Portrait and biographical album of DeKalb County, Illinois : containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, Part 43

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 43

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Leaving college, he remained at home a year, during which period his father and mother both died. He went South in 1850 and remained there until 1853, when he returned and entered the Theological Seminary of the Associate Presbyterian Church of Canonsburg, Pa. He finished his course in 1855, and was licensed to preach at East Greenwich,

Washington Co., N. Y., the same autumn, by the Presbytery of Cambridge. The Associate and Asso- ciate Presbyterian Churches having united a few days previously, he was ordained and installed Pastor of the United Presbyterian Church in North Hebron, in the summer of 1858, being the first minister or- dained in the united Church. In the spring of 1860 he accepted a call to the Park Presbyterian Church, Troy, N. Y., where he remained nearly five years. He resigned in 1864, because of failing health caused by a disease incurred while serving the Chris- tian Commission during the famous battles of the Wilderness and Spottsylvania.

Resting a few months in the spring of 1865, he came West and accepted a call from the Presby- terian Church of Sandwich, Ill., where he remained two years. In the spring of 1867 he accepted a unanimous call from the Second Presbyterian Church of Springfield, Ill. Here he remained four years. During his pastorate the congregation built a large and commodious church, in which, before its entire completion, the State Legislature of the winter and spring of 1870 held its sessions. In the summer of 1870 he received and accepted a unanimous call from the Chestnut Second Presbyterian Church of Louisville, Ky., one of the largest and wealthiest Churches in the State. During his pastorate in that city he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from Danville College, Danville, Ky. In the winter of 1872-3 he became editor of the Louisville Daily and Weekly Commercial, the leading Republican paper of the State, of which Gen. John M. Harlan, now one of the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, was the leading owner. In the spring of 1874 he returned to Sandwich and bought of James H. Furman the Sandwich Gazette, the oldest paper in the city, of which he has since been editor and proprietor.

In the spring of 1872 he was appointed Post- master of Sandwich, which position he still holds. During his residence here he was for several years Pastor of the Methodist Protestant Church of Somo- nauk.

In 1849, while Pastor of the Hebron Church, Mr. Robertson was married to Mary L. Beveridge, of Xenia, Ohio. Her father, Rev. Thomas Beveridge, D. D., was for many years the leading Professor of the Theological Seminary of the Associate and after-

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ward of the United Presbyterian Church. Her grand- father on her father's side, Rev. Thomas Beveridge, came from Scotland, and was one of the first min- isters in Washington Co.,-N. Y. and until his death was Pastor of the Cambridge Church. Her mother belonged to the McKee family, many of whom were prominent citizens of the same county.

Mr. and Mrs. Robertson were given three chil- dren, all of whom are still living.

The eldest, William H. Robertson, born in Troy, N. Y., is in the office of the Enterprise Company of Sandwich. The second, Bessie, was also born in Troy, and is married to S. Parker Sedgwick, of the law firm of Sedgwick & Son, of Sandwich. The youngest, Harry K. Robertson, is clerk in the United States mail service on the Chicago, Milwau- kee & St. Paul Railroad.

H. Wiltberger, farmer, residing on and owner of the northeast quarter of section

01 33, Afton Township, was born in Mun- fordville, Hart Co., Ky., Dec. 8, 1835. His father, Joseph W. Wiltberger, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., April 7, 1794 (in which State his father was also born), and died on the old home- stead in this county, Jan. 16, 1881. His mother, Amelia (Finley) Wiltberger, was born in Kentucky (native State of her father), about 1805, and died Sept. 12, 1854, in Lake Township, Cook County, this State.

The parents of W. H. left Kentucky when he was about 11 years of age and came to this State, locat- ing in Lake Township, Cook County. His mother died during their residence in that township, and in 1857 his father moved into the city of Chicago. Two years later (1859), W. H. came to this county, and located in Clinton Township. He worked land in Clinton and Afton Townships until 1862, when, Sept. 22, that year, he enlisted in Co. K, 105th Ill. Vol. Inf., Col. Dustin and Capt. Austin. His regiment was assigned to the 20th Corps, 3d Division, and was with Gen. Sherman in his march from Chattanooga to Atlanta, and from Atlanta to the sea, and wit- nessed the surrender of Johnston's army. Mr. W. participated in all the battles in which the 20th Corps was engaged, was in the hospital only four days, and was mustered out June 14, 1865, at Chicago, Il1.

After receiving his discharge, he came to Afton Township, and soon afterward purchased the home- stead on which he is at present residing, from his father. His father had moved from Chicago in 1862, and settled on the farm of which he became owner and on which farm the son has since resided.

