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 82
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At the age of seven years, Mr. Yocum of this sketch removed with his parents to Wayne Co., Ohio, where he was engaged in farming until he attained his 23d year, after which he engaged in various oc- cupations, following the mercantile business for 18 years. In the year 1844 he removed to Warsaw, Kosciusko Co., Ind., where he was engaged in nier- chandising. In May, 1850, he removed to Marshall County, this State, where he followed farming until October, 1855, when he came to Galva, this county. Before coming here he had rented a store-room and his goods were on the way, and upon reaching Galva he immediately opened a general store. He con- tinued business at that place for nearly 16 years, and then sold out to engage in the banking business. He was one of the founders of what was the First National Bank at Galva. In May, 1878, Mr. Yocum was instrumental in starting a savings bank at Galva,
which was conducted in connection with the First National, and in January, 1885, at which time the charter of the First National had expired, the two banks were merged into one, and are now con- ducted under the name of L. M. Yocum & Co., and is doing a fine and constantly increasing business, Mr. Yocum being the Vice-President of the same, a position he held in the First National Bank.
Mr. Yocum is still, to some extent, interested in the real-estate business in the county, but his main real-estate interests are located in the State of Iowa, where he has several thousand acres of choice land, located mostly in Ida County. Of this, 2,000 acres are in a high state of cultivation. Mr. Yocum is also engaged in the banking business in Iowa, hav- ing an interest in the Farmers & Merchants' Bank, in Aurelia, that State, of which he is President, and his only son, Oran E. Yocum, is the cashier, the lat- ter attending to all the business. The business career of Mr. Yocum has been an active, successful and remarkable one, as he started with comparative- ly nothing in life and to-day is one of the wealthiest men in the county. His accumulations of this world's goods is due to his own indomitable energy, good judgment and perseverance, coupled with fidelity and strict attention to business. Successful business men are not rare in Henry County, but that of Mr. Lewis M. Yocum has been of such a broad character as to demand special attention.
The business conducted by Mr. Yocum is a forci- ble illustration of what energy, coupled with good judgment, may accomplish; and many a poor man in Henry County who has been induced by Mr. Yocum to work on his Western lands has reason to be thank- ful for his kindness and for his suggestions, and some of them to-day are well-to-do farmers in that State. His banking operations are still conducted by him with vigor, and he finds pleasure in person- ally superintending the details of business which many would leave to others. Thus, in the evening of his life, with an eye still undimmed, he can look back on his past career and be content.
Mr. Yocum formed a matrimonial alliance May 4, 1843, in Holmes Co., Ohio, with Rebecca B. Riddle, born in Wayne County, that State, Nov. 18, 1825. She is a daughter of John and Rebecca (Bonnett) Rid- dle, natives of Pennsylvania; the former died in Chariton, Lucas Co., Iowa, and the latter in Ohio. Their union was blessed by the birth of two chil-
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dren,-Oran E. and Josephine A. The former was born Nov. 18, 1844, in Warsaw, Ind. He was united in marriage March 3, 1875, with Elizabeth Deviney, a native of Pennsylvania. She has borne him three children, of whom Earl L. is the only survivor. Josephine A., the second child of the subject of this notice, was born in October, 1848, and died May 6, 1881, at Aurelia, Iowa, where her husband, J. R. At- wood, was and is engaged in the banking business.
Politically, Mr. Yocum is identified with the Re- publican party. He and his good helpmeet, who has shared his joys and sorrows, his successes and re- verses for 42 years and more, are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Elijah Yocum, the father of the subject of this no- tice, was born in Chester Co., Pa., Sept. 6, 1783, and his wife, Catherine Ann, was born in Cumberland County, same State, March 12, 1791. He was a carder and fuller, and in an early day was engaged in making carding-machines. He was a man of business, meeting with moderate success. He lived in Wayne Co., Ohio, where he purchased a mill six miles south of Wooster, in 1826. He remained there until 1834, when he moved to Holmes Co., Ohio, where he also was engaged in carding and fulling. In 1837 he moved to Ashland County, same State, and became the proprietor of a grist-mill. He visited his children in this State several times before his death. Religiously, he and his wife were mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he was a local preacher. They were the parents of eight children,-Mary Ann (Kaufman), Charles, Matilda (Todd), deceased; John, who died in his 13th year; Martha (McClure); Lewis M., James, and Ann Elizabeth (Glenn), deceased.
lijah Storey. Among the enterprising and energetic young farmers of Kewanee Town- ship is the subject of this sketch, who was born here Oct. 29, 1851, and is a son of Jarius and Nancy (Dingman) Storey, who were early pioneers in this county, a sketch of whom may be seen elsewhere in this volume.
