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 36
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Bowling Green, the raw troops encountered the reali- ties of soldier life. Forced marches, guard and picket duty, skirmishes of greater or less importance, disease and privations made up the catalogue of pain- ful variety. Nov. 1I, the brigade was ordered to Scottsville, Ky., and on the 25th of of the same month proceeded to Gallatin, Tenn., where it went into winter quarters, Dec. 10,-all but the " 105th," which moved on the 11th to South Tunnel, where the main body remained until Feb. 1, 1863, and suffered greatly from sickness. At that date it rejoined the brigade, which remained at Gallatin until the 3 close of spring. The services of Major Dutton dur- ing the six months of arduous labors performed by his regiment are specially mentioned. He had charge of the scouts from the brigade,-250 in num- ber,-and spent days and nights in the saddle for weeks, capturing prisoners, cotton bales, horses and mules. June 1, 1863, the regiment proceeded to Lavergne, and a month later to Murfreesboro, whence it returned to Lavergne, and on the 19th of August entered . Fort Negley at Nashville, where it remained until February, 1864. Many of its officers and men were detailed for special duty. Major Dutton was made a member of the Board of Examination, consti- tuted by the Department at Washington for the pur- pose of assigning officers to the colored regiments, and he discharged the duties of the position until May, 1864. On the first day of that month the regi- ment received marching orders for the immediate front, and on the day following the command moved forward to become an actor in one of the most splen- did movements recorded in the history of modern warfare, and which resulted in a decisive triumph of the Union forces. The first time the 105th was in active service as a regiment, was at the battle of Resaca, when . the conduct of its members won special mention from its superior officer, one of the most intrepid and competent in the history of the war; and throughout the campaign through Georgia and the Carolinas, their achievements were the sub- ject of general comment. In the subsequent history of his regiment, the several special mentions of Gen- eral Dutton particularize his "gallantry and dash." July 13, 1864, Colonel Dustin returned to Sycamore on a furlough, and Major Dutton succeeded to the vacancy, remaining in command till Aug. 4. During this time occurred the battle of Peach-Tree Creek (July 20), in which the 105th was heavily engaged,
capturing the flag of the 12th Louisana regiment. On return of the Colonel, the Major was mustered in as Lieutenant Colonel. Soon afterward Colonel Dustin acceded to the command of the Division, and that of the 105th devolved upon his junior officer, who discharged the duties of the position until the close of the war.
From Atlanta the regiment marched "to the sea," to Savannah, thence through South Carolina and North Carolina to Goldsboro and Raleigh, and thence through Richmond to Washington, partici- pating in the battles of Lawtonville, Feb. 2, 1865; Smith's Farm, March 15, and Bentonville the 19th. At Smith's Farm, or Averysboro, the 105th drove the enemy from his works, capturing two 12-pounder guns, which Col. Dutton and some of his men turned and fired on the retreating enemy; and in token of the regiment's gallantry at this point and in the At- lanta campaign, Col. Dutton, its commander, received from the President the appointment of Brigadier General by brevet, his promotion dating from March 15, 1865, for " gallantry and meritorious service in the campaign in Georgia and the Carolinas, and for distinguished services at the battle of Smith's Farm, N. C."
At Raleigh the army was made sad by hearing of President Lincoln's assassination, and later joyous by Lee's and Johnston's surrender, and then the homeward march to Washington, where the regiment took part in the Grand Review. General Dutton was mustered out at the Capital, June 7, 1865, after a continuous period of service of over four years and two months.
On leaving the army, General Dutton returned to Sycamore. In 1868 he was elected Clerk of the Circuit Court, in which capacity he officiated eight years.
In the winter of 1877, during the 30th General Assembly of Illinois, he served as Clerk of the House of Representatives. He was elected Clerk of the Supreme Court of the Northern Grand Division of Illinois in 1878, and held the position until Dec. I, 1884.
In June, 1883, Gen. Dutton secured a large pro- portion of the stock of the Sycamore National Bank, and on the death of J. S. Waterman became its President. He is also President of the Beadle County (Dak.) National Bank. He is an extensive
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operator in real estate in Iowa and Illinois, and he owns 400 acres of improved land near Genoa, de- voted to dairy purposes. With his father-in-law; Harmon Paine, he owns 250 acres near Cortland, which is also a dairy farm. In Iowa and Minnesota he is the proprietor of about 4,000 acres of chiefly wild land.
