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 47
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Mr. and Mrs. Gierhart are connected by member- ship with the Methodist Church.
athan W. Washburn, deceased, was a pioneer of Henry County of 1836. In that year he came to Colona Township and lo- cated a claim on the northwest quarter of section 29. The county was not yet organized and the township was designated 17. He built a log house and returned to his home.
Mr. Washburn was born June 28, 1802, in Wood- stock, Conn. His parents were among the respected class, but were not in circumstances of affluence, and he was obliged to maintain himself. He was vari- ously employed in his native town until he was 19 years old, when he went to Springfield, Mass , and obtained a situation in the armory in the employ of the Government of the United States. He re- mained there until he came in the spring of 1836 to Illinois. He passed the summer of that year in the county and carried the chain for the surveyors of Henry County.
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In the spring of 1837 he came back to his claim, accompanied by his family and his brother Abisha. The latter brought his household with him, and Luke C. Sheldon also.
Mr. Washburn and his family took possession of the abode he had built on his first visit to the county and they were its occupants 17 years. He then built a frame house in which they lived until the date of the death of the father. His decease occurred in 1875. After he settled in Colona Township he passed about four years in his native State.
He was married twice. The name of his first wife before her marriage was Olive-Ashley. She was born in Massachusetts and died in 1832. She bore two children, one of whom is yet living. She is now Mrs. Elizabeth Bennett, and a sketch of her husband, Sterling Bennett, is presented elsewhere in this work.
Mr. Washburn was a second time married, to Elizabeth Sheldon, of Suffield, Conn. Their only child is Olive, wife of W. W. Warner, of Western Township. Her mother is living with her.
vermon G. Hier. A splendid illustration of what may be accomplished in this country by an honest, hard-working, energetic and enterprising man is given in the record of the life of Hermon G. Hier. To-day he is an ex- tensive farmer on section 3, of Weller Town- ship; but in his early manhood he came from Hanover without means, position or friends to assist him, yet he has accumulated the vast property he now owns by his own exertions.
He was born March 25, 1822, near Hanover, Prussia, and in 1845 came to America, and for six months lived at St. Louis. In the summer of 1845 he came to Henry County, and lived nine months in Andover Township, and in 1846 came into Weller, and three years later pre-empted 40 acres of land on section 3, where he established his home and has since lived. He was thus one of the first pioneers to locate in that part of the county. To-day he is the possessor of about 800 acres of land, most of which is tillable and well improved. He has erected upon the home farm a fine set of farm buildings.
Mr. Hier, before leaving Germany, was married to
Mary Adelaide Eltings, who was a native of that country. Their wedding occurred Dec. 5, 1843. They have had born to them ten children, most of whom they reared to manhood and womanhood, and who have become respected citizens in the commu- nities where they reside. The following is the list of their names : George, Sophia, Lucinda, Gerherd W., Eliza, Henry, William, Ada, August, and Dina, the oldest child, who died in infancy. George fell from a load of hay, in 1875, and broke his neck; he was at that time 29 years of age. Mr. and Mrs. H. are members of the German Lutheran Church, and Mr. H. usually votes the Democratic ticket.
ohn L. Gardiner, a resident on section 4, Munson Township, is a pioneer of Henry County of 1836. He was born May 13, 1817, on Long Island, and is the son of Matthew and Phebe (Bunce) Gardiner. His father was born on Gardiner's Island. Lyon Gardiner, the ear- liest known ancestor of the family in this country, was a native of England. In 1639 he became the owner by purchase of the island which bears the name of the family. The date of purchase was pre- vious to the settlement of any part of the State of New York now included in the counties of Queens and Suffolk. Elizabeth, the danghter of Lyon Gar- diner, was the first white child born of English par- ents within the entire province of New York. The property of the progenitor of the family still holds in their possession. The child referred to was born Sept. 14, 1641.
