Portrait and biographical album of DeKalb County, Illinois : containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, Part 28

Author:
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Chicago : Chapman Bros.
Number of Pages: 888

USA > Illinois > DeKalb County > Portrait and biographical album of DeKalb County, Illinois : containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county > Part 28

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avid W. Stark, farmer, section 3, Mayfield Township, is the son of William and Ruth (McClara) Stark, natives of Pennsylvania, who had five children,-Lewis G., Peter F., David W., John K., Calista and Amelia. The subject of this sketch was born in Wyoming Co., Pa., April 15, 1826, lived in his native county until 21 years of age and then sought a home in the West. Coming to Illinois in 1847, he lived most of the time until 1852 in Sycamore, engaged in different oc- cupations. In the spring of that year he went to California for the purpose of mining, and was thus engaged for six months. After that he worked out by the month, until May, 1857, when he returned to De Kalb County and settled on 40 acres of section 3, Mayfield Township, which he had bought when he first came to Illinois and where he now resides. He has added to his estate until he now has almost 300 acres. Mr. Stark has served as Deputy Sheriff two years (1849-50). In political matters he votes with the Republicans.

He was married in Mayfield Township, Oct. 28, 1859, to Amanda Judd, daughter of Ariel and Eliz- abeth (Headly) Judd, the former of whom was a

native of the State of New York and the latter of In- diana. They came to De Kalb County in 1837 and settled in Kingston Township, where Mrs. J. died, in May, 1847; Mr. J. afterward came to Mayfield Town- ship, and died Feb. 23, 1869. They had a family of nine children, Mrs. S. being the only one who lived to grow up. Mr. and Mrs. S. are the parents of five children,-William A., Lizzie J., Frank W., Clara C. and Perry J.

eorge E. and Irving W. Miller, general merchants and dealers in hardware .and agricultural machinery at Fielding, Frank- lin Township, started their business in Feb- ruary, 1884. The building where they manage their affairs is a brick structure, 50 x 50 feet in dimensions, and they have a finely assorted stock suited to the local trade.

Their parents, Daniel and Catherine M. (Bouk) Miller, were natives of New York and farmers in Herkimer County. They removed thence to Frank- lin Township in 1846, and were among the early set- tlers. They purchased 280 acres of land, and later became the proprietors of additional tracts until, at the date of the father's decease, Oct. 4, 1874, the estate included 560 acres, to which there were five heirs,- William O., George E., Emma J., Irving W. and Frank. Frank died Oct. 21, 1874, soon after the death of his father. William O. moved to Kansas, where he and his wife both died after being in that State about a year; he died Dec. 23, 1879, and his wife about two weeks afterward. One daughter of the senior Miller, Emma J., resides on the homestead with her mother.

George E. Miller was born in Franklin Township, Aug. 12, 1854. He was educated in the district school of his native township, and was married June 4, 1876, at Rockford, Ill., to Mary A. Mcclellan. She was born in De Kalb County, Jan. 26, 1852, and was educated in the common schools, later going to Rockford to complete a more extended course of study. Her mother died soon after her birth, and her father went not long afterward to California, where all traces of him were lost. She was brought up and educated by her aunt. She is the mother of two children,-Frank D. and Lee W.

Irving E. Miller was born Jan. 28, 1857. The

John Cristman

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brothers both lived at home until the opening of their present business enterprise. They retain their claims to which they succeeded through inheritance, the elder brother holding 190 acres; the tract received by the younger includes 160 acres. In political be- lief and connections they are Republicans.

rson W. Rice, engineer in charge of the stationary pump of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company at Kirkland, was born Jan. 11, 1837, in Lorain Co., Ohio. He is the son of Nalium and. Betsey E. (Blaine) Rice, who were natives of Ohio. They came from the Buckeye State to Boone Co., Ill., in the spring of 1837, when the son was but a few months old, and located on a tract of Govern- ment land. In 1845 they returned to Lorain Co., · Ohio. In 1848 the father died, and later the mother remarried and removed with her husband to Van Buren Co., Mich., where she is still living, at the age of 72 years.

