Portrait and biographical album of Warren County, Illinois : containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, Part 21

Author:
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Chicago : Chapman Bros.
Number of Pages: 794

USA > Illinois > Warren County > Portrait and biographical album of Warren County, Illinois : containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county > Part 21

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Mr. Vaughn, of this sketch, owns 370 acres of good farm land, located on section 20, Greenbush Township, and is there engaged in farming and rais- ing graded stock. He has some very fine Norman horses, and also a fine half-blooded Clydesdale four- year-old, and in both" branches of his vocation is meeting with financial success. He has served as Road Commissioner and School Trustee. In politics,

he is a believer in and supporter of the principles ad- vocated by the Democratic party. Mr. Vaughn and and wife are both members of the Methodist Episco- pal Church.

rs. Rebecca Morford, residing at Rose- ville, is the widow of Benjamin Morford, who was born in Mercer Co., Pa., March 18, 1813. The parents of Mr. Morford were Joseph and Elizabeth (Fell) Morford, natives of New Jersey. The family of the parents consisted of ten children, seven of whom grew to the age of manhood and womanhood.

Benjamin Morford, husband of the subject of this. sketch, assisted his father on the farm and attended the common schools, developing into manhood. Four years after he attained his majority, when 25 years of age, his father gave him a farm, on which he lo- cated and at once engaged in the vocation in which he had received instruction at home up to that time, -farming; and on this placeshe remained and continued to cultivate the same for 14 years. He then sold his farm and came to this State, in 1851, and settled at Roseville, purchasing 80 acres of land on the east and one acre on the west side of Main Street. On this land he erected a residence and there made his home until the date of his death, which occurred Jan. 14, 1875. He platted a part of his farm, and since his death the remainder, with the exception of a few acres, has been incorporated within the present limits of the village of Roseville.

Mr. Morford was united in marriage to Miss Re- becca Stem in 1838. She was a native of Pennsyl- vania, her parents being Frederick and Sarah (Harris) Stem, natives of Maryland and Pennsyl- vania respectively. Her father came with his family to this State in 1861, and settled one and a half miles east of Roseville,`where he purchased 160 acres of land, and by his economy and perseverance increased his landed interests in the county to 400 acres. He and his wife continued to reside on the old homestead until their deaths, that of the former occurring June 9, 1875, and the latter Jan. 14, 1867.

Mr. and Mrs. Morford became the parents of ten

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children, six of whom are still living,-Sarah E. Patch, Zilpah A. Lewis, Nelson A., Ross C., Cora D. and George E. Mrs. Morford still continues to reside on the old homestead, with her daughter Cora and son George. She is a member of the Baptist Church, to which denomination he also belonged. Mr. Morford was the first Postmaster in Roseville, and held the office for some 10 or 12 years. He also held the offices of Justice of the Peace and Road Commissioner, and was one of the respected and honored pioneers of the village of Roseville.

hester Brooks, a prosperous and ener- getic farmer and stock-raiser, on section 16, Ellison Township, was born in Ni- agara Co., N. Y., on the 27th of December, 1817 .. His father, Noah Brooks, a farmer and mechanic by occupation, was a native of Con- necticut, of New England parentage and Welsh de- scent. He formed a matrimonial alliance in Ulster Co., N. Y., with Miss Maria Russell, also a native of Connecticut, and of similar ancestry and descent. Before the war of 1812, the parents settled in Gene- see Co., York State, where they remained for some years. Mr. Noah Brooks, during the War of 1812, held the position of a militia soldier, and after his re- turn moved to Orleans Co., the same State. When our subject, Chester Brooks, was but a small child of about 12 years of age, and while living near his birth- place, Noah Brooks, his father, died. The mother afterward lived with her daughter in Wisconsin and Ohio, dying at the former place at an advanced age. Chester, after the death of his father, went to live with a Mr. William Jackson, of Orleans Co., Empire State. . Here he remained, making that his home until he reached the age of 26 years, having attended the high schools of Orleans and Niagara Counties in the meantime. In the fall of 1844 he came to Illinois, and began teaching in the common schools and also teaching music in Cass County, and later worked at his trade, that of carpenter and joiner, which he had learned in his native State. While in Cass County he was united in marriage, in 1847, to Miss Elizabeth V. Beard, daughter of Alex. and Lucy (Yates) Beard,

