Portrait and biographical album of Henry County, Illinois : containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, Part 77

Author:
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 850

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 77

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ohn N. Carter, a retired farmer, residing on section 14, Galva Township, was born Jan. 29, 1829, in Ashland Co., Ohio, his pater- nal ancestors being derived from Scotland. His grandfather, Carter, settled in Pennsyl- vania, where he was a farmer, and he finally died in Ohio. His son, William Carter, was born in the latter State, was also a farmer, came to Galva about 1855, and died there, at the age of 74 years. His wife was Margaret Casebeer, who was born in Ohio, and is yet living, aged 85 years. Of her 16

children, the following are living: Daniel, Nancy, Mary A., Leanna, John N., Eliza Jane, Wesley, George, Charles and Clarissa.

Mr. Carter, whose name heads this sketch, was reared until he was 10 years of age in Ashland Co., Ohio; in 1839 he came to Stark Co., Ill., where, after he commenced in life for himself, he purchased 80 acres of land in partnership with his father; he sold this, and afterward bought other land in this county, where he now owns 200 acres of land in Burns Township, and 20 acres on Galva Township, on section 14, where he now resides. He came here in the fall of 1882, to enjoy a life of retirement as the fruits of a well-earned competency, and also to edu- cate his children. In his political views he is a Greenbacker.

The marriage of Mr. Carter took place Jan. 9, 1859, in this county, when for his wife he chose Miss Abby A. Decker, who was born Feb. 27, 1841, in New Jersey, opposite New York city. Her parents were John I. and Abigail (Deckland) Decker, natives also of the State of New Jersey, and of English extrac- tion. Her mother died in this county, but her father is still living in Kansas, aged 70 years.

Mr. and Mrs. Carter have had nine children, eight of whom are living : Alba, John, William, Sher- man, Ella, Ada, George, Paulina and Maud (de- ceased).

Kugh G. Carson, a pioneer of Henry County, and long an active farmer, but now living in retirement at Kewanee, was born in Salt Township, Wayne Co., Ohio, May 22, 1823. His parents, John and Elizabeth (Buckmaster) Carson, natives of Pennsylvania and of Scotch- Irish and English extraction respectively, were mar- ried in Wayne Co., Ohio, where seven of their eight children (four sons and four daughters) were born, the eighth having been born in Henry Co., Ill. At this writing (July, 1885,) three of the sons and one of the daughters are living.

The senior Mr. Carson was in his life-time a farmer, and brought his sons up to that vocation. The family came into Illinois in 1836 and settled on a farm of 160 acres, in Wethersfield Township, about three and one-half miles from where Kewanee now stands. Upon this farm the two old people (though neither of them was very old) spent the re-

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mainder of their lives. Mr. Carson died in 1841, at the age of 43 years, and his widow in 1850, aged 50 years. At the time of his death Mr. C. was filling the offices of Justice of the Peace and County Com- missioner. After his father's death, Hugh G. became the main stay of the family, and to his credit be it said he discharged his duties faithfully. In 1846 he purchased the interests of his brothers and sisters in and to the old homestead, and thereon began life for himself. In 1861 he quit farming and removed to town, but in 1865 returned to the old place and there lived until March, 1881, when he finally re- tired to the village of Kewanee. The Carsons were truly pioneers of this part of Henry County. The Kilvington family, with whom Robert Coltis was living, were the only people in this part of the coun- try at that time, though two or three other families followed later in the fall. The postoffice was at La Fayette, Stark County.

Mr. Carson was married in Burns Township, this county, Dec. 14, 1843, to Miss Emily Ann Doty, daughter of Timothy Doty, deceased, and a native of Ohio. Their children bear the following names : Mary E., John H., who was a soldier in the late war, a member of Co. F., 124th Ill. Vol. Inf., and served three years. He is now running a stock ranch in Nebraska ; Sarah S., widow of William T. Orr; Flor- ence G. died Sept. 10, 1878, and was the wife of Samuel R. Parker; Rosa V. (Mrs. O. W. Smith, of Valparaiso, Ind.); Franklin R., D. D. S., La Porte, Ind .; and Idå N.

In politics, up to 1856, Mr. Carson had been a Democrat, but in that year he assisted in the organi- zation of a Fremont club, and has ever since been a Republican. He is a member of the Congregational Church, a Freemason and a citizen respected by all who know him.

rancis Newton Hammond, of Galva, was born Dec. 22, 1830, in the Western Re- serve, formerly called the "Connecticut Reserve," in Bath Township, Summit Co., Ohio. The progenitors of this family were two Hammond families who came from England. One settled in Virginia in 1605, and two brothers settled in Massachusetts in 1635. The history of

this family is traced back to the 16th century, and a coat of arms is found granted in 1548.