Mr. Gardiner was a resident of his native town, Huntington, until he was in his 20th year, when he resolved to try another locality to see if his health might not be improved. He came to this section of Illinois in company with a party who were expecting to form a colony, and they located in what is now the township of Andover. They journeyed hither on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and landed just below the present site of Rock Island. Coming at once to Henry County, Mr. Gardiner entered a claim of about 500 acres of land, lying chiefly in the township of Andover, or what is now included in that part of Henry County so designated. He reached the county in May. He was then unmarried, and was obliged to hire his board, while he entered witli vigorous en-
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ergy upon the improvement of his land. ' A few months later, associated with Alfred Jagger, he built a frame house and the two entered upon the man- agement of their own domestic affairs after the pat- tern known as keeping "bach." They continued together through the winter of 1836-7, and passed the time in getting out timber and drawing it to the saw-mill, for the purpose of supplying the necessi- ties of the settlers. In 1839 Mr. Gardiner returned to Long Island to fulfill a matrimonial engagement with Adelia Whitman. He came back with his bride to the home in the West, where they remained two years. In 1841 they went back to the island where they were born and where they resided until 1844. In that year another transfer was made of their home to Andover, and they occupied the old place two years. Then the estate was exchanged for a tract of land now included in the site of the city of Gene- seo. Of this they took possession and were its oc- cupants until 1853, when it was sold and the farm on which they have since lived, in the township of Munson, was purchased. The latter was still the property of the Government of the United States. Its appearance is now greatly modified and the good frame house pleasantly located on a rise of ground with a command of a sightly outlook extending to Geneseo. The beautiful hedges and the abundant trees speak for themselves of the quality of the en- ergy that has been brought to bear on the place. There are on the farm two crystal mineral springs, both flowing from the side of a small hill.
A ndrew Stoneberg, the owner of 200 acres of land on section 23, Weller Township, where he resides, was born in Sweden, Nov. 30, 1822. He crossed the briny waters and arrived in this country in 1846, seeking a new field for the accumulation of a compe- tency. Soon after his arrival at an Eastern seaport, we may say almost immediately, he came to Bishop Hill, this county. He was one of the number who composed what was known as the Swedish Colony that located at Bishop Hill. On the dissolution of the Colony in 1863, Mr. Stoneberg located on land which at present comprises his farm and where he has resided ever since, He is the owner of 200 1
acres on section 23, most of which is tillable. On his farm he has erected a good residence, together with substantial outbuildings, and is meeting with success in his chosen vocation, agriculture.
The marriage of Mr. Stoneberg took place at Bishop Hill, in July, 1848. The lady selected to ac- company him through the future trials of life was Miss Louisa Anderson, a native of Sweden, who em- igrated to this country in 1847. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Stoneberg were four in number, namely : John, Andrew, Louisa and Peter. Louisa is de ceased.
Politically, Mr. Stoneberg is independent.
charles Smith is one of the citizens of Henry County, of foreign birth, who have, since their removal to a land of free in- stitutions, made themselves the equal of its best native-born inhabitants, and who have placed themselves in circumstances of pros- perity and even affluence.
Mr. Smith was born in Germany, May 22, 1833, and is the youngest son of Henry and Caroline Smith, both natives of "Das Faderland." In his earliest childhood he became a herder of cattle, ris- ing for the purpose at four A. M., and taking care of his charge until the hour for school, when he was obliged to attend some place of school, in order to satisfy the law, which, in his native country, disposes of the minority of all male children. He was at school from nine until one, when he resumed the business of watching the cattle. He passed the years of his life until he was fourteen in this method, and then was employed on the farm of his brother, as he must acquire a knowledge of some business. His brother was also a blacksmith, and had a shop on his farm, where they were in the habit of working after the duties of the farm were attended to. When he reached the age of 18, he determined to come to America, and he accordingly took passage on a sail- ing vessel for Baltimore, where he landed after a stormy voyage of 63 days. He went immediately after debarkation to Cumberland, in Maryland, where he had a brother, who was an inn-keeper. He re- mained in his employ three years, and at the end of that time engaged in the business of buying cattle in Western Pennsylvania and Ohio, He had to
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cross the mountains to the city of Baltimore, and he pursued that line of traffic until 1862, when the re- bellion of the South made it dangerous for a man of decided and well-known Union principles to lin- ger on the border line between the twosections. He was obliged to relinquish the industry which he had found profitable. He then rented the hotel of his brother, and conducted its interests two years. He then acquired an interest in a mercantile business, and passed between two and three years in the sale of dry goods, and in the grocery and provision trade, in Cumberland.