General Dutton was married Dec. 31, 1863, at Sycamore, to Rosa A. Paine. She was born in Herkimer Co., N. Y., and is the daughter of Harmon and Clarinda (Van Horn) Paine. The children of this marriage are George E., born May 8, 1866, and William P., born April 25. 1872. . Harmon Paine was born July 25, 1822, at German Flats, Herkimer Co., N. Y. His wife was born in Springfield, N. Y., Feb. 26, 1824. Their marriage occurred Jan. 13, 1842, and they have three children living,-Rosa A. Dutton, Ida D. Boynton and W. Burt Paine. The family removed to Sycamore in 1853, where the father became proprietor of the hotel property now known as "Ward's Hotel." It passed from Mr. Paine's ownership in 1869, since which date he has engaged in farming, associated with his son.
ames H. Woods, a farmer of Franklin Township, located on section 29, was born in Frederick Township, Washington Co., Pa., May 19, 1847. William Woods, his father, was a farmer and a native of Pennsylvania, and was of English descent. His mother, Amelia C. Gapen, was a native of the same State and of English lineage. They had five children, of whom James is the third in order of birth. He was eight years of age when his parents became residents of Franklin Township. His father died there, on the home farm, Jan. 15, 1859. The death of his mother occurred Aug. 1, 1863. The home estate was divided among the children after the deaths of the parents, and James finally purchased the whole es- tate, which included 160 acres. He had lived at home without intermission until the demise of both father and mother. The farm is now in an advanced condition of improvement, with good farm buildings.
Mr. Woods was married Jan. 1, 1868, in Belvidere, Boone Co., Ill., to Marilla Shannon. She was boril Dec. 4, 1847, in the township of Spring in Boone Co., Ill., and is the daughter of Robert and Jane A.
(Main) Shannon. Her parents were natives of the State of New York and were of New England an- cestry. Her father was a farmer by birth and in- heritance, and came to Boone Co., Ill., in 1845, where he was a pioneer settler in the township of Spring. They are now living in Flora. Township in the same county.
Mr. and Mrs. Woods have two children-Clarence H., born Aug. 26, 1876, and Bertha A., born June 23, 1884.
Mr. Woods is a supporter of the principles of the Republican element in politics.
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arcus W. Cole, of the hardware firm of Heckman & Cole, Kingston, was born Feb. 8, 1836, in Lockport, Niagara Co., N. Y. His parents, Washington and Har- riet (Stiles) Cole, were natives of the State of New York, and located in 1858 in Kingston Township, on section 4, where they have since lived. Alma B., Maria M., John A. and Walter L. are the names of the brothers and sisters of Mr. Cole, who are all younger than he. His father came with his family to Clark Co., Ill., in 1837, and he continued a resident at home until he was 20 years old, when he came to Kingston Township and became a farm laborer, and worked two years by the month. He next took a farm to work on shares, and operated in that method one year. He came to Kingston Town- ship in 1858 and engaged in farming, in which he continued until January, 1882. In that month he bought the hardware interest of W. Shaub, and be- came an associate in business with Philip Heckman. The firm have since operated with success and profit. Mr. Cole is the owner of 180 acres of land in Kingston Township, of which 160 is under improve- ments.
He was united in marriage Sept. 12, 1858, at the residence of H. H. Little, in Kingston Township, to Anna Eliza Little. She was born in Erie Co., N. Y., July 24, 1840, and is the daughter of Henry and Eva (Bingham) Little. (See sketch of H. Little.) Alice E., born April 21, 1861, is the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Cole. She was graduated at the High School at Genoa, June 10, 1881.
Mr. Cole has been Constable five years. He has officiated seven years as Tax Collector and eight
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years as Treasurer, of which latter position he is the present incumbent (1885). In his political faith and connections he is a Republican. He is a member of the Free-Will Baptist Church, and has been Clerk of the society to which he belongs for 20 years. He has acted six years in the capacity of Clerk of the Fox River Quarterly Meeting. He has been an in- fluential member of the Masonic Lodge, No. 288, at Genoa, for 19 years. Mr. Cole is a practical printer by trade, having obtained a complete and thorough knowledge of the details of that business while a resident of Marshall, Clark Co., Ill., but has never pursued it as a vocation. He is the local corre- spondent of the Genoa Issue.
