USA > Illinois > Henry County > Portrait and biographical album of Henry County, Illinois : containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county > Part 22
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W. L. Clay, our subject, received a high-school education, and assisted in the labors of the farm while at home, where he remained until he reached his 22d year, when he left home and came to Oxford Township in 1854. Here he purchased a tract of land of 320 acres, and entered upon its improve- ment, remaining here until 1860; then went back to the old homestead and took charge of it until 1867, when he next went to Galesburg and remained there until 1869. He again returned to Oxford Township, where he has since been a resident, carry- ing on a stock and grain farm, in which he has been eminently successful. Mr. C. is the owner of 240 acres in Knox County, 160 in Warren County, and 520 acres in Nebraska.
Harriet M. Davison was united in marriage with Mr. W. L. Clay in 1854, and of this union were born three children-Seth H., Mary and Harrold S. Mrs. Clay died in 1860, and Mr. C. formed another mat- rimonial alliance, this time the lady being Anna M. Johnson. They have become the parents of three
children-Fanny M., Warren L. and Eugenia M. Mr. Clay is a Democrat in his political opinions, and is one of the leading and worthy men of Oxford Township.
erry W. Beckwith, a merchant at Briar Bluff, in Colona Township, is the present Postmaster at that place (1885). He was born in the city of Rock Island, May 28, 1860. He is the son of Chauncey J. and Ann (Ver- narsdalle) Beckwith, who were born respect- ively in Vermont and in the State of New York. They were among the pioneer settlers in Rock Island. In 1868 they removed to Carbon Cliff, in the same county, and there their son obtained his education in the public schools. When he was 15 he was em- ployed in the pottery, and he remained there until he had acquired a thorough knowledge of the busi- ness. He worked there three years, and at the end of that time engaged as a clerk with M. G. Mills in Rock Island. At a later date he entered the services of C. Corbin & W. E. Chamberlain, at Carbon Cliff.
In 1879, he went to Colorado, and officiated as a hotel clerk in the " Mountain View House " at Den- ver, and went thence after three months to Hot Sul- phur Springs, where he obtained a position in a store as general clerk. He operated there two years and returned to Illinois. In 1882 he purchased the stock and interests of M. F. Wolcott, at Briar Bluff, and has since continued the prosecution of his busi- ness as a merchant in that place. His stock in- cludes the lines of goods demanded in a country trade.
Mr. Beckwith was appointed Postmaster in 1882.
amuel Arnett, Supervisor of the township of Loraine (1885), has been a resident of Henry County from the period of infancy, as he was in the first year of his life when his parents joined the pioneer element of this sec- tion of the State. He was born in Warren Co., Pa., July 6, 1836, and is the ninth son of Lewis and Mary Clara Arnett. The family were among the earliest settlers in the township and the son was reared on the farm on which his parents located. He was
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educated in the pioneer log school-house, with its benches made of slabs, and the educational facili- ties were of the same stamp-such as the time and circumstances afforded.
In the spring of 1858 he bought four pairs of oxen and engaged in the work of breaking prairie, which was then as profitable as any employment that could be obtained in an unsettled locality, and passed one season in that line of business. In the spring en- suing he started with an ox team for Pike's Peak, setting out in April. He reached his destination June 20 following, and operated there in the capacity of a teamster, packing goods into the mountains with a mule train. He followed that method two years, and passed six months in the transportation business with wagons.
He then returned to the State of Illinois and en- gaged in threshing, which he followed three seasons. Meanwhile he rented a farm on which he passed the intervals when his services as a thresher were not in demand. In 1865 he bought 147 acres of land on section 5 of the township where he was brought up. He built a small frame house, which was the abode of his household until 1883, when the commodious residence they now occupy was erected. Mr. Arnett is the owner now of 186 acres of land, which is all in good agricultural condition. He has served nearly 18 years as Road Commissioner.
The marriage of Mr. Arnett and Catherine Urick took place Nov. 15, 1863. She was born in Henry County and is the daughter of Rudolph and Cath- erine (Rapp) Urick. Annie C., David W., S. Edwin, Libbie L. and George W. are the names of the chil- dren that are now included in the household of Mr. and Mrs. Arnett.
A. Fraser, a dealer in grain and brooni- corn at Woodhull, was born Feb. 12, 1837, in New Haven, Conn., was brought up on a farm and attended the district school until he reached the age of majority. His par- ents were William and Dolly (Russell) Fraser, natives respectively of Scotland and Connecticut; her father died in 1841 and her mother in 1849.
