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 39
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Standish, which resulted in the question of the lady in the case, " Why don't you speak for yourself, John ?" Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Chapin,-a son and three daughters. The first-born child died in infancy. Florilla is the wife of Henry Candee, a retired manufacturer of Moline, Ill. Emily is the librarian of the Geneseo Library. Alice C. is at present a resident at Geneseo. She has been a teacher in the Indianapolis Kindergarten.
The widow of Mr. Chapin was married July 24, 1849, to Rev. William T. Allan. She is again a widow, and is still living at the homestead in Gene- seo.
con. Julius S. Hinman, deceased, formerly Judge of Henry County, canie to this county in 1851. He was born June 16, 1823, in Canton, Hartford Co., Conn., and was the son of Zerah and Miriam Hinman. His lineage is English, the first representatives of the family having come to this country in its early period.
Judge Hinman was reared a farmer, and he pur- sued that vocation until he relinquished all interests in order to give his undivided attention to the acqui- sition of a liberal education. Mr. Hinman came to Ohio when a boy of 12 years, with his parents, who settled in Rootstown, in Portage County, where he remained with his parents about ten years; then he went to Akron, that State, where he lived two years, studying law with Gen. Beers. He moved next to Ravenna, in Portage County, in the same State, where he pursued miscellaneous studies and also his legal course, and while at Ravenna he was admitted to the Bar as an attorney. He established his prac- tice at Franklin, Ohio, and while he remained in Portage County he had charge of his father's farm about 15 months.
In June, 1851, he came to Princeton, Bureau Co., Ill., but his stay there was brief. He came thence to Cambridge, where he was a continuous resident to the date of his demise -- March 25, 1885. At the time of his death he was the only lawyer living in Henry County that was here when he came.
His abilities and character received recognition from the time he became a resident at Cambridge, and his career in Henry County was one of marked
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prominence from his connection with its official af- fairs. He served for many years as Justice of the Peace and also as Swamp Land Commissioner. His period of service as Master in Chancery covered a period of 25 years, and he acted more than 20 years in the capacity of County Judge of Henry County. He was first elected in 1865 and held the incum- bency continuously until his death. His long terms of service in the several official positions which he held will convey an adequate idea of his abilities, reliability, the quality of his judgment, his probity, and his qualifications as an attorney. The best trib- ute that can be offered in commemoration of a faithful officer is that he was loved and trusted by those whom he served. The connection of Judge Hinman with the citizens of Henry County displayed alike his charac- ter as a man and quality of the constituency that un- derstood his value, and that honored itself in his selection as the custodian of the most important in- terests of a community.
He was united in marriage in Akron, Summit Co., Ohio, with Mary E. Westlake, Nov. 27, 1849. Her parents, Richard and Margaret (Victor) Westlake, were natives respectfully of New Jersey and Pennsyl- vania. The children born to Judge and Mrs. Hin- man numbered five, and were born in the following order : Hubert R., Ella M. (wife of Frank Gould), Eva Lois, a music teacher in Chicago, Alice M. (de- ceased), Albert V., a resident of Geneseo, and Miriam C., living with her mother.
Judge Hinman was a member of the Masonic Order and belonged to Cambridge Lodge, No. 49.
rank L. Winsor, proprietor of the Maple City Lumber Yards, at Geneseo, estab- lished his business at that place in Octo- ber, 1881. He deals in all kinds of builders' materials, including cement, lime and sewer- pipes. He was born May 1, 185 1, in Chenango Co., N. Y. His parents, John and Harriet (Morse) Winsor, were natives of the State of New York, and he was there brought up. In 1879 he came to Henry County and located at Geneseo where, in the year mentioned, he purchased the business of C. W. Kin- ner with all its relations. The yards have been es-
tablished some years, and are well known in Henry County and in surrounding districts.
Mr. Winsor was married to Bertha Skinner, in November, 1876. Mrs. Winsor is the daughter of P. Skinner, of Rock Island. She is a communicant in the Episcopal Church. Mr. and Mrs. Winsor have one child-Clara, born in 1877.
Mr. Winsor endorses and supports the principles and issues of the Democrats.
A nson Calkins, residing on section 21, Ox- ford Township, where he is living in retire- ment from the active lahors of the farm, which vocation he has pursued all his life, is a native of New York, having been born in Co- lumbia County, that State, Nov. 14, 1818. The parents of Mr. Calkins were Elijah and Philena (Coleman) Calkins, natives of New York and Con- necticut respectively, and whose family comprise ten children.