8 oyd D. Rowan, banker and real-estate broker, resident at Kirkland, was born March 9, 1824, in Genesee Co., N. Y., and is the third son of W. H. and Betsy (Gorham) Rowan. His great-grandparents on his father's side came from Ireland to America, and settled in the eastern part of the State of New York, where they reared their family and passed their lives among the farming community, to which they belonged. The father of Mr. Rowan left his native State and went to Racine, Wis., where his residence was brief, and he came to De Kalb County, where he pre-empted a farm, and was among the earliest of the pioneer settlers of Franklin Township. Mr. Rowan, senior, died April 4, 1880, aged 80 years and four months. The mother was a native of Ver- mont, of English ancestry, and died in Franklin Township, in 1860, aged 54 years. After her death, her husband contracted a second marriage. She was survived by her nine children, all of whom are still living excepting Perry, the youngest, who was killed at the battle of Murfreesboro, in 1862.
Mr. Rowan was 18 years old when his parents came with their nine children to Illinois. They were in straitened circumstances, and the children were early made familiar with the labors of a farm in a new county. Mr. Rowan assisted his father in bear- ing the burdens of his large family and reduced means until he was 22 years of age, meanwhile pre- empting 160 acres of land in Franklin Township. He borrowed money at 20 per cent to secure his claim, and at the end of five years, by his energies,
thrift and untiring industry, he was cleared from debt. The difficulties in the case may be understood from the fact that Chicago was 65 miles distant, and was their nearest market for produce, a fact made interesting and memorable by the lack of railroad facilities as well as by the beauties and attractions of a prairie highway, which are not yet by any means traditional. Mr. Rowan pressed his plans in agri- cultural venture and engaged extensively in traffic in stock, adding to his estate until he is the proprietor of 240 acres of land, all but 40 of which lies in De Kalb County. The remainder is situated in Ogle County, and the entire acreage is under cultivation. Mr. Rowan owns, besides, 480 acres in Iowa and 160 acres in Nebraska, also several town lots in Kirkland. In 1882 he erected a building for the transaction of his business as a banker, which is characterized as the best for the purpose in De Kalb County, being entirely fire-proof. In August, 1883, he established the enterprise in which he became associated with B. N. Deane, and has been conduct- ing operations in that line with gratifying results. He has been connected with the Republican. party since its organization. In his religious belief he is, in the Bible sense, an "infidel." Mr. Rowan's mar- riage to Mary L. Thomas took place March 4, 1847. She was born May 1, 1826, in Genesee Co., N. Y., and is the daughter of R. B. and Eliza Thomas. Her parents came to Illinois when she was 12 years of age, first settling in Winnebago County. She was 20 years old when they removed to De Kalb County, where, soon after, she was married. The father died in Boone Co., Ill. A brother of Mrs. Rowan died in Kingston Township, of consumption. Henry, an- other brother, is married and a resident on the family homestead. Mrs. Rowan is the second child of her parents. Mr. Rowan and wife have made nine trips to California to spend the winter, and his wife is there this (the tenth) winter.
eorge J. Dettmer, farmer, section 19, South Grove Township, was born Feb. 26, 1847, in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, and is the son of William and Willmina (Alberding) Dett- mer. When he was between three and four years old his parents emigrated to America and settled for a time in the State of New York,
THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
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coming thence to De Kalb County in 1858 and set- tled on section 20, South Grove Township. The mother died in 1872, aged about 62 years. The father resides with his son and is 77 years of age. They became the parents of six children, five of whom are now living, and are residents of South Grove Township.
Mr. Dettmer is the fourth child in order of birth, and in 1870 became a land-holder by the purchase of 240 acres of land. He is an agriculturist of some- what extensive relations, all his own tract of land being under improvement, and being also the man- ager of the homestead property, still owned by his father. He is also dealing largely in stock. Mr. Dettmer is a Republican of the true ring, and has been active in several local offices.
He was married March 8, 1880, in Fielding, Ogle Co., Ill., to Amanda Koch. She was born Sept. 4. 1855, in Ogle County, of German parentage, descen- dants from some of the early settlers of Pennsylvania, and now living in Ogle County. Mr. and Mrs. Dettmer have one child,-William E., born March II, 1883.