Elijah received the advantages afforded by the dis- trict schools, and remained at home until he attained the age of 21 years. At that age he was united in
marriage with Miss Lavina McClellan, the event be- ing celebrated on the 27th of February, 1872. She was born in Kendall Co., Ill., Sept. 19, 1852. Her mother is deceased.
After marriage our subject settled on section 5, where he has since resided, and is the proprietor of an excellent farm of 85 acres, all of which he has, by his industry and hard labor, brought into a good state of cultivation, to-day being one of the best farms in his township. Mr. and Mrs. Storey have had born to them five children to bless their home circle; but the eldest, Nellie, died when but a year and 12 days old. The living are: Jarius L., Clar- ence E., Ada and Ida (twins).
In politics, Mr. Storey affiliates with the Republi- can party.
scar Hallgren, a resident in the township of Cambridge, was born in Ostergotland, Swe- den, Nov. 28, 1847. He is the son of Hampus and Louise (Swanson) Hallgren, who were both natives of Sweden. The father died in his native land, and the mother came to the United States with her son. They made the journey to this country in June, 1870. The mother died at Kearney Junction, Neb. A brother of Mr. Hallgren, named Leander, had preceded him to America and was living with an uncle, A. P. Swanson, who came to this county in 1852. Three brothers and four sisters of Mr. Hallgren are residents of Nebraska. Their names are : Oscar, Leander, Margaret, Frank, Emily, Ida, Axtel, Amelia and Jenny. These are the names of all the children in the family. Mar- garet is deceased.
On his arrival in this country Mr. Hallgren came to Illinois and rented land in Knox County. He operated there three years, and at the expiration of that time he joined his brother Leander in Henry County. He interested himself in farming and is now the owner of 160 acres of valuable land.
He was married at Galesburg, Ill., to Miss Huldah Swanson. She is a native of Sweden. Of their mar- riage the following children have been born, who are named Phebe, Nancy, Harry and Minnie.
Mr. Hallgren has taken an active part in all pub- lic matters, and especially in school affairs. He is
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now discharging the duties of School Director. He is extensively engaged in the purchase and sale of broom-corn, which he ships to Chicago. He is the owner of 480 acres of land in Phelps Co., Neb.
,hauncy Bassett, editor, publisher and proprietor of the Kewanee Independent, was born at Smithfield, Bradford Co., Pa., Oct. 25, 1814, and was the sixth in order of birth of five sons and three daughters, bred and reared by his parents, John and Clarissa (Kellogg) Bassett, natives respectiveiy of the States of Rhode Island and Connecticut, and of English an- cestry.
The subject of our sketch received a common- school education in the schools of his native State, and at the age of 17 began to learn the printer's trade. The Northern Banner, a small weekly sheet published at Towanda, Pa., was the first paper upon which he worked; and, from the fact that about one year from the time he entered the office in company with his brother, he bought the plant, it is evident he had gone into the business with no small degree of eagerness. He held the Banner, however, a short time only, finding, probably, that in those days, as in these, a one-horse weekly newspaper in some com- munities was "considerable of a white elephant." Any way, the Banner perished, and the afterward renowned David Wilmot was connected with the Towanda Democrat, a paper started by J. J. Cantine, on which Mr. Bassett was employed for a time. Wilmot was editor-in-chief. Leaving the Democrat, Bassett returned to the Banner for a season, and in the fall of 1836 started out to see the world, or a part of it; and, after visiting various places without striking a "case," he found himself a " sit" until Congress assembled, when he struck for the Capitol.