Anson was the fifth child in order of birth of his parents' family, with whom he continued to reside until he attained the age of majority. He received a good education in the district schools of his native county, and assisted his father in the labors of the farm until he was 18 years of age. He then engaged to learn the carpenter's trade, and gave to his par- ents all wages that he received until he was 21 years of age, and up to the time that he left home. Upon becoming his own man he worked at his trade in his native State until 1841, when he came to Henry County, this State, and located on the identical tract of land on which he at present resides. He at first procured 40 acres, subsequently 40 more, then 80 acres additional, and still later has increased his acreage until he is at present the proprietor of 678 acres of land. Mr. Calkins may truly be considered a pioneer settler of Oxford Township, this county. Coming here in 1841, he found the country new and undeveloped, but his good judgment told him that in the near future it would all be settled, and what was then in its natural condition would become the fine agricultural district that it is to-day. He con- sequently held on to his land, and by incessant toil and economy added to his original 40 acres until he is to-day the proprietor of a fine estate. His accu-
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mulations of real estate in the county is attributable to his own indomitable energy, good judgment and economy ; and, looking back over the history of the past, he realizes that his predictions have been ful- filled even beyond his expectations. He resides to- day on his fine estate in Oxford Township, retired from the active labors of a life of toil, and is enjoy- ing the comforts which the present attributes to the labor of the past.
Mr. Calkins was married to Miss Hulda Griffin, a native of Massachusetts, in 1847. Their union has been blessed by the birth of five children, living : Myra P., wife of A. A. Shaw ; Mary E., who married Ira K. Frankenberger ; James P., who married Mary E. Keer; John F., the husband of Alvira J. Elliott; and Winfield C., who was united in marriage to Anna O. Keer. Mr. Calkins votes with the Republican party. He has held various offices within the gift of the people of the community in which he resides, and was the first Assessor of the township after its organization. He has made all the improvements visible upon his farm, such as buildings, fences, set- ting out an orchard, ornamental trees, etc., and has a fine evergreen grove of five acres upon his farm.
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ilton Jennings Miller, Pastor of the Uni- tarian Church at Geneseo, was born Dec. 28, 1831, at Bethel, Clark Co., Ohio. He is the fourth in order of birth of a family of 12 children, of whom seven are yet living. His father, John Miller, was a native of Botetourt Co., Va., and went thence in his young manhood with his parents, Frederick and Elizabeth (Peery) Miller, to Ohio, where they located on a farm on Donnels' Creek, six miles west of the city of Spring- field.
In the paternal line of descent Mr. Miller is of German extraction, his grandparents being of that nationality, but of American birth. John Miller died in 1863, aged 65. His wife was the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Van Cleve) Smith. Peter Smith, her great-grandfather, was a native of Wales. He came in youth to this country, and studied for the ministry, taking his degree at Princeton. He married a lady from the State of Georgia, and a few years after that event he set forth with his family on
pack-horses for the State of Ohio. He located in the vicinity of Cincinnati. Samuel Smith, his son, grew to manhood there, and became a prosperous farmer on Donnels' Creek, one mile from the Miller settlement. His father had married an English- speaking wife and the German tongue in their case fell into disuse. None of his children were taught it at their home. John Miller was the proprietor of 300 acres of land, and was considered a well-to-do farmer, keeping one-half of the place under a good order of cultivation. - His children were sent to the common schools for three or four months in the year, and they acquired a fair degree of English educa- tion. Meanwhile the labors of the farm in which they were participants were sufficient to ensure a goodly physical development. The mother is still living, and is passing a serene old age in the families of her children at various points in the State of Ohio.
Mr. Miller of this sketch was a boy of quick per- ceptions, and he has made good use of the opportu- nities afforded by the schools to which he had been sent. He was 18 when he first attempted teaching, and the results were sufficiently encouraging to war- rant a repetition of the same experience. During the winters of 1851 and 1852 he attended a High School at Springfield. In 1853 Antioch College at Yellow Springs, Ohio, was opened with Hon. Horace Mann as its President, and Mr. Miller entered the institution with the intention of pursuing a course of collegiate study. He fulfilled his project and was graduated with the class of 1859. He taught sev- eral terms of school meanwhile to aid in defraying his expenses. He passed a year as tutor in the same college, and went thence to Harvard University, where he took a three years' course of theological study. In 1863 he was graduated at the Divinity School, and he passed several succeeding months in preaching at various points in New England. At three places where there were vacancies he was in- vited to make a settlement. He had, however, an inclination to enter upon ministerial labor in the West, and he accordingly accepted a call to fill a pulpit in Troy, Ohio, at a point about 20 miles from his old home, and was settled as Pastor over the Christian Church in that place.