.Mr. Rice accompanied his parents in their several removals, and obtained his education in the town- ship of Eaton, Lorain Co., Ohio. He was the fourth of seven children, and after the death of his father was dependent on his own exertions for self-main- tenance. He engaged in farm labor in his native State, and was occupied in that avenue of labor un- til he entered the Army of the United States as a defender of the National integrity. He enrolled as a soldier April 16, 1861, at Cleveland, in the Eighth Ohio Vol Inf., in Co. H, under Captain Starr, enlist- ing under the first call for troops. The regiment was attached to the Army of the Cumberland, and was in the service three months. On his discharge he immediately re-enlisted for three years'service in the 150th Battalion, under Captain Spears, and was assigned to the Army of the Tennessee. Mr. Rice was in action at Corinth, Coldwater and Vicksburg, at which last place he was under fire through the entire siege. The regiment went thence to Jackson, Miss., and there encountered Johnson's army, going next to Lookout Mountain, where they fought. under Sherman. After repulsing the enemy they crossed the Tallahassee and pushed on to Atlanta, Ga., where the command was transferred to the corps of

General McPherson After the loss of the command- er at Decatur, Ala., July 22, 1863, he served under Logan until after the siege of Atlanta, when he was transferred to the command of Gen. Francis P. Blair, under whom he fought at Jonesville. After this action he was made Orderly at headquarters, and continued in that rank until the close of the war, and under it was detailed frequently for special ser- vice. On one occasion he was sent with a special dispatch to General Thomas, directing him to make a certain movement. This was a duty that required speed and sagacity, and he executed its obligations in a manner that won for him much commendation. Mr. Rice was mustered out of the United States ser- vice at Washington, D. C., June 2, 1865, after the close of the war. He was in the army of the North during the entire period of the war, his service last- ing four years, four months and ten days.

Mr. Rice came to Illinois, to the township of Frank- lin, while on a furlough, and was married Sept. 19, 1862, to Ruth Penwell. She was born Aug. 13, 1843, in Boone Co., Ill., and is the daughter of Luke and Elizabeth (Middleton) Penwell. Mr. P. was born in Fayette Co., Ind., in 1817, and Mrs. P. in Ohio, in 1818, and went to Indiana when she was very young. They moved to Boone Co., Ill., in 1836, and to De Kalb County in 1883, where they now live .. -

On receiving his discharge from the army he joined his wife in Franklin Township and engaged in farm- ing, following that vocation until 1870. In that year he went to Belvidere, and there established a boot and shoe store. He disposed of his business rela- tions in '1879, and came to Kirkland, where he pur- chased a house and lot, and has since resided. In 1882 he entered upon his present employment. He is a Republican in political connection, and is serving as a member of the Village Council, to which he was re-elected in 1884.

ohn Cristman, deceased, formerly a farmer and blacksmith, on the southeast quarter of section 18, Cortland Township, was born in Jordanville, N. Y., May 28, 1825. His father, John J. Cristian, was born April 15, 1799, a descendant of the Mohawk Dutch, and died about 1874, in South Grove Township, this

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county. His mother, Rachel, nee Eggbroad, was -born July 20, 1803, and died about 1833.

Mr. Cristman, the subject of this sketch, learned the trade of blacksmith when a young man, and fol- lowed that occupation more or less during life, having a shop on his farm. He worked several years at his trade at Jordanville, N. Y. On coming to this county in 1854, he worked about a year at the business at Sycamore; the meanwhile purchasing a farm of H. H. Mason, on which he lived and labored until his death, which occurred on October 9, 1863. He was injured by a threshing-machine, and died from the effects three days afterward. When he bought his farm it comprised 240 acres, and had some small improvements. These he supplanted with better, , and subsequently sold about 53 acres to Mr. Bing- ham. At his death he left 180 acres as his real estate.' He was a Republican, and served for a time as Highway Commissioner."

Mr. Cristman was married Sept. 10, 1852, to Almira Pooler, daughter of Henry Pooler. She was born March 22, 1829, and died Sept. 16, following her marriage. He was again married .Oct. 4, 1857, to Miss Philany Pooler, at German Flats, Herkimer Co., N. Y. She was born July 9, 1835, at that place, and was a daughter of Henry Pooler, whose biogra- phy appears in this book. His portrait is also given `in this ALBUM, on page 232. Mrs. Cristman is the mother of two children, namely: Lorena A., born May 22, 1859, and John M., Aug. 25, 1863.

As one of De Kalb County's representative self- made men, we place the portrait of Mr. Cristman in this ALBUM. He was well known, highly respected, and a most worthy citizen. He left a large and esteemed family connection in this county.

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illiam W. Wylde, farmer, section 18, Genoa Township, has been a resident of the State of Illinois since the age of two years, when his parents, William and Maria (Webb) Wylde, emigrated with their family from England to America and settled in Boone Co., Ill. The father died in 1854, in Belvidere.

Mr. Wylde was born Feb. 28, 1840, in England. He went from home when he was 13 years of age, to become a farm laborer, and he operated in that

capacity until he was 21 years old, remaining in the employment of Daniel Ball, of Genoa. On coming of age he bought 94 acres of land in the township where he had labored eight years and where he has been a resident most of the time since 1853. Polit- ically he is a Republican.