From here, in a few months he worked his way through Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, where he formed a limited co-partnership with a young man, and purchased the Mt. Vernon Demo- cratic Banner, which they parted with in about a year. After a few months of the "jour" printer's usual experience, he drifted back to Coshocton, Ohio, and bought out the Horizon (a paper upon which he had worked before, buying the Mt. Vernon Demo-
cratic Banner), and changed its name to the Demo- crat. He managed the Democrat about four years, sold it out, bought it back, and held it about two years longer. Finally parting with it, he was collec- tor of tolls on the Ohio Canal at Roscoe, and during the year of 1855 we find him in charge of the Henry County (Ill.) Dial, at Kewanee. From that time to the present, the history of the Kewanee press is re- plete with the labors of Chauncy Bassett. He owned and managed the Kewanee Monthly Advertiser for seven or eight years; started the Union Democrat in 1863, ran it about a year and a half; the Weekly Advertiser in 1866; and in 1867 went to Galesburg and took charge of the Galesburg Liberal. He was at Galesburg about a year, and returned to Kewanee, where, from the ashes of the Dial, he reared the Ke- wanee Independent in 1870, a paper acknowledged by all to be an honor to the town of Kewanee, and therefore the highest credit to its able and honorable manager.
Mr. Bassett has always been a staunch Democrat, and that his services to that party were of such worth as to attract attention away back in the '50's, is at- tested by his appointment to the Kewanee Postmas- tership by James Buchanan in 1857, and held it until 1860.
He was married at Columbus, Ohio, in 1840, to Miss Ann Eliza Smith, who died April 19, 1882. She was the mother of seven children: Orvil D., book- keeper; William P, died in 1866; Sarah A .; Amelia T., Librarian at Kewanee ; A. Smith, printer; Frank H., printer; Anna died in infancy.
homas J. Worthington, of Cambridge, came to this township in which he lives, in 1865. He was born in Doylestown, Bucks Co., Pa., Nov. 29, 1810. The family of whichi he is a member is of English extraction. His paternal grandfather, David Worthington, was born in the vicinity of Philadelphia. The latter was a farmer, and died in the place where he was born, at the age of 97. He married a lady named Mary Williams, who was of Welsh descent. She became the mother of six children. Of these the youngest, Amos, was born and died on the homestead. His demise occurred when he was 47. He was a soldier
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in the War of 1812, and after that was ended he passed the remainder of his life on the farm of which he had charge. He married Cynthia Good. Her parents, Jonathan and Mary (Callender) Good, were of the Society of Friends or Quakers. Her earliest ancestors came to this country with William Penn. Mrs. Cynthia Worthington was the mother of ten children, who reached the period of mature life. Four only are now living. Mrs. Hill is a resident of Philadelphia, and Theodore is a resident of Iowa. Mr. Worthington of this sketch is the second in or- der of birth, and at the age of 23 went to Columbus, Ohio, where he operated as a mechanic. He had obtained a complete understanding of the business of a carpenter in the State where he was born. He came West on account of impaired health, and he abandoned the business of his trade and commenced farming. He followed that line of business until his removal to Illinois in 1865, when he came to Cam- bridge Township. At first he bought 140 acres of land, on which the improvements were few. He placed the entire acreage in profitable condition, and was the resident manager of the farm until 1876, when he fixed his abode at Cambridge. He is pass- ing the sunset of his days in the enjoyment of the fruits of a well-spent life. Mr. Worthington is an adherent of the Democratic party.
He has been thrice wedded. His first wife, Mary Tucker Worthington, was the daughter of Elisha and Mary Tucker, of Doylestown, Pa, their mar- riage occurring December 13, 1832. She died in Columbus, Ohio, March 14, 1838, leaving two sons. The eldest, Samuel A., died Oct. 25, 1861, at Summerville, West Virginia. He was an officer in the 12th Regt. Ohio Vol. Theodore T. married Clara Dennison, of Cambridge, Ill., and is now a resident in New Tacoma, W. T. His second union was with Margaret E. Knapp, of Marion, Ohio, July 18, 1839. She died June 20, 1842, leav- ing one child, Franklin, who died Oct. 13, 1842. His third union was with Eliza A. Freeman, Feb. 2, 1843. She was the daughter of Rev. Elijah and Sarah (Going) Freeman. Of the latter union seven children were born : Sarah L. married T. S. Knapp; Amos E. died in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Feb. 26, 1863, in the the service of the United States, in the 32d Ohio Vol. Inf .; Martha M. is teaching in the Deaf Mute Institute, Rochester, N. Y. ; William A. married Mary Seaton, of Cambridge, died in Butler
Co., Nebraska; Carrol E. is in the book and station - ary business at Emporia, Kansas ; Clara E. married George B. Kelsey, and is living near Mt. Vernon, D. T .; M. M. Lila married E. M. Whitman, an at- torney at Grand Rapids, D. T.
