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 72
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David T. Dickey and Miss Eliza E. Peterson were united in the holy bonds of matrimony in Fulton County, this State, on the 4th day of April, 186 1. Mrs. Dickey was born in Crawford Co., Pa., Sept. 18, 1836. Her father died in Pennsylvania in the year 1845, and three years later Mrs. Dickey came to Fulton County, this State, and located near Can- ton, where she remained until her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Dickey have become the parents of three children, two of whom survive, as follows : Arthur J., born Sept. 23, 1863 ; Gracy L., born Sept. 4, 1866 ; and Allie A., born Jan. 20, 1862, died March 12, same year.
Mr. and Mrs. Dickey are members of the Free Baptist Church, and in his political affiliations Mr. D. is a Republican.
iram F. Humphrey. Among those who
very early in the history of Henry County came here to make their homes, is the sub- ject of the following biographical sketch. He resides on section 23 of Annawan Township, where he has 340 acres of excellent farming land, and a well improved and equipped farm. He came to Illinois as early as 1849, and located at Elmwood, Peoria County. Here he worked by the month for a year and a half, when the advantages that Annawan Township afforded for a young man were made known to him. He soon found his way here and began breaking prairie. In 1855 he bought 100 acres of land in this township, to which he has
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since added at different times until now he has a splendid farm of 340 acres.
Mr. Humphrey was born in Ashtabula Co., Ohio, Dec. 18, 1825. When but a small lad his parents moved into Michigan, where they resided for five years. They then moved into Indiana, where Hi- ram E. spent the next five years of his life. As might be expected, the advantages thus offered him for an education were very limited. Shortly after his arrival in Henry County, or rather after the purchase of his farm, he was married to Miss Martha Becker, by Elder McDermott, of the Baptist Church. This important event in his life occurred Sept, 21, 1856. The lady who had thus signified her desire to join with him in the ups and downs of life, was born May 5, 1835, in Norfolk Co., Ontario, Canada. Five years previously she had accompanied her parents to the United States. Five children have blessed this mar- riage, and these have been given the following names in the order of their birth : John A., Minnie E., Franklin G., Jennie M. and Charles A.
Mr. Humphrey devotes considerable attention to his Short-horn cattle, and Norman and Clydesdale and English Draft horses. He has a well-improved farm, upon which he has erected a two-story dwell- ing, 45 x 60 feet in size, has two good barns, put down about 500 rods of tile drain, and has some five miles of hedge fence on the farm. He is an esteem- ed and respected citizen of the community, and has served his people in several official positions.
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enry Stickney. Among the prominent and influential pioneers of Henry County, was Mr. Henry Stickney, who arrived here in April, 1862, and for the years he lived perhaps was one of the most highly esteemed men of his neighborhood. He was born in Grafton Co., Vt., June 29, 1807. He was educated and reared there, and on June 20, 1837, was married to Miss N. A. Wood. This esteemed lady was also of New England birth, having been born in Rindge, N. H., Feb. 22, 1810. A few years after his marriage, Mr. Stickney, hearing such glowing accounts of the fertility of the Valley of the Mississippi, determined to come Westward and seek a location. He found a suitable place in the southwestern part of Henry County, where he became one of the leading spirits
in moulding the affairs of that section. He was not only one of the early settlers of Henry County, but a man who was universally respected for his habits of industry and economy. He was a self-made man in every particular, starting in life with a limited education and without means. By his own efforts, however, he was able to leave an estate valued at over $50,000. He died Nov. 16, 1866, and his loss was keenly felt by the community. William C. and Alfred Stickney, both prominent citizens of Clover Township, are his sons. A sketch of each is given in this volume.
Prominent among that already large and rapidly increasing number of sturdy old pioneers who have been laid at rest from the trials and tribulations of life, is Mr. Henry Stickney, and as such is eminently worthy to be represented in the portrait gallery as given in this volume. We give his portrait in con- nection with this sketch.
onathan Shaw, of the township of Anna- wan, is one of the prominent agriculturists of Henry County. He is the proprietor of 530 acres of land located on section 21. The estate is in excellent farming condition and supplied with all necessary and modern fix- tures for the best type of mixed husbandry. Mr. Shaw has served in several official positions, among which are Supervisor and School Trustee. He has been prominent in the Masonic Order since 1870.