arvey A. Jones, attorney, senior member of the law firm of Jones & Bishop, at Syca- more, was born on Grand Prairie, near La- fayette, Ind., Oct. 17, 1837, where his parents had settled among the first of the early pioneers of the Wabash Valley. His father, David Jones, who was an energetic man and prominent farmer, was born near Morganstown, Monongahela County, West Virginia, Feb. 18, 1798. His mother, Mary (Owens) Jones, of Welsh and Scotch-Irish extraction, was born July 19, 1802, near the city of Savannah, Ga. Amanda (Mrs. Morehouse), their first-born child, is now deceased. John M. C. went to California in 1848 during the first days of the mining excitement in the Golden State, arriving at Yreka, where he made a permanent location, became Sheriff of Siski- you County, and died Aug. 12, 1882, aged 52 years. Abel is a mine operator in Oregon. James O. was graduated in the Law Department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and is a farmer of Grand Prairie, Ind., engaging semi-occasionally in the prac- tice of his profession. Deborah (Mrs. Hill) is de- ceased. Lewis is a farmer in the vicinity of Chilli-
cothe, Mo. Levi M. is a prominent citizen and at- torney of Fort Wayne, Ind., and is also engaged in real- estate brokerage, and has platted and built a valuable addition to the city. David C., deceased, was a graduate in the Law Department of the University of Michigan, and figured prominently in local poli- tics in Tippecanoe Co., Ind .; Asa F. is a popular physician and a resident on the family homestead on Grand Prairie, Ind.
Mr. Jones of this sketch is the seventh child of his parents. He followed the labors of the farm dur- ing the summer and attended school winters until he was 17 years of age, when he became a student at Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Ind., and pursued his studies at that institution in 1854-5. He was then lame from necrosis affecting the knee. He was often compelled to climb to the fifth floor on one leg and cane. He went thence to Lombard University, Galesburg, Ill., continuing his educational course there until February 1861. In the spring following he went to Missouri and engaged in teaching, in which he was occupied through the summer and fall, when the contingencies of civil war necessitated a change of base.
Coming North to Illinois, he became a student of law in the office of Hon. A. M. Harrington, of Ge- neva, under whose supervision he read for his pro- fession two years. In 1863 he entered the Law De- partment of the University of Michigan, where he was graduated in the spring of 1865.
Coming to Sycamore soon after, he formed a part- nership with Hon. Daniel B. James, County Judge. Their business relations terminated in 1869. Mr. Jones conducted the affairs of his office singly until 1880, when he entered into his present connection with Charles A. Bishop, who had prepared for his profession as attorney under his senior's instructions. They are conducting a business which places them in the foremost rank in the legal fraternity of De Kalb County, a condition which is largely the out- growth of the repute earned by Mr. Jones in his un- remitting attention to the responsibilities and func- tions of his profession for nearly a score of years, during which he has maintained his office at the same location in Sycamore, No. 1, George's Block, on State Street. Mr. Jones is a practitioner in the State and Federal Courts and has been and is con- nected with some of the most important cases asso- ciated with the history of the section of which De
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Kalb County forms a part, and it can be truly said that he is equally at home in the office and as an advocate at the Bar. In political affiliation he has been an ardent and active Republican, and aided materially in the formation and organization of the party in Indiana and Iowa, where he operated as a stump speaker, and did valiant service, although laboring under the disadvantage of youth, being but 18 years of age. He has been prominent in the ranks of temperance and has striven to accomplish all possible things in that direction by connecting himself with and laboring in the furtherance of the Order of Good Templars, and latterly has favored the advancement of the prohibition element. He has also aided as he might by occasional contribu- tions to the press. He is a student as well as a law- yer, and his studies have by no means been confined to the narrow limits of the law, but have taken a comparatively wide range in theology and general literature, in which last he has been greatly assisted and encouraged by his wife, whose natural love for literature has made her home a place of study.
The family patronymic is of Welsh origin, and the lineage is distinct from three brothers, James, David and Enoch Jones, who came to this country just pre- vious to the War of the Revolution. James was a phy- sician and surgeon in the Colonial Army during the struggle for independence. The second was a Cal- vinistic Methodist clergyman, a graduate of the Tra- vena College, founded by Lady Huntingdon. It is supposed that the third was a farmer. They located on the Welsh tract near Wilmington, Del. Daniel Jones, the grandfather of Mr. Jones of this sketch, was born on that tract April 10, 1754, and married Mary Alston, who was born Nov. II, 1770, in Philadelphia. Her parents were Joseph and Mary (Berry) Alston, and her father was a merchant in Philadelphia. He conducted extensive com- mercial interests and was the owner of several mer- chantmen in the trade between the Continental ports and those of this country. He was English by birth, and had brothers in the British Army; yet, sympathizing with the colonies and still being loyal to his native land, he determined to take no part in the then impending conflict, and accordingly` sought a residence in the West Indies, where he died. Daniel and Mary Jones became the parents of 13 children, Enoch, Susan, James A., John, Lewis, David, James (2d), Abel, Levi, Mary, Alston, Margaret and Isaiah.