Thomas Hammond came from England in 1636, and settled in Hingham, Mass., where he was one of the pioneers. He had land granted him, and on the 9th of March, 1637, he took the Freemason's oath. In 1640 he removed to Newton, where Elizabeth was born, Sept. 13, and Thomas Sept. 30, 1675. His estate after his death was appraised at £1,139 16s. and 2d. His wife, Elizabeth, was executrix, and four children are named in the will: Sarah, who mar- ried a Mr. Steadman ; Elizabeth, who is now Mrs. George Woodward; Thomas and Nathaniel. To Thomas he gave the homestead and the barn. The following items are in the bill : Nathaniel is to have one-third part of the fruit of the orchard, year by year, until he has an orchard of his own, and the use of the barn until his brother Thomas shall assist him in the erection of one.

The wife of Thomas Hammond, Sr., was Elizabeth Cason, of Lavanham, England. Thomas Ham- mond, Jr., married Elizabeth Steadman, and they are the parents of five children. Of these Isaac, born Oct. 20, 1668, married Ann Hendrick, and their family comprised seven children. Elijah, of this family, was born Oct. 7, 1711, and married Mary Kingsbury, Oct. 31, 1732. Of their union three children were born, Hannah being one of them, and who married Joseph Tucker; Priscilla, who became Mrs. Capt. Jonathan Birge; her husband fell in bat- tle in the War of the Revolution; and Nathaniel, who married Dorothy Tucker, and they became the parents of nine children. The mother then dying, Mr. Nathaniel Hammond formed a second matri- monial alliance, with Eleanor Olmsted, and by the latter union there were seven children born, making a total of 16 children : Jason, born Feb. 1, 1762, at Bolton, Mass., was united in marriage, April 24, 1788, with Rachel Hale, daughter of Theodore Hale, of Glastonbury, Conn. Mr. Jason Hammond's de- mise occurred Sept. 21, 1830, aged 68 years, 7 months, and 25 days. His wife died Nov. 11, 1842, aged 83 years and 11 months, leaving a family of six children. Of these, Horatio was born Oct. 24, 1798, in Bolton, Mass., and chose for the lady who was to share his varied experiences in this checkered life, Miss Louisa Fisk, with whom he was united in mat- rimony, April 14, 1825. They became the parents of II children, namely : Francis N., born Dec. 22,

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1830, and who married Elizabeth A. Morey, now de- ceased ; she was the mother of three children, viz. : Charles N., Sarah, M., wife of F. J. Ayres, and Anna M.

Our subject was married a second time, Nov. 9, 1869, in Galva, Ill., to Caroline M. Ogg, who was born Aug, 1, 1839, in Clermont Co., Ohio, daughter of Joel and Sarah (Kugler) Ogg, natives respectively of Harrisburg, Pa., and Hamilton Co., Ohio. They came to Illinois in the spring of 1856, settling in Knox County, where he died July 12, 1861, aged 62 years. He was a careful and energetic farmer, and a member of the A. F. & A. M. Their family con- sisted of four children.

Mrs. Hammond had a family of three children- Mary Edna, born Nov. 2, 1871, in this county; Roland and Everett, born Feb. 2, 1877. Mr. and Mrs. Hammond are members of the Congregational Church. He was always a Whig during the days of that party, but is now a warm Republican.

Mr. Hanmond was educated in his native coun- try, Ohio, and at Knox College, Galesburg, Ill. In July, 1848, he came here with his parents. He farmed quite extensively in Knox County, handling considerable stock, and came to Galva in Novem- ber, 1870. He has been a grain-buyer, and inter- ested in broout-corn business, shipping all over the United States, and has been very successful, which is attributable to his energy and strict attention to business.