In 1866, he came to Henry County, and bought 112 acres of land, on section ro, in Geneseo Town- ship. On this he set himself to the work of placing his affairs in prosperous condition, and he is now the owner of 340 acres of excellent land, which is all en- closed with hedges, and is in good condition for prof- itable farming. The buildings are of good type, and suited for the purpose for which they were con- structed. The farm is devoted to the rearing of stock.
Mr. Smith was married, in October, in 1853, to Martha L. Warfield, and they are the parents of six children. Caroline L. is the wife of Gottlieb Ott, of Chicago. The other children are named Mary West Virginia, Charles Frederick William, Harry, Lewis B. and Jesse Howard. Mrs. Smith was born in Carroll Co., Md. Mr. Smith is independent in political principles and connections.
ohn D. Sundberg, a farmer of Weller Township, residing on section 27, was born in Sweden, Jan. 4, 1825. Mr. Sundberg continued to reside in his native country, where he was variously occupied until 1857, when, hoping to procure a home for himself and family, he emigrated to the United States. On his arrival in this country he located in Mercer County, and there resided until 1861. Soon after the news had flashed across the wires that rebel guns had thundered forth their shot and shell against Fort' Sumter, and the President had called for brave hearts and strong arms to defend the country's honor, Mr. Sundberg was one of the first to respond. He enlisted in the 43d Ill. Vol. Inf., and served three
years and four months fighting for his country, which he had adopted. After the term of his enlistment had expired, he returned to Mercer County, and soon thereafter, in the spring of 1865, came to this county, and located in Weller Townsnip, and has continued to reside there until the writing of this work. He is the proprietor of 80 acres of land, located on section 27, Weller Township, and is meeting with success in his chosen vocation, that of agriculture.
The marriage of Mr. Sundberg took place in Weller Township, and the lady selected to accom- pany him through the trials of life was Miss Lena C. Johnson, a native of Sweden. Of ther union eight children have been born,-Frank . A., Alfred L., John A., Victor E., Fred N., Emila, Joseph and Hannah M. A.
illiam Kelly, a successful farmer and re- spected citizen of this county, living on section 28, Weller Township, is a Manx- man by birth, having been born on the Isle of Man, Aug. 19, 1844. On attaining his 22d year, in 1867, he emigrated to the United States, and soon thereafter came to Knox County, this State, where he resided for nine months. From Knox County, Mr. Kelly came to this county and located in Weller Township, where he has resided, with the exception of one year, in which he lived in Galva Township, until the present time. He is at present the proprietor of 290 acres of land, all of which is under an advanced state of cultivation. His farm presents the appearance of thrift and good management, and indicates that prosperity is the out- growth of hard labor. The marriage of Mr. Kelly to Catherine R. Emery, was celebrated Jan. 12, 1870, in Henry County, this State. She was born Feb. 15, 1849, in Fulton Co., Ill., and has borne her husband eight children-Laura V. E., W. Harry, Olive, Eugene O., Wilbur T., R Ann, Mary M., D. Emery, and one, Katie P., died in infancy.
Mr. Kelly has been School Director of his town- ship, and politically always casts his vote with the Republican party.
His parents, William and Ann (Patty) Kelly, were natives of Ireland, and of the Isle of Man, respect- ively. His father died on his native isle, and his
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mother yet survives, and is residing in Weller Town- ship. Her parents were Henry and Olive (Jacobs) Emery, natives of Pennsylvania and New York. They came to this county in 1856, and her father died in Galva, Nov. 17, 1875, and her mother in Weller Township, Oct. 26, 1858.
ndrew P. Swanson is engaged in the call- ing of a farmer, on section 4, in the town- ship of Atkinson, whither he came in 1856. He was born in Sweden, in 1824, and emi- grated from his native land to America, in 1852. He came from New York, where he landed, to Rock Island, and remained there four years. He came thence to Henry County, in the year named. He settled on 80 acres of land on the sec- tion where he has since been a farmer. In 1868, he became the husband of Mary Hendrickson. She is a native of the same country as her husband, and was born in 1847. Annie M., Joseph H., Christina, John A., Emeline, Virginia and David are the names of the children who are now members of the house- hold, and the entire number of whom they have become the parents are still spared to them. In re- ligious views they are Lutherans. Mr. Swanson is an adherent of the Republican party.
on. James H. Paddelford has been for a long term of years one of the most prom- inent citizens of Henry County. He has been a resident within its borders since the re- moval of his parents here, when he was a child of ten years. He has grown up with the coun- try, which was in its primitive days and condition at the time he first made the acquaintance of the mu- nicipality in which he has reached the distinction of a good and useful citizen, and as a faithful servitor in the interests of his constituency.