He was born in Wayne Co., Ind., May 12, 1824. His father, Benjamin Shaw, was born in Pennsyl- vania in 1799, and married Elsie Moore in 1820. She was a native of Tennessee, where she was born in 1804. They became the parents of nine children, whose births occurred as follows: Maria, March 12, 1821 ; Amanda, Aug. 18, 1822; Jonathan, May 12, 1824; Phebe, April 24, 1826; Milton, March 29, 1828; John, born in 1830, died when he was two years old; Lewis, March 16, 1832; Nathan, Aug. I, 1834; Eliza J., Sept. 27, 1837. The father died April 17, 1849; his wife's decease took place in 1873. They were members of the Methodist Epis- copal Church and they passed their lives in con- sistent conformity with their religious professions.
Mr. Shaw passed the first 24 years of his life on
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the farm of his father, and was occupied generally after the manner of farmers' sons in labor on the homestead and in early attendance at the common school. In 1845 he attended the University at La Porte, Ind. April 3, 1849, he was·married to Eliza- beth E. Everts. She was born at Athens, Ohio. The children who have been added to the household of Mr. and Mrs. Shaw were born as follows: Emer E., March 24, 1851 (see sketch); Hattie E., Aug. 9, 1853 ; Ruth Ella, April, 1856 (died Aug. 3, 1858); Alvin A., July 16, 1859; Wellington J., Aug. 2, 1861; Wheelock B., March 18, 1863; Achsah May, May 14, 1866; Herman, Oct. 24, 1868 (died Dec. 13 of the same year).
Wheelock Everts, the father of Mrs. Shaw, was born Nov. 17, 1785, in Rutland, Vt. He was mar- ried in 1820 to Miss Ruth Brown, who was a native of Pennsylvania and was born Feb. 16, 1792. Fol- lowing are the names and dates of birth of their children: Achsah A., March 17, 1821; Josephus B., Dec. 14, 1823; Alvin, Jan. 12, 1825 ; Elizabeth E., June 26, 1827 ; Gustavus A., April 9, 1830; James M., Oct. 30, 1832. Mr. Everts died from ac- cident, Feb. 16, 1836. His wife's demise took place March 15, 1870.
eorge H. Schrader is one of the enterpris- ing farmers of Edford Township and is extensively engaged in general farming and in raising stock. He was born in Olden- burg, Germany, Oct. 19, 1834. His parents, John and Catherine (Wicker) Schrader, were natives of the same part of Germany.
The experiences of Mr. Schrader in his youth in his native country were of the same character of those of other children in the class to which he be- longed by birth, and he attended school there as the law required. When about 17 years of age he made his way to a seaport to embark for the United States. He set out on a sail vessel and after a passage of 42 days he landed at the port of New Orleans, June 1, 1852. He came thence immediately to Rock Island County and engaged in farming in the township of Hampton. When he landed at Hampton, he had $12.50 in money in his possession. During the first summer he received $7 per month for his labor, and
in the winter that succeeded he attended school, do- ing chores for his board. He operated as an assist- ant on a farm until 1859, when he bought a tract of land in Hampton Township. He resided on the place four years, and in 1863 he came to Edford Township. One year subsequent he passed in the capacity of a renter. In 1864 he bought 80 acres of land on section 15, and the place has since been his home and field of operation. He is now the owner of 240 acres of land, all of which is in a fine state of improvement. He is engaged largely in the duties of a general farmer and also of raising fine grades of stock.
Mr. Schrader was married in 1859 to Wilhelmina Weigand, a native of Prussia. They have seven children,-Henrietta P., born Oct. 13, 1863; Martha F., Feb. 25, 1866; John H., Feb. 11, 1868; Charles F., June 21, 1870; Minnie L., Oct. 5, 1874 ; Louie A., April 25, 1876; Elmer A., Feb. 12, 1881.
harles Nelson, a farmer on section 14, Munson Township, is a native of Sweden. His parents belonged to the laboring class, and as soon as he was of sufficient age he was placed at work. Since that date he has earned his own livelihood. He was born Sept. 20, 1826, and came to America in 1852. He made the voyage across the ocean in a sailing vessel and landed at Quebec, Canada, after a passage of uncommon length. He came directly from the Do- minion to Henry County, and at once found employ as a farm assistant. He was a faithful and indus- trious workman and had no difficulty in obtaining all the employment he needed. He was able to com- mand good wages, and in 1859 he bought a farm on the section which has been mentioned as the place of his residence. He found himself in the position which he held in his imagination when he came to this country- that of the owner of the soil whereon he expected to expend the labor of his life. He was then the owner of a pair of horses and two cows, and with this outfit he commenced his career as an in- dependent American farmer. His place is all under improvements and fitted with farm buildings and other fixtures of the best kind. His prosperity has enabled him to continue his purchases of land until
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he is the owner of a farm of 200 acres. The place is well stocked.