avid Luther, a resident on section 17, in the township of Geneseo, has lived in Henry County since February, 1849. He was born March 1, 1828, in Livingston Co., N. Y., and is the fifth son of Jacob and Louisa Luther. His parents were natives of Germany, and were born in one of the small cities on the River Rhine. They came in very early life to the United States; and after the birth of their son they removed from the State of New York to Penn- sylvania. They were residents of the Keystone State ten years, and in 1838 came thence to Illinois. They arrived in Chicago in the fall, and passed the winter ensuing in that city. In the spring of the next year they went to O'Plain in Lake County,

which is situated 22 miles northwest of Chicago. The father there bought 80 acres of land, on which the family were the first settlers. The tract was en- tirely in its original condition and there the home- stead was established. Mr. Luther lived there with his parents until he was 14, when he went to Chicago to learn the business of a cabinet-maker. After an apprenticeship of three years he went thence to Mil- waukee. He was occupied in the prosecution of his trade there two years. At the end of that time he returned to O'Plain and passed a season on the farm. He went next to Peoria, and in the winter of 1849 came to Henry County. After a visit of a few weeks with the family of Jacob Arnett in Whiteside County, he entered a claim of land in the township of Yorktown, or what is now known by that name. The tract included 200 acres. He erected a cabin of poplar logs, 12 x 15 feet in dimensions. The roof was covered with the variety of shingles called "shakes," which Mr. Luther split himself, and the floor was of puncheon. Mr. Luther arranged for the lighting of his abode by placing three lights of glass -all he had-over the door. Hardly were they in place before a severe hail storm utterly destroyed them. Mr. Luther built a wagon in the same year in which he settled in Yorktown. 'He made the wheels by sawing sections from the ends of logs. The wheels were solid, and the hubs were made in the proper place from the same blocks. As wagon- grease was not plenty, the music of Mr. Luther's vehi- cle came to be a familiar sound to the neighbors for five miles around, as it could be heard that distance! After he had used the wagon several years he sold it for $25. After securing a shelter he entered into the work of improving his land. He placed 80 acres under good cultivation and also enclosed the same. He next bought 40 acres on which there had been a small house erected. He retained his ownership therein until 1857, when he made an exchange for property in Geneseo, and removed his family there. In 1869 he became the owner of the farm on which he is now a resident, by purchase. The estate con- tains 108 acres, and it is all under the best type of improvements. Mr. Luther is also the owner of 62 acres of land in the vicinity of Geneseo, and has some village property. One of the operations of Mr. Luther a short time after coming to the county deserves mention as a pioneer exploit. In 185 1 hẹ set out for Milwaukee, accompanied by his wife

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and one child, who could not be left without the mother's care. They traveled thither with five yoke of oxen and camped on the route. In the Cream City he sold four yokes of the cattle and invested the proceeds in furniture and in the payment for his land at Dixon, where they stopped for the purpose on their way home. Mr. Luther is a man of modest pretensions, and fully merits all that the term " self- made " may mean.

His union in marriage to Caroline Esslinger, took place in Milwaukee, Wis., Feb. 9, 1847. She was a native of Zell, Wurtemberg, Germany, and was born May 3, 1828. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Luther are named William and Abraham. They are the only survivors of 12 children of whom they became the parents. They are both residents of Geneseo. The oldest was born in Greenfield, Wis., Dec. 19, 1848. He married Susan Byers, and they have four children : Pearl, Berenice, Mabel and Floss. Abraham was born at Hoop-pole Grove, in Henry County, Jan. 12, 1851. He married Lydia Mertz. She was born at Downer's Grove, Cook Co., Ill. They have four children : Cora, Sarah, Caroline and Fayette. All the children are daughters.

The Luthers, father and sons, are Republicans of the most radical type.

Mrs. Luther, the mother, died March 28, 1874. She was a woman of consistent Christian character, and her memory is preserved by her husband and sons as their most precious heritage.

She was the daughter of Geo. G. Esslinger. He was a frolicsome youth in his early life, and was in demand at all the merry-makings in his vicinity, as he was an expert fiddler. Later he was converted, traded his fiddle for a pig, and passed his remaining years in the capacity of a preacher in the German Evangelical Church.

ohn Samuelson, who is the owner of 400 acres on sections 25 and 26, Western Township, was born in the central portion of the kingdom of Sweden, on the estate of Esther Galon, Dec. 25, 1835. His father, Samuel, was born in that section of the coun- try, and married Anna Nelson ; and after they had seven children, the parents and four sons came to

America, in 1851. At first they stopped for a while at Buffalo, N. Y., remaining there until the summer of 1852, when all the family came to Illinois. The senior Samuelson entered 80 acres of land in West- ern Township, this county, and the two oldest sons worked by the month to pay for the same. The oldest son is still a resident on it, and holds it in his own name. The family started out to establish a home in this county with no means except their own mental and muscular abilities; and they have, by their industry and economy, honest and high aims of purpose, prospered in a manner characteristic of the Scandinavian people. The father died about 1865, and the mother yet survives. Of the seven children six are still living.