His marriage to Hannah Dean, daughter of Hon. George M. Allen, of Scituate, Mass., transpired Sept. 6, 1863. Mrs. Miller is the granddaughter of Rev. Morrill Allen, late of Pembroke, Mass.
Susan H Lonnings
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Soon after their marriage they went to Troy, and after a ministry of nine months, Mr. Miller was com- missioned Chaplain of the Iroth Regt. Ohio Vol. Inf. Aug. 26, 1864, he joined the command to which he had been assigned, which was attached to the Corps of General Sheridan, at Bolivar Heights, Va. Mr. Miller was a participant in the daring and brill- iant campaign of the intrepid Sheridan in the Val- ley of the Shenandoah. He passed the winter of 1864-5 in camp in front of Petersburg, and was pres- ent at the final conflicts which resulted in the sur- render of General Lee and the consequent collapse of the Rebellion. He was mustered out of the mili- tary service of the United States at Columbus, Ohio, on the 26th day June, 1865.
He immediately returned to his charge at Troy. He filled the position there until the autumn of 1868, when he resigned his place as Pastor there and was selected to take the pastorate of the First Unitarian Society just organized at Geneseo, Ill. He entered upon the discharge of the duties of the position Nov. 15, 1868, and is still the incumbent of the charge.
Mr. Miller and his wife are held in high esteem among the people where they reside. They are the possessors of a goodly share of this world's goods, and are prominent for their hospitality and liberality. Mr. Miller is one of the leading spirits in the busi- ness and prosperity of Geneseo, and is interested in banking and other corporations. He is of the high- est repute for integrity and honor. He is practically interested in the educational institutions of Geneseo, and has been an official in the Public Library Asso- ciation since the founding of the institution, and a large degree of its success is due to his efforts.
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rs. Susan Huls Jennings, resident on section 12, Cambridge Township, has been connected with the history of the county since 1849, when her husband lo- cated with his family on 400 acres of land in the township in which the seat of Henry County is situated.
She was born Aug. 20, 1813, near Chillicothe, Ohio, and is the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Van Meter) Shepherd. In both lines of descent he is of German extraction. Thomas Shepherd,
the paternal grandfather of Mrs. Jennings, was a pioneer of Jefferson Co., Va. He was a prominent man in all the general interests of that part of the State, and was identified with its settlement, its business and its agricultural development. He built a "merchant" mill, as it was characterized in that locality, and through the energetic frugality which he inherited from his ancestors he became wealthy. Through his efforts, the town of Shepherdston, Va., was laid out and became a place of more than or- dinary pretensions, and is the perpetuator of the patronymic of its founder. Thomas Shepherd mar- ried Susan Huls, the belle of Wheeling, W. Va., and they reared a family of eight children. Two sons, two sons-in-law and the father enlisted as soldiers in the War of 1812, and the latter took a drove of cattle for the use of the army. His granddaughter, Susan, who is the subject of this account, was born on the day he came home from the war.
John Shepherd was born Feb. 16, 1786. He mar- ried Elizabeth, daughter of Isaac and Rebecca (Wright) Van Meter. She was the child of affluence and was educated and accomplished to an unusual degree. Her father was one of the most prominent and influential citizens of the county of which he was a resident, and was esteemed for his sterling worth as a man, and for a life of undeviating integ- rity. John Shepherd and his wife became the parents of eight children. He and his wife went to Ohio when they were still young, and while there the father served as Sheriff of the county in which he settled. ¿ In the fall of 1835 the family removed to Vermillion Co .; Ill. The father died there April 3, 1841. By vocation he was a farmer and miller. His wife was born May 4, 1783, and died in Pickwick Co., Ohio, Sept. 5, 1835.