He was born Nov. 11, 1817, in North Enfield, Grafton Co., N. H. William and Hannah (Hoit) Paddelford, his parents, removed to Henry County, in November, 1837. His father was born May 9, 1787, in the same town in which his son was born. At the time of the removal of their family hither, it
included six children. The journey from New Hampshire to Whitehall, N. Y., was made with pri- vate conveyance, and they went thence on the Champlain Canal to Troy, where they took passage on the Erie Canal for Buffalo. They embarked there on a steamer for Chicago, but were unable to make that port on account of stormy weather. Accordingly, they landed at Fairport, and proceeded from there overland to Steubenville, in Jefferson Co., Ohio, where they again embarked on a steamer on the Ohio River, and made their way to Rock Island. They passed a week there, and came thence to Henry County. They made their first stop in the township of Colona, where they passed the first year with a man named Brandenburg. The senior Pad- delford had come to Henry County in 1836, one year before he brought his family, and had bought 160 acres of land on sections 32 and 33 in the township then designated as 18, in range 2. He built a house of the primitive pattern common in those days, and situated on section 32. The cabin was covered with clapboards, and the lumber of which the doors and floor were made, was made with a " whip-saw." Of this the family took possession, and were its occu- pants for several years. Mr. Paddelford, of this sketch, some years after became the possessor of 80 acres of land on section 4, on which a frame house was standing, and into this the family moved. There the parents resided until their deaths. The mother died Feb. 14, 1881, in the gist year of her age. She was born in Laconia, N. H. The father of Mr. Pad- delford died Dec. 10, 1858. Mr. Paddelford was the constant companion of his parents, while their lives lasted, after his birth. He was sent to school in the town of his nativity, and was a bright scholar. After the removal of the family to Illinois, he was an attendant at the schools of Henry County. He was sent to those of Andover and Colona. " Later he attended a winter term at Moline. On settling to a career in life, he chose that of farming, to which he has devoted himself without intermission. He is at present the most extensive agriculturist in the township in which he is a resident. His farm con- tains 532 acres of land, and he is largely interested in the raising of fine stock. His specialty is the Short-horn breed.
Mr. Paddelford has been prominent in official life, and has served in many important positions. He has filled the office of Supervisor ten terms, and
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has also acted in the capacity of Assessor, Clerk and Collector. In the fall of 1884 he was elected as Representative to the 34th Assembly of the State of Illinois, as a Democrat, receiving 13,912 votes.
During the ensuing session, in which he served, he was a member of the committees on Mines and Min- ing, Roads and Bridges, Banks and Banking, and Drainage.
Sept. 17, 1857, he was married to Rachel Hanna. Their children are named Mary C., Henry W., Fred L., Allie H. and Frank H. Mrs. Paddelford is the daughter of John P. and Nancy (Dockrey) Hanna. Her parents were early settlers in Henry County.
ohn L. Combs, a citizen of Geneseo, resi- dent on section 29, has been in Henry County since 1868. He was born in Win- chester, Cheshire Co., N. H., July 22, 1844, and is the son of Calvin and Delia (Taylor) Combs. He was reared in the town where he was born and was taught to make brooms, as it was the custom to instruct boys in the details of a trade. In the second year of the war he went to Massachu- setts to enter the military service of his country. He enlisted in July, 1862, at Winchendon, in Co. D, 36th Mass. Vol. Inf. After a service of two years and two months he received an honorable discharge for disability and returned to New Hampshire. He again gave his attention to the manufacture of brooms in the town where he learned the business, and in Ringe, N. H., going thence to Dedham, Mass. He remained there until the year in which he came to Illinois. On coming to this State he located in- Henry County and rented a farm in the township of Geneseo. He Operated in that capacity two years, and at the end of that time took possession of the place of which he is and has since been the owner. He gave his attention exclusively to farming until 1882, when he erected a shop for the manufacture of brooms and has since been engaged in the prosecu- tion of the two callings. He finds ready market for the sale of his wares in the county.