Mr. Wiltberger was married Jan. 17, 1866, to Miss Mary Antoinette, daughter of Norman and Sophronia (Buck) Fuller, natives respectively of Hamilton and Wyoming Counties, N. Y. Her par -. · ents were of English extraction, and both are de- ceased. Her father was born April 26, 1813, and died Sept. 9, 1854, at Aurora, Ill. Her mother was born May 22, 1813, and died Aug. 12, 1872, at her daughter's. Mrs. Wiltberger was born April 7, 1839, and is the mother of three children, all born in Afton Township, as follows: Mary A., Dec. 18, 1867; Warren T., Jan. 4, 1870; and Joseph F., Jan. 12, 1876.

Mr. Wiltberger, in addition to his cereal produc- tions, devotes a considerable portion of his time to the dairy business. During the summer seasons he purchases cream by the inch, and manufactures but- ter therefrom, his daily production being about 435 pounds. He also keeps 45 cows, and during the winter. seasons he manufactures butter from the product of his own creamn. His farm comprises 280 acres, and is in good tillable condition. He has a good frame house on the farm and substantial out- buildings.

Politically, Mr. W. is a Republican. He was Col- lector of his township one year, also School Director and Trustee some three or four years.

uane J. Carnes, senior member of the law firm of Carnes & Denton, at Sycamore, was born, May 27, 1848, in Pomfret, Wind- sor Co., Vt. His father, John Carnes, was born in Claremont, N. H., May 30, 1823, and belongs by lineage to the distinctive class known as Scotch-Irish. He became an orphan at an early age with no heritage but the industry, thrift and frugality which characterize the race of which he is a member. He married Mary Paine, a lady of English ancestry, and they settled in Pomfret, where the father purchased a farm. His excellent charac-

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ter, integrity and sound judgment were recognized during his active life in Pomfret, and he officiated successively in the local offices of the township. The senior Carnes exercised his abilities to such good purpose that he secured a comfortable fortune on the hillsides and among the rocks of the eastern side of the Green Mountains, and in 1875 removed thence to Sycamore, where he and his wife are passing the sunset years of their lives in retirement. The mother of Mr. Carnes of this sketch was born July 4, 1825, in Pomfret, Vt. His brother, George D., is a suc- cessful medical practitioner at South Haven, Mich.

Mr. Carnes spent his boyhood on his father's farm in the Green Mountain State and acquired a thor- ough knowledge of the elementary branches of English at the public schools. At the age of 16 years he became a student in the State Normal School at Randolph, where he studied about four years in the aggregate. He came to Illinois in 1868 and taught school in Logan County a little less than four years, returning to Vermont to complete a course of Normal study, and was graduated in 1873. Dur- ing the period of his educational course Mr. Carnes laid the sure foundation for the success he has achieved as an advocate. Gifted by descent with fluent speech, he acquired a habit, in lyceum debate, of speaking to a pre-arranged purpose, and also of making thorough preparation for his efforts, a process which stored his mind with information and gave him complete sway over his memory. The qualifi- cations, combined with his powers of application, have been invaluable in the career to which he has devoted himself.

In the same year in which he left the school at Randolph, he came to Sycamore, where he fulfilled a long-cherished purpose and entered the office of Hon. Charles Kellum as a student of law. His natural abilities and industry, united with the ad- vantages accruing through the office relations, of Judge Kellum, whose value he was quick to perceive and avail himself of, advanced him rapidly in the ac- quisition of knowledge in legal affairs; and in Sep- tember, 1875, he was admitted to practice. On receiving his credentials as an attorney, he formed a business association with Judge Kellum, which was operative two years. On the termination of this re- lation, Mr. Carnes entered into a partnership with Hon. Luther Lowell, with whom he was associated

between five and six years. In May, 1883, the firm of which he is now a member was established, the junior associate, Gilbert H. Denton, being the adopted son of Judge Lowell. The law firm of Carnes & Denton is one of the most promising ones in De Kalb County and probably in Northern Illinois, both its members possessing uncommon abilities and at- tainments. In industry and devotion to business they are unrivaled, and they are already in the enjoy- ment of a large practice in the Circuit Courts of DeKalb and adjoining counties, and in the Supreme and Apellate Courts of the State.