Mr. Fraser went to Ashtabula County, Ohio, at the age of 13 years and lived there with an uncle
until he was 21 years old, and then came to Knox Co., this State, in 1858, where he worked on a farm for two years ; and then, until some time in 1861, he was in Kansas and Missouri, most of the time as a clerk in mercantile establishments. In the fall of 1861 he went into the 42d Ill. Vol. Inf. as sutler and photographer, and continued in that relation until 1865; then for one year he was engaged in a mer- cantile business for himself in Alabama ; selling out, he returned to the North and for a year was engaged in grain business at Chenoa, McLean Co., Ill .; in 1868 he was employed on a farm in Knox Co., Ill .; then, in 1869, he came to Woodhull, where he has since been engaged in the grain and broom-corn trade. He is a successful manager, and a man with whom it is a satisfaction to deal. He built a good residence in Woodhull in 1875, and has a farm of 480 acres in Kansas. He is a Republican, a Freemason and Odd-fellow, and is a leading citizen of the com- munity which he has selected for his place of resid- ence.
Mr. Fraser and Miss Anna Kingdon were married Dec. 29, 1869, and they have three children : George H., born Feb. 20, 1871; Nellie E., born Dec. 30, 1873; and Eva I., born Sept. 30, 1878.
A. Gamble. Among those prominently identified with the agricultural interests of Oxford Township, we note the subject of this sketch, Mr. S. A. Gamble. His residence is upon section 24, and, besides giving his at- tention to general farming, he is engaged in stock-raising. He was born in Franklin Co., Pa., July 21, 1838. His parents were also natives of the Keystone State, and were Samuel and Isabella B. (Wilson) Gamble. They came to Illinois as early as 1857, and located upon the above mentioned sec- tion, where they lived until called to their eternal homes. Mrs. Gamble died Oct. 16, 1862, and the elder Gamble, Feb. ro, 1870.
Our subject remained under the guidance and counsel of his parents until 1865. During the days of his boyhood and youth he not only had the ad- vantages of the common schools, but received an academical education. Upon leaving home his first business enterprise was the renting of a farm. He
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continued farming, renting land for five years, when, in 1870, he purchased the property where he now lives, which at the time consisted of 80 acres, to which he subsequently added 120 acres. Politically, Mr. G. is a Republican, and, with his wife and four eldest children, he is a member of the Presbyterian Church.
It was in 1865, April 13, that Mr. Gamble and Miss Anna E. Widney were united in marriage. Of this union four children were born, who are living : These are Fannie, Fred E., William M. and Nonnie. In the spring of 1876, the husband and children were called upon to mourn the loss of the wife and mother. Mr. Gamble was subsequently married to Mollie Rolofson, a native of Illinois. Of this union three children have been born -- Eddie, Samuel B. and Edna. Of the former children, Fannie is the wife of L. E. Pritchard. .
obert W. Milar, a mechanic of |Atkinson, has been a citizen of Henry County since 1855. He was born July 29, 1824, in Somerset Co., Pa. His father,"John Milar, was lost to his family by death in 1833. The latter was a native of Maryland and married Isabella Fulton in 1812. Their births occurred re- spectively in 1790 and in 1793. The mother was a native of Pennsylvania.
In 1836 Mr. Milar came to the State of Ohio and passed two years in acquiring a knowledge of the business of a carpenter, which he has followed ever since. He served an apprenticeship of two years; and, in October, 1855, came to Henry County, set- tling at Geneseo. He pursued his trade there only about six months, when he came [to Atkinson. He has been a continuous resident of that place about 30 years. He has managed his affairs with pru- dence and good judgment, and is the owner of· a well improved farm of 80 acres in the township of Atkinson, and owns the property which he occupies in the village. He is also the proprietor of 80 acres in Kansas, situated less than 20 miles from the city of Topeka.
Mr. Milar is a Republican and has discharged the duties of his citizenship in several official positions in the place where he is a resident. He was Deputy
Sheriff of the county four years, and has acted in the capacity of Justice of the Peace eight years. He has also been Constable 17 years.