Mr. John Samuelson, the youngest son but one in the above family, was a member of the parental household until he responded to the first call for Union troops to fight the bloody battles of the South. His enlistment dates September, 1861, when he be- came a member of Co. C, 43d Regt. Ill. Vol. Inf., under Col. Wright, of the Army of the Cumberland, and of the Western Army. During his term of service he participated in the battles of Shiloh, April 6 and 7, 1862 ; siege of Corinth, May, 1862; Salem Cemetery, Dec. 19, 1862 ; skirmishes around Somer- ville, Tenn., April and May, 1862; Vicksburg, June and July, 1863; Little Rock, Ark., September, 1863; Prairie Dum, April, 1864 ; Jenkins' Ferry, April 30, 1864; Fort Henry, etc, etc. Mr. S. was promoted first to the position of Corporal, then to that of Ser- geant, in which rank he was finally discharged, with honorable mention, at Springfield, Ill., Sept. 26, 1864. At no time was he absent from his regiment or unable to be on duty.

Returning home with a halo of military glory, he purchased a quarter-section of prairie land in West- ern Township, was married. and settled upon that place, which he still occupies. He has increased it to its present dimensions by additional purchases, and made the whole valuable by his judicious man- agement and persistent industry. The farm was formerly owned by the Bishop Hill Colony, which came here in 1848. Mr. S. has held nearly all the offices of his Church (Swedish Methodist), and is now a Trustee of that body. He has also been Township Collector, School Trustee nine years, and is now Road Commissioner. He faithfully votes the Republican ticket.

1. Wainer

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May 31, 1862, is the date of Mr. Samuelson's marriage to Mary Larson, daughter of L. M. and Mary C. (Djursted) Peterson. Her mother died in her native country, about 1867, and her father is yet living, also in Sweden. Mrs. S. was born in 1846, in that country, and came to America when a young woman. Of the nine children who have been born in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Samuelson, four died in infancy. The living are John, Archie, William, Guy and Mary.

on. Wilder W. Warner, Postmaster, station agent and dealer in grain and stock, and owner of the cheese factory, grain elevator, etc., at Warner, was born in Bolton, Worcester Co., Mass., Oct. 10, 1828. His father, Elias Warner, was the youngest son of Elias, Sr., who was also a native of the same county in which our subject was born. He was one of the patriots dur- ing that eventful period in the history of our country when the Colonists were fighting for their independ- ence. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and fought at the battle of Bunker Hill. He was married to Abigail Priest, also a member of a New England family, and of English parentage. The ori- gin of the Warner family in America, according to tradition, was from four brothers who came from England early in the history of the American Colo- nies, and purchased a strip of land in Massachusetts in and near Harvard, one mile wide and six miles long. The father of Wilder W., being in the fourth generation from the above mentioned brothers, own- ed a portion of the land purchased by the original set- tlers, which also remains in the family until this day. By profession he was a physician, and practiced most of his life in Middlesex Co., Mass., where he died in 1875. In Worcester County, he was married to Miss Mary A. Lawrence, a member of the old family of Lawrences, which are well known in New England history. She died on the 14th.of July, 1845.

Our subject was the second of a family of six children, the elder of whom was Quincy A., now de- ceased ; the next, Rowena B., also deceased ; the fourth, Susan G. ; the fifth, Sarah J. ; and the young- est, Martha M., who is now deceased. Susan and Sarah are married and are living in Massachusetts.

Wilder W. lived at home until he was 13 years of age. He then began to work out for the purpose of securing means whereby to educate himself. With characteristic energy and economy he thus earned and saved $700, which he paid out towards securing his education. He completed his school days at Groton Academy, New Ipswich Academy, and at the East Hampton Institute. He was then ready to embark upon the scenes of an active business career, and, like thousands of others in the older and thickly settled East, he turned his face Westward, where he hoped to find better advantages than were offered at his own home. Accordingly, in September, 1849, he set out for the West. He secured a second-class pas- sage to Chicago, and from there set out on foot for the city of Rock Island. Possessing an excellent education, as well as rare natural qualifications, he was not long in securing a position as a teacher. For some time he taught school. He subsequently went to Andover, where he taught school for a time and then went to Dixon for the purpose of entering Government land, the land office being located at that place. In this way he secured 160 acres on sec- tion 17, Western Township, when he left the school- room and turned his attention to agricultural pur- suits. In this line he has been quite successful, and now owns more than 400 acres of land here, besides other land in the West. .

