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 66
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8 enjamin Records, residing on section 36, Osco Township, where he follows the vo- cation of a farmer, is the owner of 240 acres of land, located on sections 25 and 36 of that township. The parents of Mr. Rec- ords were natives of the State of Pennsyl- vania and were by name Philip and Sarah (Hill) Records. The father died in his native State and the mother still survives. Benjamin was the oldest in order of birth of a family of five children. He was born in Crawford Co., Pa., June 10, 1829. His education was acquired in the common schools and he resided on the parental homestead, assisting in the labors on the farm, until he attained the age of 23 years.
On attaining the age above mentioned, Mr. Rec
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ords was employed for about two years in the lum- ber woods, after which he purchased a farm in Crawford County, on which he located and cultivated until the fall of 1863. At that time he came to Mercer County, this State, and there he resided for one and a half years, when he removed to Knox County, and in the spring of 1866 came to this county. On arriving here, he purchased 80 acres of land in Burns Township, on which he resided until the spring of 1875, when he made another move, lo- cating in Osco Township, where he purchased 280 acres of land on sections 25 and 36. He settled with his family on section 36 and has continued to reside thereon up to the present writing, 1885. He subsequently disposed of 40 acres of his original purchase, and at present is the owner of 240 acres in the county, all of which is tillable and in a first- class farming condition.
The marriage of Mr. Records took place in Ve- nango Co., Pa., Oct. 15, 1855, and the lady selected to become his wife was Miss Sarah A. Deets, a na- tive of the county in which they were married, where she was born April 7, 1834. Her parents were Jo- seph and Sarah (Cousins) Deets.
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Records are as follows : Andrew J., Ella J., Benjamin S., Frank S., Emery and Florence (deceased). Mr. Records has held the position of School Director and Over- seer of Highways in his township, and, politically, casts his vote with the Republican party. He and his wife are devoted adherents to the tenets of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
ndrew G. Anderson, owning 250 acres of land, located on section 17, Osco Town- ship, was born in Sweden, April 3, 1839. Mr. Anderson lived in his native country until he attained the age of 12 years, when he was brought by his parents to the United States. He continued to reside with his parents until two years after obtaining his majority, when he left the parental homestead, and set forth to do for himself in life. Soon thereafter. he purchased a farm in company with C. J. Hoflund. Not long afterward they divided their land, and Mr. Anderson traded his portion for the farm on which he at present re- sides. His farm comprises, as stated, 250 acres of
good tillable land, and he has erected thereon a fine frame residence, together with good substantial out- buildings, and improved his place until it presents an appearance second to none in the township.
Mr. Anderson was married in Andover Township, March 12, 1869, to Mary Ellen Johnson, who was born in that township, Nov. 1, 1850. Her parents were natives of Sweden. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have become the parents of seven children, whose names are : Vernie E., Frank H., Mabel E., Andrew H., Hannah C., George L. and Nora C. The latter died June 20, 1885, while in her 5th year. Mr. and Mrs. A. are faithful adherents to the tenets of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically, Mr. An- derson affiliates with the Republican party. He has held the position of School Director in his township, and is noted for the push and energy he displays in the management of his farm.
ohn H. Smith, a substantial citizen of Geneseo Township, is one of the foremost of the self-inade men of Henry County. He is a pioneer of the township of Edford of 1851, and was a resident of that section of the county until 1864, when he came to the place where he has since resided.
He was born in Prussia Nov. 15, 1820. From the age of seven until he was 14 he was in the schools of his native town, according to the laws of that country, which controls the minority period of all male children. From the age of nine he was in the habit of rising at four o'clock in the morning for the purpose of herding cattle until the hour of school. At noon he resumed the care of the herds and took charge of them until dark, receiving for the service 72 cents a month. When he was 14 he hired out on a farm for the stipulated sum of $16 per year, and a year later he was paid $18 for the same amount of labor. Meanwhile one of his brothers had come to the United States, and when he reached the age of 20 years John received $50 from him to pay his fare to this country. He sailed from one of the German ports and landed in the city of Baltimore after a sea voyage of seven weeks. On his arrival he found he had $7.50 remaining of the amount with which he set out. He went at first to Cumberland, Md., and
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from there to Somerset Co., Pa., where he was em- ployed as a farm assistant at $5 per month. He worked eight months at that rate and then obtained a situation where he received a remuneration of $84 a year. The first money he earned he used to reim- burse his brother in order to start fair in the New World. After that he lived frugally and saved his earnings to lay the foundations of the competency which he now enjoys. It may be remarked in passing that they who come to America in hope and courage, and manfully place their shoulders to the wheel of work and progress, such as the customs of the land afford opportunity for doing, rarely fail to reap the reward of industry and honorable effort. Mr. Smith remained on a farm three years and then passed two years in Cumberland in the capacity of a hostler connected with a hotel. He then purchased a team of six horses and engaged in the transportation business, carrying goods from Cumberland to the towns of the interior. Four years later his business was brought to a termination by the advent of the railroad.