His marriage to Mary Leonard took place in Octo- ber, 1862, in Belvidere, and they had three children, Jennie, Ida and another who died in early infancy. Ida died at the age of two years. The mother is a native of Illinois. Mr. Wylde was a second time married Oct. 1, 1879, to Mrs. Martha J. Olinstead, daughter of Clark C. and Mary (Everson) Thomp- son and widow of Chester H. Olmstead. Her first husband died in 1876, leaving a daughter,- Mabel G. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson were born re- spectively in Vermont and New York. Mrs. Wylde was born in Coral, McHenry Co., Ill., Nov. 23, 1846. Her father was a Union soldier, enlisting in the 95th Ill. Vol. Inf., Co. E, in 1860, and died at Baton Rouge, La., April 13, 1861, from over-exertion caused by a forced march through Tennessee.

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R obert Craig, merchant at Fielding, Frank- lin Township, was born Aug. 16, 1853, in the city of Philadelphia. His father, George Craig, came in 1855 to Flora Township, Boone Co., Ill., and located on a farm, where the son was reared to manhood, attending school and working on the farm until he was 22 years of age For some months previous to that age he was at school at Cherry Valley, Winnebago Co., Ill., and on leaving there entered the general mer- cantile establishment of Keith & Blake at that place. He remained in that employment but a short time, entering the service of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Company as baggage agent at Dixon, Ill. After nine months he accepted a similar position at Fielding, in which he officiated but a short time, and engaged in a mercantile enterprise with his former employer, Mr. Keith. Later he attended school at Cherry Valley, going thence to Chicago, where he spent two years as a street-car conductor. In 1879 he came to Fielding and, associated with Frank Romney, established a general mercantile establish- ment, beginning trade with a stock of less than

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$1,000 value. From that small beginning the rela- tions of the firm have steadily and uniformly in- creased and grown in popularity until they carry stock averaging $10,000 in value, and transact a yearly business, aggregating $25,000. Mr. Craig is the possessor of a valuable and attractive home in Fielding.

He was married Sept. 30, 1879, at Cherry Valley, Winnebago Co., Ill., to Libbie Reid, and they have two children,-Edna M., born Sept. 29, 1880, and Arthur, born Nov. 13, 1883. Mrs. Craig was born in July, 1856, in the State of New York. She came to Illinois in childhood, and at the age of 11 years be- came a member of the family of a merchant named John McKee, with whom she made her home until her marriage.

Mr. Craig is a Republican and is at present a School Director of the village of Fielding.

oseph Sixbury, deceased, farmer, was a native of Amsterdam, Montgomery Co., N. Y., born Nov. 17, 1810. Malinda (Ell- wood) Sixbury, his widow, is a native of Min- den, Montgomery Co., N. Y., born March 2, 1815. Joseph Sixbury and Malinda Ellwood were united in marriage in their native county Jan. 15, 1834, and in July, 1837, removed to Sycamore, De Kalb Co., Ill., where they continued to reside. The fruits of their union were two children,-Chaun- cey E. and Mary Eliza. The former was born in Sycamore, May 30, 1838; the latter, May 28, 1845.

Chauncey E. Sixbury was married to Jennie Ainley, also of Sycamore, April II, 1866, and now resides in Boone Co., Iowa. Mary E. Sixbury was united in marriage to James H. Schuyler, a resident of Sycamore, May 9, 1866, and settled in Nunica, Mich. Two children were born to them, and are named Colfax Schuyler and James C. Schuyler. Col- fax was born in Nunica, Mich., Feb. 23, 1868. James C. was born in the same town, March 1, 1874. Mary E. Schuyler died in Nunica, Feb. 17, 1876. Her re- mains were brought to Sycamore and repose in Elm- wood Cemetery. The two children thus early left motherless have since continued under the watchful and affectionate oversight and care of their grand-

mother, Malinda (Ellwood) Sixbury. Joseph Sixbury departed this life Dec. 28, 1879.