In the same year in which he settled in life as a farmer on his own account he was married to Miss Hannah Armstrong. She was born March 17, 1831, in Oneida Co., N. Y. The family includes five chil- dren. Justina C. is the wife of George Hutchinson, to whom she was married March 15, 1882. They settled in the township where she was born. Etta V., Mamie M., Willie C. and Freddie J. are the names of the other children. The two oldest daugh- ters have been teachers in the public schools. This is a fact that hardly entered into the father's plans when, in the land of his birth, he saw a possibility of becoming a responsible citizen of a republic.
ohn M. Burns, one of the extensive farmers and stock raisers, residing on section 30, Western Township, and one of the ener- getic and reliable citizens of Henry County, was born in Finley Township, Allegheny Co., Pa., Sept. 9, 1826.
The grandfather of the subject of this notice, Alex. Burns, was a native of Scotland, and of Scotch an- cestry. He was a direct descendant of the famous Scottish bard, Robert Burns, and of about the third generation. He emigrated to the United States, and settled in Allegheny Co., Pa., when he was a young man, and was married there.
After the grandparents were married, the grand- father followed the occupation of a farmer, and during the time the Indians were numerous, were constantly harassed by them, and underwent all the experiences incident to the early settlement of a new country in that county and State. They died in Allegheny Co., Pa., after they had improved a farm from the wild and uncultivated condition which it presented when they first settled on it. Their family owned a whole township of land in that county, the major part of which is yet owned by the offsprings of the original progenitors. The grandfather was a popular Presbyterian, and a prominent citizen of his day and generation. His family was large, consist- ing of some 12 children, of whom Robert, named in honor of the poet, and the father of our subject, was the younger son. He was reared on the farm in Al-
legheny County, and attended the common schools, receiving a fair English education, and was married in the county of his nativity to Miss Jane Marshall, a daughter of John Marshall, who emigrated from Scotland to this country previous to his marriage. He married Jane McBride, who was of American parentage, and he followed the occupation of a farmer in Allegheny County, where both died some years ago. The father of the subject of this notice was born Feb. 1, 1797, and died at his residence March 22, 1874. The mother was born May 10, 1803, and died Jan. 4, 1880. They had met with considerable success in the vocation of their lives, and were prominent and highly respected citizens in the com- munity in which they resided. Their union was blessed with ten children, four sons and six daugh- ters, of whom John M. was the third in order of birth. All the children lived until they attained the age of majority, and eight of the number yet survive.
John M. Burns, subject of this biographical notice, resided at home and assisted his father on the farm, alternating his labors thereon by attendance at the common schools, and continuing to reside with his parents until he developed into manhood. He was united in marriage in Finley Township, Allegheny Co., Pa., Oct. 18, 1849, with Miss Esther Meanor, the only child of Samuel and Mary (Meanor) Meanor, natives of that county and State, of American parentage, and of Scotch descent. Her father was a farmer, and also a carpenter by trade, and lived all his life in that county, and there died Aug. 22, 1875. The mother also died there June 22, 1849. They were both active members of the Presbyterian Church, of which the father was an Elder, and both were highly respected citizens of the community in which they resided.
Mrs. Burns was born in Finley Township, Jan. 29, 1828. The parental instruction which she received, and the religious influence surrounding her early life, were such as to develop in her a remarkable amount of social and religious qualities, and physical mental strength. She remained at home until her marriage, and, being the only daughter, was so in- structed as to be thoroughly prepared for an active life of effort and real good. Their two children, John Sanford and Mary J., were born Nov. 25, 185 1, and Sept. 17, 1855 respectively. The foriner was married in Rural Township, Rock Island Co., Ill.,
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Feb. 20, 1884, to Miss Belle Coffee. She was born and reared in that county, and their only child was born June 30, 1885, and christened Clifford C. They now reside in Rural Township, where they are en- gaged in farming. The young Mr. Burns had a good practical training in commercial matters, and was well fitted for a business career. Mary J. was married Sept. 26, 1883, to Dr. L. L. Long, a skillful physician of Toulon, Stark Co., Ill., where the Doc- tor is having a remarkably successful practice. They are the parents of one child, Bessie E., born Sept. 16, 1884.