In company with his brother William he then came to Illinois. They traveled to Alton by the river route, which was then the medium of the travel to the West. From Alton they came on foot to Henry County. They bought 320 acres in the township which is now called Edford, but which then was un- organized. The tract referred to was all prairie and and they purchased 80 acres additional, which was covered with trees. After completing their purchase they returned to Cumberland for their families. In the spring of the next year they took possession of their land in Henry County. They made their sec- ond trip to Illinois by the same route as at first, with the exception of landing at Rock Island. There they bought a wagon and a pair of horses and came to their location in township 18. The brothers worked their estate in company until 1853, when they divided, each taking 160 acres of prairie and 40 acres of timber. Mr. Smith built a house for his family on the prairie portion of his property on sec- tion 32, and proceeded to put the entire place in good agricultural condition. He also planted trees and was the owner and occupant of the place until 1864, when he came to section 16, in the township of Geneseo. His first purchase included 165 acres of land in the immediate vicinity of the city of Gene- seo, and he has prospered until he is at present the
proprietary owner of 700 acres of land situated on sections 9 and 16, located in a solid body. The property on section 16 has a good outfit of frame buildings and the second farm, on section 9, is sup- plied with a brick house and frame barn. The business of Mr. Smith is a stock and grain farmer.
He was married in November, 1849, to Ann Meese, in Somerset Co., Pa. They have four chil- dren. Elizabeth is the wife of Aaron Ott, and they live in Kansas. Nancy married Peter Drum, a resi- dent of Geneseo. Mary E. and John H. are the two younger. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the Evangelical Church.
H. Swain. The current year-1885- completes three decades in which the gentleman whose name appears at the R= beginning of this sketch has been a resident of Henry County. He has devoted his time and attention to the development of his agricul- tural interests and is the proprietor of a good farm on section 23, in the township of Munson. No im- provements had been made on the place previous to its becoming his property, and as soon as he became the owner he erected a small frame house for a residence. The frame house which now adds to the value and appearance of the place is a commodious structure, well adapted to the purpose for which it is designed, and the remainder of the buildings on the farm are of a corresponding character. The place is also supplied with trees of different varieties ..
Mr. Swain was born at Brentwood, Rockingham Co., N. H., Oct 18, 1821, and is the son of Stephen and Hannah (Davis) Swain. The son was reared on the home farm and trained in a knowledge of the business of a farmer. He received his education in the public schools. At the age of 22 he went to Boston, Mass., to learn the trade of a carpenter, and he operated there five years. He went thence to Lawrence and continued to reside there until his removal to Illinois in the year stated as that in which . he came to Henry County.
Mr. Swain.was joined in marriage with Susan M. Simonton, Oct. 18, 1846. She is a native of the province of New Brunswick and was brought up in Portland, Me. They have eight surviving children :
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George lives in Cass Co., Iowa. Annie M. is the wife of Eliphalet Chichester, of Shelby Co., Iowa. Benjamin R. is a citizen of Hamilton Co., Iowa. Edith married Roderick Ayres, and they live in Marion Co., Iowa. Alfred and Lizzie live at home. The latter is a prominent and popular teacher. Cora is the wife of Willard Pettye, and they are residents of Harlan Co., Neb. Lester is the youngest and lives at home. The mother was born Oct. 22, 1823. The family are members of the Baptist Church.