the latter a cousin to Governor Yates. Mrs. Brooks was born in Cass County, this State, Nov. 26, 1830, and her parents were successful farmers and natives of Kentucky and Virginia, respectively. After Mr. Beard's first marriage, he came to Illinois, but re- turned to Kentucky after the demise of his wife, and married the second time. He again returned to this State and here both he and his wife died. Mrs. Brooks was well educated in the public schools and lived at home until her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Brooks have became the parents of five children, of whom the following is a brief record : William mar- ried Jennie Reynolds and they reside on a farm in Hardin Co., Iowa; Edwin C. is the husband of Sarah, nee Baldwin, and is engaged in stoc'x-raising at Centralia, Nemaha Co., Kan .; Lucy A., wife of B. F., Graham, lives on a farm in Grundy Co., Iowa; George A. resides at home, as likewise does Emma E.

After marriage Mr. Brooks resided in Cass County, this State, for 10 years, where he was engaged in in farming. In October, 1864, he came to this) county and purchased 137 acres of land, all of which was improved, with good buildings, etc. Since that time he has added 40 acres to his purchase and now has 177 acres of good farm land. He has held the offices of Justice of the Peace and Township Clerk and also School Trustee, which latter office he has- held for 15 years and is the present incumbent. He has been a Republican ever since the organization of that party, and is an active and energetic worker in support of its principles.

ames B. Reynolds is a farmer on section 24 in the township of Sumner, where he has resided since 1865. At the time he suc- ceeded to its ownership a small frame house was on the place, which, with the other appur- tenances of the site, was in a dilapidated con-

dition. He has erected a good set of buildings and put the place under improvements second to none in the county. The residence and its surroundings are beautiful, the former being of much more than ordin- ary style for a farm house, and the well planned and beautified grounds adding greatly to its attractive

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appearance. The ornamental trees include Scotch pine, European larch and others of equal rarity and beauty. It is but justice to state that the estate is one of the most attractive and valuable in Warren County. The location is on a southern slope, and from the buildings, which are placed on the- height of the land, the spires of Monmouth are plainly vis- ible.

Mr., Reynolds has been a Democrat until later issues engaged his attention, and now adopts the views of the Prohibitionists. He was born in the township of Hale in Warren County, Feb. 18, 1838.

Thomas Reynolds, his father, was a pioneer of the county, of 1836. He was born Oct. 15, 1782, in North Carolina, and was of Scotch-Irish origin. He passed all the earlier years of his life in his native State, where he was married to Eleanor McClanahan. She was born in North Carolina, March 10, 1803. In addition to the business of farmer the senior Reynolds was a practical miller, and he followed the combined relations of his two callings in his na- tive State until 1834.

About that time the spirit of progress seemed to take possession of the people in a manner then un- common, and Mr. Reynolds yielded to it and to the belief that he could secure for himself and his in- creasing family the advantages of a broader field of. operation. Accordingly, in the year named, he set out with his household for Indiana. The country between North Carolina and the point of destination in the Hoosier State was traversed with a team and a covered wagon ; and the same conveyance carried the goods of the household; and the cooking and domestic arrangements generally were conducted on the way much after the same pattern as in the de- serted home in the South. They stayed their steps in White Co., Ind., and resided there two years. In 1836 they took up their line of march to the west- * ward and came in the same manner in which they had made their former journey, to Illinois. The father made a location at Sugar Grove, in Hale Township, in this county. He rented land for a time to give himself an opportunity to look about and de- termine on the best plan to pursue and where was . the best place to make a permanent settlement. He decided to go to Henderson County. He bought a. tract of land in the timber in the vicinity of Hollings- worth's mill. and proceeded to arrange his affairs on

the accepted plan of the pioneers. He erected a log cabin for a temporary home and cleared 40 acre's of land. There he remained about 14 years. 'On sell- ing out, he bought a prairie farm two miles from Biggsville and was its owner and occupant until 1866. That was the year in which he made his final removal to Sumner Township. He settled on the farm which his son had bought in that township and his life continued only a few years after. He died June 12, 1869. The wife and mother lived until Aug 15, 1881. Of their seven children only two survive. Mr. Reynolds has a younger sister-Mar- tha E., the wife of R. W. Wiley, of Sumner Town- ship.