Mr. and Mrs. Worthington and all the children are members of the Regular Baptist Church.
eman H. Haaff, of the township of Loraine, is the most extensive grazer and stock- breeder in Henry County. The name which he represents has its associations with the early history of the State of New York, in which one of his ancestors was a prominent official. His progenitors in the old country were inhabitants of Pomerania, on the shores of the Baltic Sea. The original and proper orthography of the name is Haff, and it signifies "haven." The family takes its pat- ronymic from the marvelous harbors of the province named, in the early days Klein Haff and Gross Haff, but by a later nomenclature, consequent on the chang- es in the provincial relations of the German States, they are now known as the Pomeranian Bay. The preference of Mr. Haaff would have been the angli- cized form of "haven;" but he would thereby be cut off from the family tree. . He has, therefore, added an " a " to distinguish himself from his father, instead of using the common form of " junior." His primal an- cestor in the United States journeyed to this country via the West Indies, and while making a temporary stay on one of them an earthquake transpired, which so frightened him that he ran to the shore. A French girl, in a similar state of terror, was near him, and they took possession of a boat and drifted out to sea. They were picked up by a passing steamer and carried to New York, where they were married.
Mr. Haaff was born in Middlebury, Addison Co., Vt., Oct. 20, 1833. He is the oldest son of Heman H. and Sarah (Tarbell) Haaff. The former was born in Nassau, Rensselaer Co., N. Y., and became an itin- erant preacher of the Baptist Church. He removed his family to the State of New York while his son was yet an infant. He located in the eastern part of that State at first, and preached at Saratoga Springs for a time. He went thence to Oneida County, and subsequently to the counties of Otsego and Genesee.
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He was in the ministry more than 30 years, and died in Iowa at the age of 65.
After obtaining a preliminary education, Mr. Haaff attended the university at Madison, and sub- sequently the State and National Law School at Poughkeepsie, graduating with the highest honors of the institution in a class of 50. At 15 he began to teach, and from that time on, until he was 24, he was alternately occupied in teaching and attending school. He finished his course of legal study, and came to Illinois in 1854. He taught the Union School in Oswego, Kendall County, two years, and after his admission to the Bar of Illinois, he practiced his profession in the city of Chicago, until the fire of 1871. While the hot embers were still smoking he bought the remains of a ruined cathedral and also of a brewery. He narrates the struggles he was ob- liged to make to hold possession of his property, and to prevent the vandals from carrying off the precious brick that had suddenly become worth $16 per 1,000. During the frightful winter that succeeded, he was at times compelled to stand on the walls to encourage his men to work, the cold was so bitter, and by April, 1872, he had succeeded in erecting a block of build- ings, with a frontage of 175 feet and 75 feet high. In December, when the cold was the most intense, all was in readiness to begin the work of reconstruction, and at the iminent risk of his own life he drilled the frozen ground until it was honey. combed with holes, into which he poured a keg of powder, and so made an excavation in which work could be commenced. He was arrested and taken to the office of the mayor. He was discharged from custody, complimented for " pluck," and told to "go ahead," as nobody was hurt. He continued his operations in the line of building, until he had, prior to 1874, erected two oth- er business structures, acting as his own architect, and supervising the workmen in person.
Mr. Haaff was a Republican until 1884. He aid- ed in the organization of the grand old party in Ken- dall County, and was an associate of Owen Lovejoy. Under the first call of President Lincoln for troops he raised a company, and was promised a commis- sion if he would allow the men he had enrolled to be sent to guard the bridge on the Big Muddy. They were sent, and when the service was per- formed the officer in ' command had the superior advantage of having seen service, and he was the one man too many.