Mr. Carnes is already approaching a peerless posi- tion as a jurist and advocate. He has the discrimi- nating judgment, the sturdy sense and the uncom- promising straightforwardness of his progenitors-the Scotch-Irish-coupled with the penetration and clev- er shrewdness that characterize the genus Yankee. As a criminal lawyer the qualifications ofMr. Carnes are such as to insure his distinction in that branch of the profession. He wins by his powers as a logi- cian, basing his arguments on the principle of human- ity, and appealing to reason and common sense in a manner that rarely fails to convince a jury.

Mr. Carnes was married June 1, 1880, to Helen A. McMollan. One daughter, Hope, was born to them, at Sycamore, Oct. 15, 1882.

hilip ' Heckman, hardware merchant at

Kingston, has been a resident of De Kalb "" County since 1852. In that year he set- tled on a farm on section Io, Kingston Town- ship, purchasing at first 147 acres of land, which has since constituted huis homestead. To this he has added by later purchase and now owns 240 acres, forming a valuable country estate. He also owns 160 acres in Dakota. In 1879 he formed an association with William Straub for the purpose of establishing a hardware business at King- ston, and they operated jointly in that line of trade about two years, when Mr. Straub sold his claim to M. W. Cole, and the firm of Heckman & Cole has since transacted the affairs of the business in a satis- factory and profitable manner.

Mr. Heckman was born Jan. 2, 1823, in Morgan Co., Ohio, and is one of seven children born to his

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parents, Jacob and Catherine (Koppel) Heckman. They were of German origin, and were residents of Pennsylvania and Morgan Co., Ohio, 32 years pre- vious to their removal in 1853 to the township of Kingston. Both are deceased. The death of the mother occurred April 14, 1884. The brothers and sisters of Mr. Heckman are all younger than he, and are named Susanna, Michael, Catherine, Esther, John and Jacob. The older son lived in his native State until 1843, when he came to Wisconsin. He worked there by the month in the pineries two years. In 1845 he went to Ohio and there passed the inter- vening years until his removal to De Kalb County, engaged in farming.

He was married in Morgan Co., Ohio, to Sarah A. Farley. She was born in Morgan Co., Ohio, and is the daughter of James and Ellen (Taylor) Farley, natives respectively of West Virginia and England. Of this union nine children have been born,-Will- iam W., Catherine E., Francis, Ann E., Alfred R., Jacob I., Jessie, James and Frank. The latter died when a year and a half old.

In political connection Mr. Heckman is a Repub- lican. He has been School Director several years, and has served two entire terms as Supervisor. He was re-elected for a third time in the latter position, but declined to serve. He and his wife are useful and efficient members of the Free-Will Baptist Church.

icholas Klemm, a farmer occupying the northeast quarter of section 22, and the north half of the southeast quarter of sec- tion 22, Afton Township, was born in the Grand Duchy of Baden, Germany, Oct. 10, 1839, the son of Peter and Elizabeth (Himmel- hahn) Klemm, both of whom emigrated to this coun- try and died here. They came in 1848, landing at Chicago, and resided upon a rented farm in Du Page County six years; then, coming to Pierce Township, this county, Mr. Klemm purchased a farm of 80 acres. He was finally killed, April 13, 1871, by a railroad accident at Winfield Station, Du Page County, when he was 75 years of age.

Nicholas lived at his parental home until he was

of legal age, when he married and took his father's farm for seven years, and then he purchased his present farm of 160 acres, to which he has since added by purchase 80 acres, making a total of 240 acres. When he first took possession of it in 1868, it was a wild prairie, but he has made of it a com- fortable home. He has a new frame house, a good stock and hay barn, etc., and a well fenced orchard. He fattens for the market annually 20 hogs and sev- eral head of cattle, and raises and sells hay and corn in considerable quantity.

Mr. Klemm was married March 10, 1860, to Sophia, daughter of Matthew and Mary A. (Kehna) Schemer. Her father was born in 1803, in Germany, and died in his native country in 1851 ; and her mother, born March 25, 1807, also in Germany, is still living, now making her home with the subject of this sketch. She came with her family to this coun- try in 1859, landing at Chicago and locating at Peru, La Salle County, this State. Mrs. Klemm was born in Baden, Germany, Jan. 23, 1840. The children born in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Klemm are nine in number, one of whom is deceased. The names and dates of birth are : Mary E., March 15, 1862 ; Nicholas, born March 7, 1863, died Feb. 9, 1883 ; Katherine M., April 9, 1864; Peter, Feb. 18, 1866; Barbara A., Dec. 15, 1868 ; Anna S., April 5, 1871 ; Frank J., July 18, 1874; Eugene P., Jan. 20, 1876 ; and Paul, Nov. 3, 1878. The first four were born Pierce Township, the rest in Afton Township.