lonzo Morgan is a pioneer of Henry Coun- ty and also of Munson Township, where he settled in 1853. His farm is situated on section 29, and he is considered one of the representative agriculturists of this part of the county. He was born at Alexander Bay, in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., on a farm located on the banks of the river of the same name. His birth oc- curred March 31, 1824. His father, Pliny W. Mor- gan, was a native of the same State and was de- scended from Connecticut parentage. The latter was born in Oneida Co., N. Y., in 1802. His family were among the pioneers of that county. He married Hannah Porter in 1822. She was born in Connecti- cut. They were residents of St. Lawrence County, where they went soon after their marriage, but a short time, and then went to Steuben Township, in the county of Oneida. The elder Morgan was a shoe- maker and removed his family to those places in which he was able to obtain patronage in his busi- ness, as the customs of those days and that period differed greatly from the present. In 1840 he bought a farm in Oneida County and was occupied in the pursuit of agriculture thereon until the date of his removal to Henry County. The first land of which he was the owner was located on section 34, and he retained his claim upon it until 1858, when he sold it and removed to the township of Cornwall. There he bought 80 acres of uncultivated land on section 16, where he proceeded to improve a farm, and erected -a good set of necessary farm buildings. This continued in his possession until 1867. When he sold the place he removed to the city of Geneseo and established his residence, which he maintained there until 1881, when he went to Davenport. In the year 1883 he died, in that city. He was twice married.
The issue of the first marriage was four children. All but one, the subject of this biographical narra- tion, died in infancy. The first wife died Feb. 26, 1828. The second wife before her marriage was Miss Ruey Hamilton. They had two children. Al- bert W. lives at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Herbert J. is a citizen of Chicago.
Mr. Morgan, of this sketch, was but four years old when he lost his mother, and as soon as he was old enough he took into his own hands the question of sustaining himself. He worked as a farm assist- ant in Oneida County, and at first was able to com- mand but $6 per month. However, that was a difficulty that was substantially remedied by the lapse of time, and as he was able to increase his usefulness his wages increased in proportion.
In 1844 he became a married man. His union with Martha P. Tuttle occurred on the 4th day of Au- gust, in the year named. Mrs. Morgan is the daugh- ter of Orris and Amy (Smith) Tuttle. Her parents were both born in Camden, N. Y. Her grandparents in both lines of descent were natives of the State of Connecticut. Her father was the first white male child born in Camden. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan set- tled, after their union in the bonds of matrimony, in Onondaga Co., N. Y., where they occupied a rented farm four years. In 1848 they came to Illinois. They made the journey thither by canal to Buffalo, and from there by the lakes to Chicago. From there they took passage on the Illinois Canal to LaSalle, whence they went on the river of the same name to Peoria.
They bought a farm in the township of Tri- voli in Peoria County, after they had been there two years, during which time Mr. Morgan was operating as an agriculturist. The purchase included but 40 acres, and it was of the quality of land known there as hazel-brush land. He built a frame house on it, 16 x 18 feet in dimensions, " grubbed " a few acres, and occupied the place until 1853. In 1852 he came to Henry County and entered 80 acres of land situa- ted on the east half of the southeast quarter of sec- tion 29, in the township where he is at present a resident. After making his claim he returned to Peoria County and remained until the fall of the next year, when he took possession of his property in Henry County. He had employed assistance to break a few acres in the previous summer and to build a house, of which the family took possession on
John Lyle
Esther D. Tyle
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HENRY COUNTY.
their removal hither. In the spring of 1854 Mr. Morgan entered into the work of putting the place under the best grade of cultivation. The stock he owned at that time consisted of a pair of horses, a cow and calf and one hog. At first he interested himself in the work of raising grain. For some years past he has given his attention to stock-raising. He has made further purchases of land and is now the owner of 270 acres, which is all enclosed and is either under improvement or is in pasture He keeps an average of 40 head of cattle, six or eight horses and a drove of hogs.
