant & Stratton College of Chicago, in which he studied the principal branches, includ- ing book-keeping, banking, commercial law and penmanship. After leaving the school he returned to Livingston County and worked on his father's farm for about two years. In December, 1873, he abandoned farm life and opened a hardware store in the village of Strawn. He is the only hardware dealer in the village, and enjoy's an extensive trade.

On the 5th of January, 1875, Mr. Aaron was married to Miss Mary T. Winslow, who was born in Avoca, Ill., Oct. 17, 1855. She is the dangh- ter of Thomas and Kate (Clark) Winslow, natives of Ireland, and farmers of Livingston County, where they have for many years been successfully engaged in farming and stock-raising. To Mr. and Mrs. Aaron have been born four children: Mary Rosemma, ten years of age; Margaret Cointha, eight years of age: Stella Catherine, six years of age, and Thomas Vincent, five months old when this sketch was written.

Mr. Aaron is a member of the Democratic party and takes quite an active interest in political affairs. He has been School Treasurer of Fayette Township sinee 1877, and is the present incumbent of the office. Hle has been President of the Village Board for the period of two years, and for eight years has been Assistant Postmaster, the Strawn post-office, during this time, being located in his store. Mr. Aaron and his family belong to the Catholic Church, of which they are regular attend- ants and devoted members. Mr. Aaron takes a lively interest in all public affairs, and is a leading and influential citizen.

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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 57

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