Mr. Reynolds was ten years of age when his par- ents removed to Henderson County. He was brought up to the calling of his forefathers and was a pupil in the public school. Later he attended the High School at Oquawka, and finally finished his educa- tion with three years' attendance at Monmouth Col- lege.

Feb. 18, 1868, he was married to Araminta C. McCrery, and they have two children. Mabel is pursuing a course of study at Monmouth College. Bertha A. is the younger, Mrs. Reynolds was born in Monmouth, June 25, 1849.

Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds are members of the United Presbyterian Church, as is their oldest daughter.

illiam K. Stewart attorney at law, Mon- mouth, was born in McDonough County, this State, Dec. 3, 1845. He spent his youth largely at school, and graduated from : Monmouth College in the class of 1867. He- began the study of law at once under his father and was admitted to the Bar in April, 1868, and be- gan practice at Oquawka the following fall. (For parentage, etc., see biography of Hon. J. H. Stewart, this volume.) In 1873 he came to Monmouth from Oquawka and became the junior of the firm of Stewart, Phelps & Stewart, probably the strongest law firm in the city. At the end of two years the firm dissolved, and Mr. Stewart repaired to Burling- ton, Iowa, and was there two years. Returning to

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Monmouth in 1877, he was at once appointed City Attorney, and in. 1878 was elected Police Magistrate, which he resigned at the end of three years to be- come a member of the firm of Stewart & Grier. Since 1883, this firm has been Stewart & Stewart, and is composed of Hon. J. H. Stewart and the sub- ject of this sketch. At the spring election of 1885, Mr. Stewart was elected City Attorney, and is the present incumbent of that office.

He was married in McDonough County, this State, April 16, 1873, to Miss Mary E. Mariner, and has three children.

acob Byers, a sturdy tiller of the soil, which vocation he has followed the major portion of his life, resides on section 18, Hale Township. He is a son of Jacob and Catherine (Lawver) Byers, natives of Pennsyl- vania. The father died in Darke Co., Ohio, Aug. 12, 1862; aged 80, and the mother in Franklin Co., Pa., Aug. '4, 1842, aged 63. The parents of the elder Byers were of German and Irish ancestry re- spectively. The record of the elder Jacob Byers' family of seven children is as follows: David, Re- becca, Elizabeth, Joseph, Solomon, Rosana and Jacob. David married Miss Eve Stake, of Frank- lin Co., Pa., and they had one son : the father and son are deceased. Rebecca married George Ens- menger, of Cumberland Co., Pa., and a large family blessed this union : the mother is deceased. Eliza- beth married Isaac Basehore, of Franklin Co., Pa., and became the mother of two children, one of whom, with the mother, is deceased. Joseph mar- ried Rebecca Rafesnyder, of the same county, and had a family of two boys and three girls. Solomon married Sarah A. Bitner and had 15 children, five of whom are deceased: the father died in 1884. . Ro- sanna married Samuel Railing, of Cumberland Co., Pa., and had a family of seven children, four of whom are deceased. .

Jacob Byers was the youngest of a family of seven children born to his parents, all growing to attain the age of their majority. He was born June 16, 1821,

and during his early boyhood attended the common schools, receiving a fair education. At the age of 15 years he went forth in the cold, unfriendly world to d> for himself. His first occupation after leaving the parental roof was that of an agriculturist, which he followed for two years, receiving remuneration for his services, at the expiration of which time, when he was 17 years of age, he apprenticed himself to learn the blacksmith's trade. This he mastered and continued to follow as a means of livelihood for sev- eral years, and even after coming to this county he . was thus engaged in connection with his farm duties for about seven years.' He came to Warren County in 1853, and for about three and a half years lived in Monmouth, where he followed his trade. He moved to Hale Township in 1857, and settled on section 18, where he became the owner of 88 acres of good tillable land, and on which he has lived and labored until the present time. 'By his energy and economy he has succeeded in making additions to his original purchase until he is at present the pro- prietor of 208 acres of land in Hale Township and a farm of 69 acres in Henderson County.