Two years after his marriage, on the 2d of Janu- ary, Mr. Burns started for California, via Panama and the water route, and landed at his destination, Gold Hill, June 1, 1852. The trip was made in search of gold, and on the whole was a successful one, although he experienced considerable hardships and exposure. He returned in 1854, arriving home Dec. 8. One year later they came West, and made a purchase of 351 acres of prairie land, which he has made one of the best farms in the county. He now has 560 acres, and one of the most pleasant and de- lightful homes in the county. Mr. and Mrs. Burns are active members of the Presbyterian Church, and politically he is a sound Republican.
Mr. B. takes considerable interest in the relics of the past, and among those he has in his possession are two canes, made out of the logs of the old cabin home in which he was born and eared. It was a rude log cabin, with puncheon floor. The canes are fine specimens of workmanship, one having a large gold head upon it, the other headed with cherry wood, made from the door of the hut.
mer E. Shaw, a farmer in the township of Annawan, resident on section 22, was born March 24, 185 1, in the county of La Porte, Ind. He is the son of Jonathan Shaw, and a full sketch of his parents appears on another page. He passed the first 26 years of his life in the home of his boyhood as was the assistant of his father on the farm. He obtained his education in the common schools, and later was an attendant at the college in Grinnell, Iowa. He went after- wards to the Normal School in the place of the same
name in Illinois, which he attended about one year. He went thence to Little Rock, Ark., and from there six months later down the river on a steamboat trip, returning by land.
He was married to Annie M. Davidson, March 8, 1877. They have three children,-Emer B., born June II, 1878; Clifford, July 10, 1880; and Martha E., April 16, 1885. Mrs. Shaw was born Feb. 22, 1859. Mr. Shaw is engaged in farming and is the owner of about 40 acres of land. The place is well fitted with good and necessary buildings.
ames Ringle, of Munson Township, re- moved to Henry County in 1856. He was born in Westmoreland Co., Pa., April 3, 1837, and is the son of Joseph and Mary A. (Whitesel) Ringle. The personal account of the parents is given on other pages of this work. The maternal grandparents of Mr. Ringle were natives of Holland. His grandfather Ringle was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, and after the war was ended settled in Pennsylvania.
Mr. Ringle passed the years of his youth and mi- nority in the county where he was born, and remained there until he came to Illinois. He was 19 when he set out from his home with four horses and a wagon to make an overland trip to Henry County. He passed 30 days on the road, and spent the first win- ter in the family of the Rev. Mr. Leavenworth. In the following spring the parents followed the son to Henry County. The father bought a farm in what is now the township of Osco, which was situated on section 14. That township was then known as " 16." It was all in its primal condition of unbroken prairie. The senior Ringle was the resident owner of the place seven years, and at the end of that time re- moved to Cambridge.
Mr. Ringle is the oldest son, and he remained with his parents until he became the head of a family of his own. His marriage to Miss Caroline Lamp- rey took place July 22, 1862. Mrs. Ringle is the daughter of Eli and Hannah (Sanborn) Lamprey, and was born in Rockingham Co., N. H. After their marriage they passed a year and a half on the homestead, and in 1864 Mr. Ringle bought 80 acres of land on section 18, in Munson Township. He
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erected farm buildings and was the occupant of the place until 1868, when he sold it and bought 164 acres on section 7, and has since lived on the place. The farm is a valuable one, and supplied with mod- ern fixtures of the most approved style.
Mr. and Mrs. Ringle are members of the Presby- terian Church in Munson.
on. Milton M. Ford, real-estate dealer and formerly a merchant, residing at Galva, was born Jan. 13, 1823, in Milo, Yates Co., N. Y. His grandfather Ford was a native of Connecticut, where he married, spent an active life and died. Of his children, Dyer Ford, the father of our subject, was born at Hampton, Wind- ham Co., Conn., May 8, 1798. He was a school- teacher during his early life, but in 1818 he removed to Western New York, where he became a prominent merchant. He removed from West Dresden, Yates Co., to Pultney, Steuben Co., N. Y., and subsequent- ly moved to Painted Post, and in 1844 he came West and located in McHenry Co., Ill. Some three years later he removed to Galesburg, that his chil- dren might enjoy better educational advantages. In that city he was also engaged in the mercantile bus- iness. In 1856 he removed to Viola, Mercer Coun- ty, where he remained in active mercantile life until 1865, when he returned to Knox County, locating at Oneida, where, on the 30th day of December, 1884, he died at the age of nearly 87 years, standing at the time of his death the representative head of five liv- ing generations. He was twice married, the first time in 1819, to Louisa Morris, who died ten years later. She was the daughter of Stephen Morris and the mother of four children who reached the age of maturity, viz. : Mrs. Esther Miller, deceased, the subject of this sketch, Mrs. Chloe C. Barnett, and James B. Ford, deceased. He was again married in 1831 to Sophia Wollage, of New York. She died at Oneida, Ill., Jan. 5, 1881.