Adelbert L., the oldest child of Mr. and Mrs. Morgan, lives in the city of Chicago. Edgar W. removed to Colorado. Amanda A. is the wife of Edward C. Sayre, of Munson Township.
ohn Lyle, of Kewanee, was born at or near Paisley, in Scotland, July 29, 1806, and was brought by his mother to America in 1816. His father, William Lyle, inherited a small estate at Alexandria, Va., and in the year of 1810 left his family in the old country for the express purpose of realizing upon it and returning to Scotland; but when once in the United States he found the country and the people so congenial that he decided to remain. So, when his family arrived they found him at Alexandria, where, instead of hav- ing prepared for them a honie, his generosity had gotten the better of his judgment, and his appetite for strong drink had caused him to waste the sub- stance of his inheritance. Thus they were in a strange land without money. After probably two years' stay at Alexandria, they removed to Caledonia Co., Vt., where the senior Mr. Lyle died, in 1834, at the age of 66 years.
In 1836 the subject of this sketch came into Stark County and entered a tract of land in Elmira Town- ship, and the following year his mother and two of his brothers removed from Vermont, and the little family was once more united. The old lady lived to be 95 years of age, and died at the home of her son Thomas, who was the youngest of the family. (See biography of Thomas Lyle.) John Lyle received a limited education at the subscription schools, and when 17 years of age bought his time from his father,
paying him therefor, as soon as he could earn it, the sum of $75. After striking out for himself his first employment was as a charcoal burner at Chester- field, N. Y., where he worked for four years, and, as he says, sowed his " wild oats." He was 30 years of age when he came into Illinois, and for the succeed- ing ten years a fair estimate places his labor upon the farm at not less than 18 hours out of every 24. His inheritance consisted in an iron constitution and a physique capable of extraordinary endurance. From the age of 12 years up to nearly four score he labored like a hireling, and a success of his efforts will only partially appear in his history. How many farms he purchased and improved is forgotten even by himself, though his mind and memory are as bright at this writing (July, 1885) as if he were but 40 years. Within the past ten years over $75,000 of his well earned money has been wiped out by bank- rupts, and it is related that in one single instance he canceled a mortgage claim of $56,000 in exchange for a two-year-old stallion, worth probably less than $1,500. His files contain stacks of outlawed notes and mortgages, and the aggregate value of such pa- per yet in force is unknown to himself. To his three grandchildren, who since the death of his son con- stitute his only heirs, he has given in money and other property not less than $120,000, and yet the suni of his possessions, for one who has made his money as he has, is quite large. He has not made his money as a gambler in margins, nor as a stock jobber or Government contractor, nor indeed at the expense of his less fortunate neighbors, but as a quiet, unostentatious farmer, a laborer, by the buy- ing of unimproved lands and converting them into improved property and fine farms, and disposing of them at their legitimately appreciated value ; by these and similar methods his money has been made, and his residuary possessions we say are remarkable.
On the 24th day of May, 1864, he enlisted as a patriot soldier in Co. K, 134th Ill. Vol. Inf., and served until the expiration of his term, Oct. 25 of the same year. When the company arrived in Chi- cago, examinations preliminary to being mustered into service disclosed the fact of his age, and his en- rollment was peremptorily refused. This was a sad disappointment to him, and he returned to Ke- wanee. Here he visited a barber shop and had his gray hairs blackened, and returned with some new recruits to Chicago. Not even his old comrades
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HENRY COUNTY.
recognized him. Concealing his real age from the officer, that matter was no longer in the way; but he had another difficulty to overcome. When a young man and while engaged upon the construction of a house in Vermont, a brother workman accidentally thrust the blade of an ax obliquely through his left hand; this permanently disabled that member. In order to conceal another fact that would undoubtedly debar enrollment upon his second application, Mr. Lyle held the wounded hand behind him while the examining surgeon thumped his chest and held his ear to his heart, and went through the various ma- neuvers usual in such cases, and when the officer passed to an examination of the volunteer's " rear elevation " the wounded hand was immediately passed to the front and the good right hand took its place in the rear! Thus, one hand was examined twice, the recruit was accepted, and at once took his march to the front. While in the army he did his full share of duty, both as a soldier and a forager ; in fact, it is claimed that he could scent a chicken roost farther than any other man in the company, and that his " mess " never suffered from a lack of variety of the delicacies of the season.