His union in marriage to Marinda Breed took place in 1865, and they are the parents of six children : George C., born Nov. 10, 1866; Frederick B., Oct. 15, 1868; Arthur L., Aug. 25, 1870; Charles A.,
March 28, 1872 ; Ella M., Oct. 26, 1876, and James F., Dec. 2, 1879.
Mrs. Combs is the daughter of Joseph B. and Mary (Wilson) Breed, and she was born in the town of Ringe, N. H., Oct. 10, 1836.
eorge Holzinger, of the township of York- ....... town, has been a resident of the State of Illinois since he came to America from his native country in 1852. He has been a citi- zen of Henry County since the year in which he attained his majority. At that time he be- came the possessor of the property left him by his mother, who died in his infancy. .
He was born in Baden, Germany, Feb. 24, 1833, and is the son of John G. and Mary Holzinger, both of whom were natives of Baden. The senior Holzin- ger formed a second matrimonial connection soon after the decease of his son's mother, and when the latter was 19 years of age the family came to the United States. They came on a sailing vessel, and the trip consumed 44 days. They came to this State, locating in Du Page County, where the father rented land and engaged in farming.
Mr. Holzinger was sent to school in his native country, in compliance with the law which provides that all children be placed at school at the age of six years and be kept there until 14, which was in his case fulfilled. After coming to Du Page County he was also sent to an English school, and acquired an excellent education. In 1854 he bought a tract of land on section 20 in the township where he has since been engaged in the pursuit of his agricultural interests. It was wholly untilled and in a wild con- dition without fences. It is now in a state that ranks fairly with the surrounding farms. The build- ings are of the class commonly constructed on farms in the country, and are in every way suited to the purpose for which they were designed.
Mr. Holzinger has been much interested in the progress of educational matters in his township, and has served several terms in the various school of- fices. He has also filled other local positions.
He was joined in marriage to Elizabeth Lehman, Feb. 21, 1860. She was born in the township of Loraine, and is the daughter of Lawrence and Eliza-
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beth Lehman, who were pioneers of Henry County. The children of the Holzinger household are eight in number. Their names are William H., Anna M., Ella M., Daniel J., Emma C., Freddie C., George A. and Harvey E.
Mr. and Mrs. Holzinger are members of the Evan- gelical Association. Two of the ancestors of the former were engaged in the Thirty-Years War between the Catholics and Protestants, holding prominent positions as officers in the cause of the Protestants.
ohn E. Shere, of Yorktown Township, was born in Devonshire, England. He is a resident on section 13, and is engaged in the vocation of a market gardener, and is also raising small fruits. His birth occurred Sept. 20, 1810. His father died when he was six years old, and he was afterwards brought up by his mother. He was the only child, and was wholly orphaned by the death of his surviving parent when he was 16. He was then apprenticed to learn the business in which he is now engaged, and also ac- quired a practical knowledge of the vocation of nurs-
eryman and florist. He served five years in the shire in which he was born, and went then to Lon- don. He was there employed in the National Gar- dens until 1832, when he came to the United States. He made his way, soon after reaching his port of landing, to the city of Albany, and entered the ser- vice of Buell & Wilson, the celebrated nurserymen, one of whom is inseparably connected with the his- tory of small fruits in this country. In his honor the " Wilson " strawberry, which at that time led the list in America, was named. Mr. Shere remained 1 with them one season, and at its close he went to Albion, in Orleans Co., N. Y., and commenced to do business in the line of drayman. He bought the necessary equipments, consisting of horses and the variety of vehicles employed in that avenue of busi- ness, and conducted extensive relations in the public interests. He also erected ice-houses and supplied the city with ice. He remained there in the same occupation until 1854, when he came to Henry County. On his arrival here he entered a claim of Government land on section 13, in the township in
which he has since lived. He built a frame house and entered upon the work of improvement, as the land was entirely in its natural condition. He passed some years in the employments common to general farming, and combined with them a few experiments in the way of gardening. He raised very fine melons, for which he found a market at Princeton, 30 miles distant. As the growth of civilization in- creased and towns sprang up near at hand, he in- creased his gardening relations, and for some years went to Sterling with his products. He is now ex- tensively interested in the cultivation of all kinds of small fruits common to this section of country and in vegetables. He has made a complete success of the enterprise.
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