The marriage of Mr. Milar to Rebecca Kinsley took place July 8, 1849, in the State of Ohio. The ceremony was performed by Joshua Pepper, then a magistrate, and who is still living, near Taylorsville, Ill. Mrs. Milar was born Sept. 25, 1831, in New Philadelphia, Tuscarawas Co., Ohio. Three of four children born of this marriage are still living : Theo- dore was born March 24, 1850; Leroy, Oct. 9, 1852 ; Clara, Jan. 5, 1854; J. Kniseley, March 25, 1857. The latter died Sept. 11, 1883. The surviving chil- dren are married. Mrs. Milar is a member of the Congregational Church.
acob Frank, harness-maker at Geneseo, and an extensive farmer of Henry County, has been a business man of Geneseo since Jan. 1, 1856. He was born May 8, 1829, in Germany, near the city of Worms, which will be celebrated throughout the ages of the world as the place where the " Morning-Star" of the Reformation arose-Martin Luther. He is the son of Leonard and Margaret (Boas) Frank, and he was 21 years of age when he left his native land to test fate in the New World. He landed in Amer- ica in 1849, and settled in Hayesville, Ashland Co., Ohio. He at once entered into the work of prepa- ration for the business which he has since pursued, and served an apprenticeship of four years with a harness-maker. He began to operate in that line in his own behalf at Lucas, in that State, and remained there three years. At the expiration of that time he came to Geneseo, and established his business as soon as he arrived. He has operated with success, and in addition to his widespread relations as a harness-maker, dealer in trunks and all goods com- mon to the traffic, he is the owner of a fine estate of 100 acres of land in the township of Cornwall. He is also the proprietor of valuable city property.
The marriage of Mr. Frank to Delilah Bowman took place in Ohio, Sept. 5, 1854, and they have had five children, three sons and two daughters : Leon- ard D. was born in Ohio, and after he was married he went to Oregon, where he died, in July, 1884, aged 30; Alice is the wife of David McLaughlin, of
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Chicago; Charles died at 12 years of age; William and Minnie are living. Mrs. Frank was born in Ashland Co., Ohio. She died at her home in Gen- eseo, on Thanksgiving Day, 1883. She was a mem- ber of the Baptist Church.
Mr. Frank is connected by membership with the German Lutheran Church, and is a member of the Society of Odd Fellows. In political belief and con- nection he is an adherent of the Democratic party.
ames Duncan, of Geneseo, came to Henry County in 1838, and has been a resident of the State since 1837. He has been prominent in the development of the resources of the county from the beginning of his active and independent management of his own affairs, and is at present the senior partner of the firm of Duncan & White, hardware merchants, and of the business house of Duncan & Martin.
.He was born March 1, 1827, in Erie Co., Pa., and is the son of William and Mary (Thomas) Duncan. His father was of unmixed Scotch origin, his ances- tors having been among the dissenters from the Scottish " Kirk," who left their native land in 1619 to escape the persecutions of King James. They encountered difficulties there which were scarcely less perplexing and quite as hard to bear. From the latter fact the purity of the race known as Scotch-Irish was retained throughout a period of exactly 100 years. In 1719 the emigration of their descendants to the United States commenced, and from the settlement of Dunbarton, N. H., they have scattered to all parts of this land, and every- where form one of the best elements on which the social, moral and religious structure of the country is founded. The father of Mr. Duncan was the son of a pioneer of the State of Pennsylvania, and there several of their children were born, among them their son William. The Thomas family, to which the mother belonged, was of English extraction, and were pioneers of the Dominion of Canada. Her father's family went to the State of New York just prior to her birth, and she was born in the Empire State.
The parents removed to Crawford Co., Pa., when their son was seven years old, and in the spring of
1837 they came to Illinois. They lived a year in Knoxville, and in the spring of the following year they made a final transfer of their affairs and inter- ests to Henry County, where they arrived April 15th. The father became a farmer in the Township of Phenix, and the children were there reared to maturity.