Mrs. Jennings is the fourth child of her parents in order of birth. Her brothers and sisters were named Abraham, Rebecca W., Isaac V., Rachel, Mary, Elizabeth and Joseph L. In 1885 there are but three survivors. She was married March 6, 1835, to Levi Jennings. He was born March 10, 1794, in Virginia. After their marriage they located on a farm in Knox Co., Ill., on which they lived two years, removing at the end of that time to Peoria Co., Ill., where they continued to reside 13 years. They then sold out and returned to Ohio, and remained in the Buckeye State one summer. They came thence
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to Canton, in Fulton County, whence they removed in April, 1849, to Henry County.
They entered with vigor into the work common to pioneers of this section of the great State of Illinois, living at first in a log house, barely large enough to accommodate the members of the household. This was their home for five years.
Mr. Jennings died Dec. 28, 1859,"in Sibley Co., Minn. The original purchase of 400 acres of land remained in the possession of the family, and Mrs. Jennings prosecuted the interests of the estate with characteristic energy. She interested herself in every- thing pertaining to real-estate matters in the county, and has been individually one of the most extensive purchasers of landed property in Henry County, and is at date of writing the owner of nearly 1,300 acres of land. which is all in well-improved condition. The mistress of the estate has given much attention to raising stock, and fattens for market 300 hog sand 200 head of cattle annually. She owns 60 horses ; 1,120 acres of land are included in the hoine farm. The remainder is in timber, and is located three miles from the homestead. The estate is supplied with all necessary buildings, and the property is a substantial witness of the energy, thrift and perse- verance of its mistress.
Mrs. Jennings is a better exponent of theoretical women's rights than though she had expended her energies and ambitions in behalf of the tenets of the shrieking sisterhood, among whom there is not a representative of the variety of womanhood typified by Mrs. Jennings,-a class who show the material of which they are made by their achievements. She is characterized by the possession of good business tact, enterprise, keen powers and habits of observation, accuracy in detail, and a perfect memory.
Nor has she been recreant to the obligations of maternity, as she has reared three children. Ann V. is the wife of James Bush, of Adair Co., Iowa, and she is the mother of five children; Frank is de- ceased. The survivors are named Rosemary, Frank (2d), Frederick and Benjamin Eugene; Mary J. married N. B. Gould, of Cambridge. Mr. and Mrs. Gould are represented by a sketch on other pages. They have had two children. Nellie L. is deceased. The remaining daughter is named Kate M. John L., only son of Mrs. Jennings, is a resident of the town- ship of Burns, in Henry County. He is married and has two sons, John Levi and Frank Roy.
From the foregoing sketch of Mrs. Jennings, the satisfaction with which the publishers of the HENRY COUNTY ALBUM present the portrait of a representa- tive woman will be understood. The likeness of Mrs. Jennings was copied from a photograph taken in 1883.
dam Butzer, a farmer on sections 1 and 2, in Phenix Township, is a native citizen of the township in which he resides. He was born Feb. 27, 1844, and is the youngest son of George Frederick and Louisa (Boltz) Butzer. His parents were both natives of Baden, Ger- many, and they emigrated to the United States from their fatherland in 1835. They lived about two years in Michigan, whence they came to Chicago, and a few months later they removed to Henry County, where they settled in the year 1837.
They were among the earliest settlers in the town of Phenix. The father entered a claim of land on section 3 of the township named, and on it he built a log house. He covered the building with " shakes " (which the generation of the future may be interested in knowing were simply long shingles split from a log), and the floor was made of puncheon, which was split logs, and in this case was of black walnut. He improved a large farm, and was its owner and occu- pant until his death, in March, 1850. His widow survived him until July 2, 1881. They were the parents of eight children, and six of the number grew to maturity. Jacob became a prosperous farm- er, and was a citizen of Phenix Township as long as he lived. His death took place Nov. 27, 1883. Catherine is the wife of Daniel Henney, and they reside at Geneseo. Louis lives in Crawford Co., Kan. Caroline married Valentine Sieben, of whom a sketch may be found elsewhere. Marseilla is the wife of Joseph Arnett, of Loraine Township.
Mr. Butzer, of this personal narration, was but six years of age when his father died, and he lived on the home farm with his mother until he reached the age of 19. In 1863 he crossed the plains to Cali- fornia, and he became a teamster there and in Ne- vada, remaining in California and Nevada four years, chiefly employed as a teamster. In 1867 he came back to his native township, making the journey thither by the Isthmus and city of New York.