Mr. Haaff received the personal thanks of Presi- dent Lincoln for a service in which he assisted while the Mississippi River was closed at Cairo. A syn- dicate of pork-packers at Chicago were holding 40,000 pounds of pork, which they were intending to ship South, when the order came closing all trade below Cairo, and they were very much exasperated. They called an indignation meeting, hired Bryan Hall, placarded that city, and announced a meeting of the Republican party to express "our indignation at the outrageous course of the administration in presuming to close up the Mississippi River !" Mr. Haaff collected a few friends at his office, among whom was the younger Gen. Forsythe, and the younger brother of Judge Blodgett, also a newly elected " justice of the peace," who was known as a " very stubborn man." After some discussion it was agreed that the party should go to Bryan Hall, on the evening announced, and organize and run the meeting themselves ; and they proposed to have in readiness a set of resolutions commending the Ad- ministration for its course. The plan was that Mr. Haaff should go upon the platform, call the assem- bly to order, and ask for nomination for chairman. Then Forsythe was to nominate the " justice " afore- said, the motion to be seconded by Mr. Blodgett. Mr. Haaff was to declare him elected, and the " jus- tice " was to take possession of the chair, and stick to it like death. Mr. Haaff says : "We knew that it meant a fight, but as the administration had beat us in our attempt to enlist and fight abroad, we were not averse to a fight at home. We knew that the boss packer could lick any two of us, and that he would as soon fight as eat. We carried out the pro- gramme, and as soon as our man was declared elect- ed, he got into the chair, and none too soon either, for over the seats came a man flying, coat and hat in the air, sleeves up, eyes blood-shot and all ready for war. Three men flew for him, and he failed to reach the chairman. In an instant the fellow was in the hands of the police ; some one turned off the gas op- portunely, and the attempt to block the course of the Government went out in the darkness !"
One of the feats performed by Mr. Haaff while he was a practicing attorney in Chicago illustrates the sort of interest he took in the affairs of his clients. In a family conflict where a father was endeavoring to outwit his son, a stock of goods was in the custody of Sheriff Nelson ; and while the latter was sound
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asleep at the front door, Mr. Haaff let the property down through a skylighit, and the case was settled in favor of his client without recourse to the law.
Mr. Haaff came to Henry County in 1874 for the purpose of attending to the improvement of 4,000 acres of land of which he had become the owner. It was swamp land, and he at once entered upon the work of reclamation. He has drained a large pro- portion of the estate, made other improvements, and erected a fine residence at a point known as Heman's Grove. A large acreage is now yearly mowed by machinery and is under cultivation. There are 60 miles of ditch on the estate of Mr. Haaff in Henry County, and, as a neighbor remarks, " he has made the desert blossom as the rose." He is an ardent advocate of the principles of the Prohibitionists, and is shaping his business to give himself to the work of moral reform in the years to come.
He was married to Evelyn L. Currier, Oct. 1, 1863. She was born in Wyoming Co., N. Y., and is the daughter of Joseph and Celestia (Foster) Currier. Her father was a merchant, and at the time of his death was engaged in the management of an exten- sive business at Buffalo, N. Y. Mr. and Mrs. Haaff are members of the Baptist Church.
rancis A. Cook, manufacturer of brick and tile at Cambridge, was born Nov. 8, 1842, in the township of Wethersfield, Henry County. He was probably descended from English progenitors, as the location of the family in the East would seem to indicate that such is the fact. The earliest ancestors were set- tlers in Salem, Mass. The parents of Mr. Cook," Robert and Martha (Wiggins) Cook, were born in Massachusetts. They came from that State to Henry County in 1840. They settled in the town- ship where the son was born, but later they went to Kewanee, where their deaths occurred. The father was brought up by the father of the lady he mar- ried. He was a tailor by calling, and afterward be- came a farmer in Henry County. His farm was where the village of Kewanee is located. Of the six children born to him and his wife there is only one, the son who is the subject of this personal ac- count residing in the county. The latter was edu-
cated at Kewanee. He was still in his minority when he entered the military service of the United States. He enrolled as a soldier May 12, 1861, a few days after the first call of President Lincoln for troops. He enlisted in the 7th Regt. Mo. Vol. Inf., in Co. I. His corps commander was Gen. John A. Logan, and he served under him nearly three years. He received an honorable discharge May 14, 1864. Following are the names of some of the actions in which he listened to the whistle of rebel bullets, and with each one came the notion that its special mis- sion was to ascertain his exact whereabouts. He was under fire at Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hills, Vicksburg, and in all the engagements in which his regiment was involved.
Mr. Cook then returned to his home at Ke- wanee. He passed the next two years in the busi- ness of a painter, and then commenced the manu- facture of brick. He was interested in the business at Kewanee for five years, and at the expiration of that time he sold his interests there and removed to Cambridge. He at once entered upon the manufac- ture of brick and tile, in which he has since oper- ated. He manufactures annually about 1,800,000 brick, or rather that is the capacity of his works. The tile factory can produce 1,000,000 feet yearly. These are the figures if the works are managed separately. Jointly they have the capacity of about a million brick and tile annually.
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