It has already been remarked that Joseph Sixbury and his wife came to De Kalb County as early as July, 1837, the pioneer days of this section. Those who removed here from the midst of the older civili- zation of the East, were obliged to encounter more or less in the way of deprivation so far as the com- forts of life were concerned, both socially and other- wise ; and Mr. and Mrs. Sixbury were called upon to bear their share of the privations and trials of pioneer life. Outside of the discomforts that naturally and inevitably beset the white people, were the disagree- able, not to say dangerous, proclivities of the Indians, who at that period occupied in part this particular section. The surrounding groves were their rendez- vous, from which they made frequent incursions into the settlements to beg for food and other favors. Al- though not particularly hostile, they sometimes were troublesome. In relating to the writer some of the ways of the aborigines, Mrs. Sixbury said sometimes they would appear at the cabin door of the settlers and cast their blankets inside. If the occupants of the cabin allowed the blankets to remain, the Indians considered it an invitation to come in and take their repose, but if the blankets were taken up and placed outside, the Indians accepted the act as a refusal to allow them to tarry, and, picking them up, passed along. Soon after the period indicated, the Indians were removed by the Government to Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Joseph Sixbury, besides taking an active part in helping to improve the Western wilderness, to which he had removed previous to the Government land sale, was public-spirited as well, and was one of the few men who assisted in the location of the county seat of De Kalb County at Sycamore. His land patent covered a portion of the site of what is now the beautiful and thriving city of Sycamore. Him- self and wife were devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in the upbuilding of which in those primitive days they both bore an important part. Each abounded in works of benevolence and charity. Those were the days in which the grand and rugged eloquence of Father Cartwright and other able and eloquent pioneer Methodist preachers were heard in the cabins of the settlers and in the groves and forests. It almost seems strange, but those early

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comers often speak of the days of old, and associate with them some of the pleasantest and most enjoya- ble episodes of their lives. Their necessary depend- ence one upon another made closer and stronger the bond of friendship and sympathy between them, and though few in numbers and' deprived of much that happily surrounds them in these later days, they yet were happy and contented. All honor to the cour- ageous and hardy pioneer of the West.

Mr. Sixbury was a Steward and Class-leader in his Church up to the time of his death. He also occu- pied positions of responsibility and trust in the civil affairs of the town and county, having been chosen assessor of his town many years, and was also elected to the important office of County Treasurer two suc- cessive terms.

enry P. Grout, dealer in agricultural in- struments at Kirkland, was born July 16, 1836, in. Windsor Co., Vt. He is a de- scendant from a prominent family in that part of. the Green Mountain State, his grandfather Grout being an early settler there, and was one of the Government surveyors of New Hampshire and Vermont. His grandmother figures in the his- tory of Vermont as an Indian captive, but her early release was secured. John Grout, father of Mr. Grout of this sketch, was born in Windsor County, where he maintained his home all his life. He was a soldier of the War of 18r2, and after the close of that conflict lived on a land, grant conferred in con- sequence of his services. He became prominent in general affairs and occupied high position in the pub- lic esteem. He died in r857, aged about 60 yearse His wife. Polly, (McAllister) Grout, was born in Wind- sor County, and there lived all her life. She died in r855, and was the mother of nine children. Her father was a pioneer settler of Windsor County.

Mr. Grout was the youngest child and attended district school until he was r7 years old, when he came West and located at Sycamore. Within a year both his parents died and he determined upon a per- manent residence in Illinois. He accordingly en- gaged in labor to sustain himself among strangers, and continued to operate in De Kalb County until 1860, when he joined a party of gold hunters and went to

Pike's Peak, where he remained r8 months. He re- turned to this county without accumulated possessions, and determined on entering the Army of the United States, the Civil War being then in progress. He en- listed in September, r86r, in Co. C, 52d Ill. Vol. Inf., and went to the front under Capt. J. S. Brown, of Sycamore. The regiment was attached to the West- ern Army, and he continued to experience the vari- eties of military conflict until the battle of Shiloh, Tenn., where he received a gunshot wound, the bul- let entering the stomach two inches above the periphery of the diaphragm. Twenty-one days after- ward the leaden missile was dislodged and passed through the intestines. This is one of the most remark- able incidents in the surgical history of the war, and is the only one on record of its kind. Mr. Grout was discharged July 21, 1862, at Chicago, for disability. He returned to Sycamore and was married March 19, r 863, in Franklin Township, to Mrs. Mary A. Foster, daughter of William H. and Betsy (Gorham) Rowen. She was born Jan. r2, 1835, in Genesee Co., N. Y. When she was nine years of age her parents settled in the township where she was married to Thomas Foster, a native of Indiana, who died in the town- ship of Kingston, in r860. She became the mother of three children by her first marriage,-Wallace T., Betsy A. and Joseph W.,- all of whom are married. Hattie is the name of the only child born of her second marriage.