A man possessing a good education is always a valuable aid in a new country, and Mr. Warner's services and the large information he possessed were greatly demanded and often brought in requisition in the early history of Henry County, as indeed they are at present. He was elected Justice of the Peace when 2 1 years of age, and performed the duties of that office upwards of 25 years, during which time he settled up without a lawsuit a majority of the cases brought before him. He was also made Su- pervisor in the early history of the township of Western, and held that office when elected to repre- sent the people of Henry and Rock Island Counties in the 28th General Assembly. He filled this posi- tion, as he has every other which has devolved upon him, with marked ability and with excellent satisfac- tion to the people of his district. Politically, he is a stanch Republican, and an active member of that organization, and one of the important factors in the success of his party in his district.

Mr. Warner possesses many strong traits of char-

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acter, and a man of his qualities naturally wields large personal influence in moulding the affairs of his community. In business life he has been quite successful. He has scrupulously avoided the snag up- on which so many otherwise excellent business men are wrecked-that of going in debt. He has a pecu- liar abhorrence of debt, and he never permits himself to go in debt ; nor does he ever give his note. Another underlying principle that seems to have guided him away from the shoals of bankruptcy, is his aversion to reckless speculation. He does not believe in get- ting something for nothing, or in making the liazard- ous attempt.

As one of the county's representative business men, as well as one of its respected and honored pio- neers, we place Mr. Warner's portrait in this volume. It is engraved from a photograph recently taken.

H. Gaines, senior member of the mer- cantile firm of Gaines & Hagin, at Cam- bridge, was born Jan. 10, 1852, in the township where he is at present in business. He is the son of Sylvester Gaines. In the spring of 1848 the latter came to Henry County, accompanied by his brother, Nelson Gaines, of whom a sketch appears on another page. They settled in the township of Cambridge and began the sale of merchandise. The county seat had been transferred from Morristown to Cambridge, and the affairs of that place seemed to take on added dignity and to be in the condition meant by the phrase, " look- ing up."

Mr. Gaines was reared in the town where he was born to the age of seven years, when he went to Pike County, where his father kept store one year. He then returned to this county and went to Geneseo. There he attended school, and he was also employed in the store there and at Cleveland at a later period. In 187 1, after the fire, he went to Chicago and en- tered the service of Field, Leiter & Co., with whom he remained a year. He then returned to Cambridge and embarked in the lumber business. He operated in that line four years and was associated with a man named Stewart. In 1878 he bought the interest of F. C. Gould, who was in business with Mr. Hagin, the present partner of Mr. Gaines, and the firm be- came Gaines & Hagin. They are engaged in the

sale of groceries and crockery, and are doing a pros- perous business. In 1881 Mr. Gaines and the gentleman with whom he is associated formed a part- nership with W. H. Laws & Co., and went into the drug business. Two years later the interest of Mr. Laws was bought by the other members of the firm, which then became Dan Hagin & Co.

Mr. Gaines is a Republican and has filled various town offices. He is a member of the of I. O. O. F. Oct. 3, 1876, he was married to Fannie B. Page, of Menlo, Iowa.

dam Lieberknecht, of Geneseo, is a prom- inent citizen in the city in which he resides, both from the fact that he is the proprietor of one of its leading journals and that he is untiring in his practical efforts to promote the substantial interests of the place. He was born in Germany, May 8, 1835, and is the son of John and Christina Lieberknecht.

He was 17 when he exchanged his home in " Das Faderland " for the chances of winning the' rewards of industry and integrity in the New World. He reached the city of New York in 1852, and entered a printing-office to acquire a practical understanding of the " black art." He was occupied there three years and in 1855 came to Rock Island, where he operated in the manner common to the craft and became a journeyman printer. In 1857 he came to Geneseo and entered into an engagement in the office of the paper of which he is the proprietor. He officiated as foreman until 1860, when he purchased a half interest, and in 1878 he became sole proprie- tor by buying the remainder of the property.

The Geneseo Republic was established in 1856, by J. S. Hyatt, during the first Republican campaign, and has been conducted in the interest of that or- ganization ever since, with the exception of about three years, when it was of no decided connection but was managed on an independent basis. Since it became the property of its present owner the journal has partaken of the character of its manager, and has been outspoken and inflexible in its tone and advocating the principles of the Republican party. It is a nine-column folio and is issued weekly with a nine-column supplement.

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Portrait and biographical album of Henry County, Illinois : containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, Part 77

Author: Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 850

Author:
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 850