David Jones died Nov. 11, 1849, near Lafayette, Ind. His wife, a most estimable wife and mother, died June 28, 1865.
Harvey A. Jones was married Feb. 28, 1861, to Sarah Dudley Perkins, who was born Oct. 14, 1838, in Charleston, now St. Charles, Kane Co., Ill., and is the daughter of Otho W. and Nancy K. Perkins. Her father was born June 16, 1807, in Grafton Co., N. H., and died in Kane Co., Ill., Sept. 13, 1870. He was a settler in that county in 1835, in its early period of development, and became prominently identified with its progress. His wife, Nancy (Kelley) Perkins, was born July 3, 1808, in Belknap Co., N. H., and died June 30, 1863. Two sons were born to them,-Jonathan D., May 21, 1840, and Otho W., Jr., April 21, 1842 : both are deceased. Mrs. Jones is the oldest and only surviving child. She was edu- cated at the convent of St. Agatha of the Lake, in Chicago, and completed her studies at Lombard University at Galesburg, Ill., where she was a student four years. She is a lady of superior attainments, is well versed in current and classical literature, and has written considerably for the press.
Of seven children born to Mr. and Mrs. Jones, but two survive. Dudley Kelley, born May 5, 1862, died on the day of birth. Mary Fuller was born May 10, 1863; Owen Dudley, born Nov. 21, 1865, died Jan. 22, 1867 ; Anna K. was born Feb. 10, 1869; Harvey Alston, Jr., born October 28, 1871, died April 11, 1880. Sarah Dudley, born June 24, 1873, died July 15 following. David Dudley, born July 24, 1874, died April 5, 1880. The deaths of two promising and beautiful sons occurred within the same week, of malignant diphtheria. The oldest surviving daugh- ter, Mary Fuller, was married on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 1884, to Elmer Jerome Baker, of the pub- lishing house of Baker, Collings & Co., Chicago, and editor and publisher of the Farm Implement: She is a graduate of the High School at Sycamore, was a pupil one year at the Musical Conservatory at Fort Wayne, Ind., and was a student two years at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y.
Since Mr. Jones came to Sycamore and identified himself with its Bar and with its society, he has been a prominent factor in both. When some of the traits of his mind are studied, and notice is taken of the persistence, energy and care with which he prose- cutes his profession, coupled with the added power
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given by his well-stored mind, both of legal and general knowledge, and his ability to present his arguments in a forcible manner, we have'the solution of his unusual success at the Bar. Unlike most col- lege graduates, he has continued his studies, with even a growing interest, since he left the college hall. The hour of midnight often finds him poring over some valuable book, more with the desire to inform his mind than for entertainment. As a gentleman, worthy as a representative of his profession, as well as a citizen of De Kalb County, we place Mr. Jones portrait in this volume. It is engraved from a pho- tograph taken in 1884.
illiam H. Townsend, a farmer on section II, of Mayfield Township, is a native of the same township. His father, Stephen Townsend, was born in Sullivan Co., N. Y., June 30, 1807, and his mother, Ann (Den- man) Townsend, was born in the same county Aug. 15, 1809. They came to this county in 1840, settling in Mayfield Township, where he died March 25, 1883. She is still living on the old homestead. They had six children,-Amos W., Nancy D., Ellen, Kate A., William H. and Hattie E.
Mr. Townsend, of this sketch, was born March 16, 1847, and was married in Mayfield Township Oct. 12, 1871, to Lorena Sherwood. Her father, C. W. Sherwood, was born Feb. 9, 1830, in the State of New York, whence he moved to Whiteside Co., Ill., when he was 15 years of age. He was married to Mary Landis, Nov. 11, 1849, who was a native of Union Co., Ind., and was born Jan. 9, 1828. They moved to De Kalb County from Carroll County, where they had been residents for about two years. He was a minister of the Christian Church, which calling he followed for 22 years. He died in Cerro Gordo Co., Iowa, July 7, 1878, where he had been living about one week. They were the parents of seven children .- Lorena, Henry M., Fanny E., Sarah J., William F., Emma and Edward. Mrs. Townsend was born in Whiteside Co., Ill., Aug. 10, 1850. The children in her family now are Hattie B., born July 17, 1872 ; R. Clyde, born Aug. 10, 1873, and died when three months old; Winnifred, born March 12, 1875 ; Floyd S., born July 28, 1882, and an infant.
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