The first event of marked importance in the life of Mr. Duncan, of this sketch, was his marriage to Sarah C. Browning, of Phenix, April 10, 1855. Mrs. Duncan is the daughter of Joshua Browning, and she is a native of Phenix Township, in Henry County. Mr. Duncan continued the business in which he had been reared after his marriage until the spring of 1865. That was the date of his re- moval to Geneseo, where he has since resided con- tinuously. He at first interested himself in traffic in grain and stock, and also made purchases and shipments of horses. In 1870 he entered into a partnership with E. M. Way, and they transacted a business in the manufacture of soap and in render- ing fats, under the style of Way & Duncan, which was in operation until 1880-a period of ten years. At the expiration of that time Mr. Duncan bought the claim of his partner, and within the same year formed an association .with Charles H. Martin, and they have since managed their business affairs jointly. In 1883 Messrs. Duncan & Martin liave been engaged solely in the line of rendering. In some years they transact business in that avenue amounting on an average to $12,000. In 1882 the hardware house of Duncan & White was established, and the firm have since done a prosperous business in the lines of trade common to similar concerns, dealing in stoves, tinware, general hardware steam- fitting, metal-plate work, etc. The firm opened their business April 5th of the year named.
In 1850 Mr. Duncan went to California. He set out for that distant region on the Ist day of March, traveling across the plains. He passed nearly three years in the Golden Gate, and was engaged in min- ing at various points. He returned by way of the Isthmus to New York. At the time he was opera- ting as a farmer the agricultural affairs of Henry County were in their most primitive condition. He found a market for his crops at no nearer point than Chicago, and he hauled his grain there in a wagon drawn by three yokes of oxen, being accustomed to
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pass 21 days on the journey there and return. He sold his wheat for 45 or 50 cents a bushel, and was obliged from the small returns from his sales to travel and camp in gypsy fashion. The distance he was in the habit of traversing was 160 miles, or 320 miles going and coming.
Mr. Duncan is a Republican in political faith and connections, and both himself and his wife are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
S. Douglas, farmer and stock-raiser, re- siding on section 34 of Oxford Township. and one of the large land-owners of the county, is a native of Kentucky. He was born in Greene County, that State, June 18, 1820, and is a son of Charles and Polly (Smith) Douglas, natives of Virginia, where they were farmers. They came into Lawrence Co., Ill., in 1834, where the elder Douglas bought 40 acres of land, upon which he lived until his death, which oc- curred in 1842. His wife survived for 40 years, dying in Sangamon Co., Ill., in 1882.
Young Douglas came to Illinois with his parents and remained with them, putting in his time at work on the home farm and attending the district schools a few months in a year, until he attained the age of 21 years. Immediately after reaching this impor- tant period in the life of every young man, he moved to Crawford Co., Ind., where he remained two years, living on and working a rented farm. He then re- turned to Illinois and located in Sangamon County, where he remained until 1852; he next came into Oxford Township, this county, and purchased 320 acres of land. Besides his property in this county, he owns 400 acres in Iowa. Politically, he is a Democrat, and is regarded as one of the solid and representative men of Oxford Township.
Mr. Douglas was united in marriage with Mary A. Bullock, who bore him one child-John. She died in 1842, and for his second wife Mr. Douglas was married to Anna Glennan. By this marriage he had nine children, the following seven of whom are liv- ing: Jane, Cornelia, Martha, Samuel, Fannie, Elvia and Susan. In 1866, Mr. Douglas was left a widower, by the death of Mrs. Douglas. He subsequently married Margaret C. Warner.
eonard C. Campbell, City Clerk of Geneseo and Justice of the Peace, has been a resi- dent of the county since 1860. He was born Oct. 6, 1816, in Malone, Franklin Co. N. Y. His father, the Hon. James Campbell was a native of Bellows Falls, Vt., being born June 3, 1784, and died when within four months of his rooth birthday. He was of Scotch lineage, and reached distinction in military life and as an official in prominent positions. He was an officer in the War of 1812, and served through the entire course of that contest, becoming in his later life a pensioner on account of the services he rendered. He was for a considerable number of years the Sheriff of Frank- lin County, and was afterwards made Judge. He was a prominent member of the New York Legislature in the session of the winter of 1828-9. Politically, he was a Whig until the days of Van Buren, and after that period he was in sympathy with the Demo- cratic element. In his habits he was a man of re- markable simplicity, and his vigor was preserved nearly to the close of his long life. He married Maria Chapman, who was of Scotch-Irish origin.