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The first business in which he engaged was the management of the farm of his brother, in which he was occupied three years. He then went to Kansas and was absent there a few months, after which he returned and made a purchase of 80 acres of land on section I in Phenix Township, which was origin- ally settled and improved by Dr. Maxwell. On this he has since pursued his agricultural projects, and has been prosperous to a satisfactory degree. He is at present the owner of 320 acres in a connected body, and it is all in profitable agricultural condi- tion. The stock on the place is of valuable quality, and includes horses, cattle and swine. In 1883 Mr. Butzer built a good and substantial frame house for the accommodation of his family, and the place is fitted with all structures necessary to the care and comfort of the stock.
His marriage to Margaret Licht occurred in April, 1868, and their children are named as follows : Alice May, Hattie G., Bert J. and Belva L. The mother was born in Prussia, and she came to the United States when she was four years old.
A ndrew J. Anderson, who is a general farmer and stock-raiser on section 27, An- dover Township, was born in Kise, Sweden, April 6, 1833. His father, Andrew Johnson, was a farmer of Swedish nativity, and died in his native country when his son, the subject of this sketch, was about 14 years of age ; and five years later, his mother, nee Sarah E. Johnson, with her two children, emigrated to the land of greater opportuni- ties, first settling in Andover, this county, where he is yet living, aged 78 years.
Mr. Anderson, whose name heads this notice, was married in October, 1855, in Andover, to Miss Hannah Bankson, who was born in the parish of Oker, in the kingdom of Sweden, about 1833, and came to America with her parents, Swedish farmers, when 19 years of age, and lived with her mother until her marriage; her father died in 1854, the year in which they emigrated to this country. She is the mother of three daughters and four sons: Sarah C. married August Nelson, who resides in Andover Township; the rest live at home.
In 1856, Mr. Anderson bought 80 acres of land on
section 21, Andover Township; in 1860 he exchanged this for 54 acres where he now resides. At present he owns 320 acres, nearly all of which is cultivated and in good condition. He rears and deals in a considerable number of live stock, especially of a Short-horn variety of cattle. Mrs. A., who was a member of the Lutheran Church, died at her home in Andover Township, July 6, 1877. Mr. A. was formerly a member and officer of the same Church. Locally, he is a Road Commissioner in his township, having now held the office for about ten years. In political views, he is independent.
ugene H. Ash, bookseller and stationer at Geneseo, has resided in Henry County since 1864. He was born April 13, 1858, in the city of Adrian, Mich. His parents, M. and Margaret (Gouger) Ash, removed from that State to Illinois in the year named and located at Geneseo.
Mr. Ash was educated in the public schools of the city, and commenced active business life in the ca- pacity of clerk with E. F. Godfry. In 1884 he estab- lished himself in trade, and has since conducted a prosperous business.
He was united in marriage to Jennie E. Lambert, April 13, 1885. Mrs. Ash was born in the city of Rochester, N. Y., and is the daughter of J. E. Lam. bert.
In political connection Mr. Ash is a Republican.
eonard R. Bothwell, general farmer and stock-raiser, residing on section 22, Western Township, is a native of "York State," having been born in Depauville, Jefferson County, April 28, 1838. His father, David Bothwell, was a farmer by occupation, and was born in Washington Co., N. Y., Nov. 6, 1794. He was married in Jefferson County, to Jemima Spencer. She was the daughter of a farmer, and was born in Jefferson County, that State, Feb. 6, 1803. They always resided in that county, where he died, in 1846, and the latter July 10, of the same year.
Leonard R. Bothwell was the youngest of a family
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of five children, all of whom are living and married. Martin resides in Jefferson Co,, N. Y., and is a shoe- maker by trade; Mary (Scott) resides at Depere, Wis. ; her husband is a ship-builder and a carpenter ; Jeremiah resides in Hannibal, Jefferson County, where he is engaged in the livery business ; David also resides in the last named county.
Leonard R. Bothwell, after the death of his pa- rents, resided with his sister Mary until he attained the age of 15 years, when he set out on the road of adversity to fight the battles of life single-handed and alone, and in 1848 went to Wisconsin. In 1860, he came to this State and enlisted in the army of the Union shortly after. The date of his enlistment was August, 1861, and he joined the 11th Ohio Bat- tery, under Captain Constable, was assigned to Pope's division, and was engaged in the battle of Iuka, Miss., Sept. 19, 1862. At that place he was severely wounded and sent to the hospital, where he remained for a time, and was finally discharged on account of disability, the date of his discharge being Jan. 12, 1863. Returning home to this State, he began the occupation of a farmer, which he has continued to the present time.
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