. A year after his marriage, Mr. Grout purchased 80 acres of land in Kingston Township, whereon the family resided until r880, the date of their removal to Kirkland. Mr. Grout is the owner of an addition to Kirkland, which contains ten acres. Since his res- idence there, he has been engaged in' the sale of agricultural implements. He is a zealous Republi- can, and is the present Township Treasurer.

oses Dean, farmer and dealer in real estate, resident at Sycamore, has been identified with the history and develop- ment of De Kalb County since 1856. He was born Jan. 27, 1815, in the town of Never- sink, Sullivan Co., N. Y., and is the son of Reu- ben and Elizabeth (Divine) Dean. Moses Dean, his great-grandfather, is his earliest known ancestor, who

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emigrated from England when a young man, and .settled near Hartford, Conn. He was a preacher and spent his life at Hartford, where he died at the age of 104 years. Solomon Dean, his son, grandfather of Mr. Dean of this sketch, was born at Hartford, and was a soldier of the Revolution. He was a member of an engineer corps known in those days as "Sap- pers and Miners," and was with the command of Washington at Newburg, Valley Forge and Brandy- wine, and was a witness of the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, in 1781. He settled at New- burg after the termination of the Colonial struggle, and died there in 1786. His remains were buried in the cemetery near Washington's headquarters. His widow became the wife of a Revolutionary soldier, named Samuel Johnson, and in 1804 the family settled in Sullivan County.

Reuben Dean, son of Solomon Dean and father of the subject of this sketch, was born near Newburg, Orange Co., N. Y., and settled with his stepfather's family in Sullivan County.

He married Elizabeth Divine, who was born near Newburg. He was a soldier in the second struggle with Great Britain, and was stationed at Brooklyn Heights. He died in January, 1846. The grandparents of Mr. Dean on the mother's side, Eleazer and Lydia Divine, were early pioneers of Sullivan County, and remained residents there until their decease, that of the grandmother occurring when she was 98 years old.

Mr. Dean was reared on his father's farm and ob- tained a good and available education in the public schools. Previous to his marriage he passed the summer seasons in farming, and engaged in teach- ing winters. He was married June 16, 1840, to Rachel Evans. She was born Jan. 26, 1816, at Fallsburg, Sullivan Co., N. Y., and was the daughter of George and Mary (Eller) Evans. In 1841 Mr. Dean became proprietor of a farm and a hotel at Grahamville, in his native county, and managed them jointly two years, then selling his property, and buy- ing a grist and saw mill and a farm at Hasbrouck, Sullivan County, N. Y. In 1845 he sold out again and engaged in mercantile business, combining therewith farming and trade in lumber at Hasbrouck. He continued his operations there until 1854, when he again sold out and bought an interest in a tan- nery at Liberty in Sullivan County, where he car-

ried on that business connected with farming until 1856, the year of his removal to Sycamore, whither he came in May. He first embarked as a landholder at Charter Grove in Sycamore Township, where he located and engaged in farming and rearing stock until 1869. In the latter he took great pride and in- terest and made great exertions with the purpose of improving the stock in the county, engaging in rais- ing thoroughbred cattle and sheep, the latter in- cluding Leicesters and Southdowns, and making a specialty of Devonshire cattle. During his agricul- tural operations he owned and improved about 1,400 acres of land in De Kalb County, and was instru- mental in the construction of ten barns and six dwellings.

In 1867, associated with Daniel Pierce and R. L. Divine, he established a private banking house at Sycamore. Mr. Divine withdrew in 1871, and the business was prosecuted by the remaining partners until March 1883. Since that date Mr. Dean has engaged in the improvement of land in De Kalb County and in Iowa, owning 500 acres in the latter, all under improvement, fenced, stocked and managed by tenants.

The early political opinions of Mr. Dean were in consonance with the Jeffersonian school, and he cast his first Presidential vote in 1836 for Martin Van Buren. He is a conservative Democrat, and has been a counselor in the ranks of his party, but never an aggressive politician. During the war he aided materially in the vigorous prosecution of the struggle to preserve the Union. While engaged in his farm- ing operations he was a member of the Agricultural Society of the county and officiated several years as its President. He has been a member of the State Board of Agriculture, and while officiating in that capacity devoted much time and attention to the necessary preparations for the expositions at Quincy and elsewhere, where he was active in personal superintendence during the exhibitions. Since his residence at Sycamore he has been its Mayor, and a member of the Council. In 1871 he was in charge of the erection of the county buildings, and of placing them in complete order for occupation. He has also been a member of the Board of Education.

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Portrait and biographical album of DeKalb County, Illinois : containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, Part 28

Author: Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Chicago : Chapman Bros. Number of Pages: 888

Author:
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Chicago : Chapman Bros.
Number of Pages: 888