In the summer of 1863 Mr. Lyle, loaded with all sorts of keepsakes and kindly remembrances, visited the " boys " at Vicksburg, and by permission of the commanding officer accompanied the army six weeks upon the Meridian campaign. It was probably upon that occasion that his extraordinary ability as a " forager " first displayed itself. It is said that upon one occasion he had so many chickens strung upon an old musket that they weighed him down, and he decided to reconñoiter for a beast of burden. Learn- ing that there were a couple of mules upon a certain plantation in the neighborhood, he proceeded to pay his respects to the barn in which they were confined, with a view to "borrowing " one of them for a few days! As he neared the barn-yard the planter came out of the stable leading the two animals to water. That settled it. He knew at once that neither of those mules was for "loan," and he retraced his steps to camp. Relating his experience to the " boys," one of them volunteered to bring in a quad- ruped of some sort upon short notice. The terms were accepted, and when the army moved again the " boss forager " was mounted.
Years after the war was over, a Baptist minister from Mississippi visited Kewanee upon his errands
of mercy, and while here and in company with Mr. Lyle related how that, in the summer of 1863, the Union army had depleted his hen roosts, gleaned his fields and his gardens, stripped his fruit-trees and ransacked his pantry, and worst of all a soldier led away the last old mule that had been left him to draw his family to and from church. The mule was minutely described and the picture was complete. The whilom owner of the contraband donkey and the man who rode it away upon the Meridian cam- paign stood face to face !
June 19, 1833, Mr. Lyle was married, in Vermont, to Miss Hester D. Craig, who through all the long years of toil, accompanied often by hardship, has been his faithful companion, sharing alike his pleas- ures and his sorrows. Their only child, George Lyle, was born in October, 1834, and died May 19, I862.
But few men are more deserving a prominent place in the history of this county than Mr. John Lyle. Few, if any, have done more toward its im- provement; have exhibited greater enterprise or led a more energetic life. To his memory, for it is worthy of perpetuation, we place a full-page portrait of Mr. Lyle in this ALBUM, and as a fitting and worthy companion to his we place the portrait of his wife. She has been a co-worker with him in his many labors.
eorge Poppleton, a well known, respected .... and thrifty farmer of Osco Township, his residence being on sectior 24, was born in Lincolnshire, England, August 15, 1831. His parents were William and Mary (Bannister) Poppleton, natives of Lincoln- shire, Eng., and of their family of ten children George," our subject, was the ninth in order of birth.
He lived at home, under the influence of his par- ents, until 1851, meanwhile assisting his father on the farm and attending school winters, but we are sorry to say his school privileges were somewhat limited. In the spring of 1851 he came to America, and lived in Niagara County, N. Y., for three and a half years, learning the carpenter's trade in the meantime, and in 1855 came to Geneseo, Ill., where he worked at his trade for four years. He then pur- chased forty acres in Osco Township, on section 24,
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HENRY COUNTY.
his present homestead, where he settled and has since been a resident. He has built a fine set of buildings upon his farm and is now the owner and possessor of 353 acres of land, all highly cultivated.
Mr. Poppleton was married in Cambridge, Ill., Dec. 31, 1855, to Esther Hall, daughter of John and Jane (Bailey) Hall, natives of Ireland. She was the youngest of a family of eight children, and was born in the North of Ireland, May 8, 1835. Mr. and Mrs. Poppleton are the parents of six children, viz. : Mary J., George B., Britton L., Sherman W., John W., Esther A. George B. was united in marriage Oct. 3, 1881, to Hattie W. Jackson. They have two children,-Ruby and Ray. Mr. P. has held several of the minor offices of the township. In politics he affiliates with the Republican party. Mr. and Mrs. P. are members of the Episcopal Church.
ames Withrow, a farmer of Henry County, was born Feb. 1, 1833, at Shawneetown, Gal- latin Co., Ill., and is the son of Neely and Polly (Eveleth) Withrow, pioneers of the same county, and of whom an account is given on another page of this work. He came to this county with his parents, and underwent the expe- riences of the son of a pioneer in an unsettled coun- try. The educational facilities were of the same primitive fashion as the other surroundings, and the privileges were of the same grade. His life was passed on the farm until the country had need of his services in her defense, and he made three efforts to enroll as a soldier, but in vain, as he was physic- ally disabled, and there was no such thing as escap- ing the vigilant eye of the examining surgeon. He was obliged to be content with the life of a civilian.
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