Mr. Campbell was educated in his native county, and one of his school-mates was the man who after- ward became the Vice-President of the United States,-Wm. A. Wheeler. On entering business life he engaged in mercantile pursuits at Ogdensburg, N. Y., and operated there from 1834 to 1855. While there he was married, June 20, 1841, to Sarah, daughter of Isaac and Sally Wright. She was born in Ogdensburg, Feb. 19, 1819. Mr. and Mrs. Camp- bell had two children, born in the city where the birth of the mother occurred. Leonard W. is the general traveling freight agent of the Chicago, Mil- waukee & St. Paul Railroad; he married Frank E. Adams, and is a resident of Chicago ; James C. is in the employment of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
In 1855 Mr. Campbell removed to Chicago, where he was interested in the transportation and commis- sion business about five years. In April, 1860, he came to Geneseo, in the interests of the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad, and he acted in the capa- city of agent for that corporation. He also operated as a purchaser and shipper of grain, and continued
rest Sale
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his connection with both lines of business six years. Meanwhile, the affairs at the railroad office at Joliet had fallen into a perplexing tangle through the dis- honest management of an agent, and he was sent there as an adjuster and remained until he had placed everything in good order. His next relation was with the Chicago Stock-Yards as cashier and disbursing agent during their construction ; and while connected with the enterprise over a million dollars passed through his hands. He was occupied there about one year, and returned to Geneseo, where he again operated as a dealer in grain. In the begin- ning of his connection with politics Mr. Campbell was what was then termed a " Silver-Grey Whig," but through the evolutions of the political questions from which the Republican party was evolved he be- came an adherent of the new organization, and has since continued its devoted and constant ally.
In 1867 he was elected Police Magistrate at Gene- seo, a position to which he was again elected until he had discharged its duties,-an aggregate of nine years. Since that time he has held the position of Justice of the Peace nine years. In 1884 he was elected City Clerk, and is the present incumbent.
One daughter was born after the removal of the family to the West. She is the wife of George New- land, a farmer of Osco Township. Mrs. Campbell is a communicant in the Episcopal Church.
r. J. H. Sale, physician and surgeon, resi- dent at Cleveland, in Hanna Township, of whom a portrait appears on the opposite page, was born April 10, 1838, in La Porte, Ind. He is the second son of John F. and Jane G. (Sanford) Sale. His father was born in Xenia, Greene Co., Ohio, June 14, 1814, and was the son of John Sale, a preacher in the Method- ist Church. The latter went to Ohio in the year 1803, and was one of the pioneers of the ministry in the State. He organized and established the first local body of the denomination to which he belonged that was instituted in the city of Cincinnati. He died at the house of a friend while he was still in that place on the errand which he went there to ac- complish. His death occurred in 1827.
The family of the mother of Dr. Sale were origin-
ally from Baltimore, Md. Hector Sanford, his grand - father, was a pioneer of Chillicothe, in Ross Co., Ohio, and he was also a Methodist preacher, oper- ating in the method known in those days as " circuit- riding." The scattered condition of the Methodist societies, which sometimes consisted only of the members of a single family, necessitated a traveling minister, and to this state of affairs is due the prom- inence of some of the most worthy characters in the pioneer history of the country. Mr. Sanford retired from the ministry some years before his death and became interested in secular matters. He built a mill at Chillicothe for the manufacture of cotton, and was there engaged in business during the remainder of his life. The parents of Dr. Sale were married in Ohio, and went afterwards to La Porte, Ind. They went in 1840 to Rock Co., Wis., and the father made a purchase of land in Union Township. A portion of the tract is now included in Evansville.
There the Doctor grew to manhood, and was a pupil in the pioneer log school-house, which was constructed in the common way with a puncheon floor. The abode of the family was built in a similar manner. The structure became historic from the fact that in it was held the first meeting of the Methodist society of Evansville, and it was also the scene of the organization of that body.
The education of Dr. Sale was materially im- proved by several terms' attendance at the celebrated seminary at Evansville, but his plans were tempor- arily interrupted by the advent of the struggle be- tween the two sections of the United States, which for a time seemed to threaten the destruction of all that constituted the basis of all prosperity in the land.
The temperament of Dr. Sale, the heritage of two races of pioneers, could poorly brook the danger to that which the generation of his ancestors had strug- gled and suffered to create, and within the first year of the war he entered the army. He enlisted Sept. 13, 186 1, in Co. H, 13th Wis. Vol. Inf. Before the regiment went to the field he was transferred to the band, and was in that connection as long as he re- mained in the 13th regiment. He was discharged Aug. 18, 1862, by special order of the War Depart- ment, which terminated the duties of all regimental bands. However, just previous to the promulgation of the order, he was seized with illness, returned home and was confined to his bed II weeks; and
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