Mr. Klemm is a Democrat in his political princi- ples, and in religion both himself and Mrs. K. are members of the Roman Catholic Church.

A aron H. Clark, druggist, at Kingston, was born Nov. 26, 1828, in Charlotte, Maine, and he is the son of William D. O. and Anna (Hersey) Clark. His father was the first child born on the British island of Camp- obello, off the east coast of Maine. His moth- er was born in Hingham, Mass. After their marriage they settled at Charlotte, Washington Co., Maine, where they both died after becoming the parents of

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II children, all of whom were living up to 1865, except two.

Mr. Clark is the youngest child, and he was brought up at home, receiving a very meager com- mon-school education. He went to Machias Acad- emy, Maine, the winter he was 21, to the Webster Academy in Salisbury, N. H., the fall and winter he was 24, and completed his academic studies at New Ipswich, N. H., the fall he was 31. He engaged in teaching, in which he was chiefly occupied 12 years after completing his educational course. He also taught during the period when he was obtaining his preliminary training for his business, and [his attend- ance at New Ipswich so late in life was for the pur- pose of obtaining the advantage of more modern methods. He began his career as a pedagogue when 22 years of age, and after his removal to Kings- ton he taught nine terms of school. He has been a resident of that place since 1861, with the exception of the time he spent in the military service of the United States and in Iowa. He enlisted in 1864, in the 30th Ill. Vol. Inf., and was in Sherman's march to the sea and in the field nearly a year when the war closed. In 1871 he went to Iowa, where he took up a soldier's claim. He removed his family there in 1872, and was resident there until 1874, when he returned to Kingston and resumed the business of a grocery and provision merchant, in which he had en- gaged after returning from the war. He was also engaged in the sale of drugs in addition, and in 1877 converted his entire store to the latter branch of busi- ness, and has continued to operate in that line of trade in which he is the only representative at Kings- ton. He was the pioneer grocer and provision mer- chant at that place in 1866. He was appointed Postmaster in 1868, and held the position until 1872, when he removed his family to Iowa. He is a Republican and has held various offices; he has offi- ciated two terms as Justice of the Peace, several years as Township Clerk, as Supervisor four years, and as School Director six years, and is a Notary Public. He is a member of the Christian Church, and very liberal in his religious theology.

The marriage of Mr. Clark to Sarah J. Hill took place Nov. 1, 1863, at Kingston, of whichi place she is a native. She is a daughter of Judge Hill, whose biographical sketch appears on other pages. Two children have been born of their union,-Nellie N.,

Aug., 17, 1864, and Willie H. D. O., June 7, 1866. Mr. Clark began in life for himself at the age of 17 without a dollar to call his own; received his educa- tion by his own exertion ; saved his odd pennies with which to purchase books, often going hungry and destitute for the purpose of obtaining a needed text-book when in school. He now has a larger and better selected family library than any other citizen of his town, if not in the county, consisting of medi- cal, legal, theological and miscellaneous works. He never read a novel in his life, or continued fictitious newspaper stories. Never used tobacco, or dissipated with liquors of any kind, and at his present age, 56,. claims to be a perfectly sound, healthy man.

haddeus W. Cooper, farmer, residing on and owner of the east half of the north- west quarter and the west half of the north- east quarter of section 29, Afton Township, was born- in Cayuga Co., N. Y., March II, 1834. He is a son of George and Sarah (Mc- Cauley) Cooper, both deceased. His father was born in Cambridge, Washington Co., N. Y., in 1797. At . 15 years he enlisted in the War of 1812, did service in the field, came home, and in 1846 moved to this State with his family, and died in La Salle County in 1871. His mother was a native of Washington Co., N. Y., lived at home until her marriage, and died in in La Salle Co., this State, in 1868, aged about 60 years.

Thaddeus W. Cooper, subject of this notice, was raised on his father's farm and remained thereon until 25 years of age. At 24 years of age he pur- chased 80 acres of land for himself, on which he lived from 1865 to 1884, then sold it and purchased the farm on which he is at present residing. He moved his family from La Salle County to his pres- ent farm the latter part of February, 1884, and has since lived on the place. He has a fine farm, with good frame residence and outbuildings, and all his land under cultivation.