He united with the Presbyterian Church in the State of New York in 1835, and lived an humble, consistent christian life. In his day he was an active business man and a useful and highly respected and honored citizen.
Milton M. Ford, whose name heads this sketch,
was educated principally in the common-schools of the State of his nativity, and attended one winter the Academy at Penn Yan, New York. However, with these limited advantages, he devoted much of his time while engaged at work to reading and studying, until he acquired an excellent general education. During his early life he clerked for his father until the age of 16 years, when his parents went to Paint- ed Post and he to Penn Yan, and there engaged as a clerk for Charles C Sheppard, one of the leading and most successful merchants in the county of Yates. At the age of 23 years he became partner, under the firm name of Sheppard & Ford, Mr. Shep- pard withdrawing from active business, throwing the responsibility and active duties of the establishment upon his partner, the management of which proved successful and satisfactory. In 1851 he visited his father at Galesburg. Ill., and became owner of his first real estate by location of some of the Govern- ment land then subject to entry in Henry County. This being a profitable investment, he again returned to the State in 1856 on an exploring tour and pur- chased on joint account for Mr. Sheppard and him- self a large quantity of land in Lee and Mercer and for himself in Knox and Henry Counties. In 1858 he sold out his mercantile interests in New York, and in 1860 removed with his family to Galva, that he might be near his lands, and again entered into active mercantile business, to which he added the lending of money, and has successfully handled large amounts of Eastern capital as investnient for others. Since that time he has resided there, and has always been identified with the business interest and whatever contributed most to the strength, pros- perity and upbuilding of the town and her citizens. When a lad and clerk in New York, he studied law and was admitted to the Bar in Illinois in 1868, but has never made the practice of this profession a bus- iness, using it only as a means to assist him in con- ducting his real-estate enterprises. Mr. Ford, since his residence in this county, has taken an active part in political matters and has had conferred upon him by the citizens of his county and his party political honors and offices. For years he was Chairman of the Republican Congressional Committee, and has been otherwise instrumental in serving the party whose cause he advocates. In 1864 he was elected to the Legislature from the 46th District. He was Chairman and member of important committees. In
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1878 he was again elected to the General Assembly, this time to represent the 2 1st Senatorial District, and during the session served as Chairman of the Com- mittee on Finance and a member of the Committees on the Judicial Department, Revenue Appropriations, Insurance, State Charitable Institutions, Miscellany and on Congressional and Senatorial Appointments. During this session he took an active part in further- ing the interests of the temperance petition presented to the Senate by the members of the W. C. T. U.
Mr. Ford was married at Bath, N. Y., Jan. 13, 1846, to Miss Laura Spencer, a native of Columbia Co., N. Y. She is the mother of three children, who have reached maturity, namely : Florence, now the wife of Dr. B. S. Peck, of Strausburg, Neb. ; Dyer Ford resides at the same place and is engaged in the mercantile business with Dr. Peck. He married Mary E. Mitchell, daughter of Col. A. L. Mitchell, of Davenport, Iowa. Jennie S., their youngest child, now resides at home. Mr. and Mrs. Ford and all their children are members of the Congregational Church, of which Mr. Ford has been a Trustee ever since he came to Galva. He is an active, enter- prising man, and takes a deep interest in everything pertaining to the general welfare.
8 rittan Hadley, a resident of Cambridge, is the acting cashier and book-keeper in the First National Bank in the place where he has been a citizen since 1878. He was born Feb. 4, 1856, in Geneseo, Ill., and he is the son of Jeremiah and Martha (Poppleton) Hadley, who were natives of Lincolnshire, England. They came to this country in their early lives, and were married in the State of New York. After their union in the bonds of matrimony they settled in the vicinity of Lockport, N. Y., where the senior Hadley was a farmer. They removed to Henry County and settled finally in Munson Township, where they are still residing. A sketch of their lives will be found elsewhere in this volume. They are the parents of five children, born in the following order: John W., Brittan, Mrs. Emma E. Call, Franklin J. and Lester G. John W. married Alice Woodward, of Osco Township, and now resides in Jasper Co., Iowa. She is the daughter of Luman Woodward (see sketch), of the township of Osco, in Henry County.
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