Mr. Cooper was married in 1859. His wife died, leaving one child, Mary J., and in 1865 he married Melvina A. Covell. She died June 24, 1877. leaving two children,-Frank E., born June 25, 1867 ; and Charles E., born June 1, 1870. He was again mar-

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ried June 29, 1878, to Mary A., daughter of Benja- min N. and Olive (Covell) Ellwood, both of whom are living in Sandwich, Ill. Her father was born Jan. 6, 1827, and her mother in December, 1829. Mrs. Cooper was born in Northville, La Salle County, this State, Oct. 15, 1859, and is the mother, by Mr. C., of two children living,-Bertie W., born Nov. 4, 1879, in La Salle County, and J. Ray, born Oct. 9, 1884, in this county. Alice M. and Lillie M., twins, were born July 7, 1881, in Adams Township, ·La Salle County. The former died when five months old, Dec. 7, 1881, and the latter Aug. 26, 1884, and both are buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Sandwich, Ill. Mrs. Cooper's grandmother is living with her father, and is 82 years of age.

ahum Enon Ballou, M.D., Ph.D., F. R.M.S., physician, surgeon, scientist and essayist, is a son of Nahum and Anna (Phelps) Ballou, and was born at Plymouth, Chenango .Co., N. Y., September 16, 1822. His father Was born at Richmond, Cheshire Co., N. H., in 1800. His paternal grandfather was Daniel Ballou, who be- longed to the New Hampshire branch of the Ballou family. His mother was born at Homer, Cortland Co., N. Y., Sept. 16, 1801, and was a daughter of Enon and Mehitabel (Goldsmith) Phelps. The maternal grandfather was at the massacre of Wyo- ming, which occurred July 3, 1778, when that beau- tiful valley was desolated by fire and sword, the story of which Thomas Campbell depicts in his poem en- titled "Gertrude of Wyoming." There were born to this family seven sons and five daughters. William W. Phelps, the oldest son, became an eminent schol- ar, poet and writer. He was a strong anti-Mason, and published at Canandaigua the Ontario Phoenix, and subsequently drifted westward to Utah. On the opening of the University of Deseret at Salt Lake City, he was appointed to the chair of Latin and Greek, and distinguished himself as an able writer and a brilliant linguist. He died several years ago, at the age of 74 years.

In 1830 Nahum Ballou moved with his family from Chenango to Orleans County, same State, and settled at Carlton, where our subject spent his youth. After the death of his father, which occurred Aug. 5, 1832,

he went to live with an English gentleman, who was not only kind but a man of culture and education. Here our subject received his first solid instruction, which gave direction to his future course of life. Here, beneath this hospitable roof, he was treated with great kindness, for the family had no children. This gentleman taught the fatherless youth the ele- ments of knowledge, and gave his mind such direc- tion and inclination to study and reading that it strengthened with increasing years. About this time the school districts of New York were provided with Harper's series of " District Libraries," which contained most excellent works for youthful readers, and our youthful student devoured these with avid- ity and with profit. Having advanced as far as it was then possible in the district schools, he finished his literary education at Gaines and Yates Acade- mies, in Orleans Co., N. Y. Meanwhile he had picked up the shoemaker's trade at home, for his father was a shoemaker, and for some time alternated between pounding the lapstone and the brandishing of the pedagogue's ferule, whichever for the time being paid the best. He kept a stock of books in his shoe-bench drawer, and when his day's work was done his books were. next in order, especially the study of the Latin and Greek languages, which to him was a delightful as well as a very profitable pastime. These studies later on in life were contin- ued under competent tutors, who were paid for their services. Having long before decided upon medicine as a profession, he entered upon the study of it at Albion, N. Y., with Drs. Nichoson, Paine and Huff, and later studied with Dr. Alfred Babcock, of Gaines, in the same county, and attended his first course of lectures át Geneva, N. Y., and his second course at the Berkshire Medical College at Pittsfield, Mass. (Dr. H. H. Childs, President), receiving the degree of M. D., in November, 1846. Dr. Ballou practiced 10 years in Carlton, and while there attended a third course of lectures at the ' Buffalo Medical College, which proved extremely profitable.

After several years of practice, and as soon as he had acquired a home, he chose a companion, Miss Catherine Maria Fuller, of Carlton, an acquain- tance of his early youth, to whom he was mar- ried, July 14, 1850, and who died April 14, 1877. She was a loving wife, an affectionate compan- ion, whose life was adorned with all of the Chris- tian graces. His second marriage is dated Nov. 10,

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1879, his present wife having been Mrs. Calista (Clark) Byington, also of Carlton, another estimable lady in the circle of his youthful acquaintances. Both of these companions have made the Doctor's home delightful, and both have striven to make it a hal- lowed resting place after care and toil, truly a fitting abode for the Christian graces. His first wife was an active Christian worker, as is also his present wife.

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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 43

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

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