Mr. Byers was wedded to Harriet E. Bitner, in Franklin Co., Pa., June 20, 1845. She was the daughter of Michael and Jane (Goodman) Bitner, the former of whom died in Franklin Co., Pa., and the latter in Monmouth. Mr. and Mrs. Byers have become the parents of eight children, whom they have named Priscilla J., Catherine E., John F., William E., Jacob M., Lydia B., David I. and Grace E. Priscilla is the wife of Henry Cooper and re- sides in Henderson County ; Catherine E. married Ralph Ostrander, a resident of St. Louis, Mo.'; John F. lives in Georgetown, Col .; William E. is engaged in teaching in Iowa; Jacob lives at home; Lydia B. married Nicholas Resener, who is a resident of Gris- wold, Iowa; David I. lives in St. Louis, Mo .; and Grace E. is deceased.

Mrs. Byers died in Hale Township, March 28 1879, and Mr. Byers was the second time married, in that township. The date of this marriage was Dec. 21, 1882, at which time Miss Hannah Stevenson became his wife. They lived together as man and wife but three short months, when, March 4, 1883, she passed to the land of the hereafter. "Mr. Byers has held the offices of Road Commissioner and School Director in his township, and his political views coincide with the principles advocated by the

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Republican party. He has attained no little prom- inence as a man of energy and honor in the com- munity, and his accompanying portrait gives addi- tional interest to this volume.

R ichard Henry Shultz, deceased, was born at Maysville, Mason Co., Ky., June 7, 1829, and died at Monmouth, May 21, 1883. His parents were Christian and Char- lotte (Lee) Shultz. The former was a native of Pennsylvania and of German descent, while the latter was a native of Kentucky and of English extraction. The Shultz family was of the sturdy old Pennsylvania Dutch stock, which was noted for habits of economy and industry, combined with a strict regard for the rights of others, and formed the elements of a superior citizenship, while the Lees combined with all these elements the blue blood of the patrician, which infused itself with no stock but to better it, assimilating with none to the exclusion of its inherent potency, and displaying itself ever and anon in the very highest order of manhood. Men, eminent in State craft and in war; distinguished in belles-lettres and in song; men who have adorned the Bench and the Bar; men whose eloquence have swayed the assemblage from the pulpit, the rostrum and forum,-aye, these are the men whose names will ever be found in the biog- raphy of the Lees. The mother of Richard H. Shultz was a cousin of Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. " Stonewall " Jackson. Thus in our own great Re- public alone can tlie combinations of these elements be found possible; and when in the fullness of time the best people of all the races of the earth shall have brought each his own peculiar superiority, whatever that virtue may consist in, and the whole shall have intermingled to form one race -- the American-then, indeed, will the human family have attained that high eminence to which it is by the Creator destined. The partial effect of this com- bination of race may be noticed daily by the student of human nature. Short biographical sketches of men who have been identified with the growth, progress and welfare of a single county, often dis-

closes the important fact, though insignificant as it may appear, that the great design of nature was in these good men being partially carried out.

Read the biographical sketches in the Warren County ALBUM, note there the history of the lives of the best people that live and have lived within its province, and by tracing their ancestry the true secret of the route to greatness, can be seen, though not in wealth. Wealth is not greatness; in fact it is seldom an integral part of it. So with Mr. Shultz : his greatness consisted in a superior citizenship, and its essential qualities are largely traceable to his an- cestry.

Mr. Shultz was educated in Kentucky, and em- barked in business while yet a young man. June 7, [853, he was married, at Maysville, to Miss Lizzie McIlvain, daughter of William McIlvain, who was 30 years a banker in that city. Soon after his mar- riage, Mr. Shultz removed to Cincinnati, where he was for about three years engaged in a commission business. From there he emigrated to Missouri, where he was engaged in farming up to the time of his coming to Warren County, in 1861. Here he purchased a farm in Lenox Township and occupied it two or three years, when he removed to Mon- mouth. Here he purchased an interest in the drug firm of Brewer & McGrew, and later on bought the interest of Mr. McGrew and changed the firm to Brewer & Shultz, which continued for a few years. He then purchased Mr. Brewer's interest and es- tablished his two sons in the store, under the firm name of W. M. Shultz & Co .. Subsequently one of the sons, C. Shultz, became the owner. He was one of the projectors of the Monmouth Opera House, pressed the enterprise to completion and subse- quently became its sole owner. It is a magnificent structure, and a fitting monument to his public- spiritedness and enterprise while a citizen of the county. In all his undertakings he was successful and died the possessor of a handsome competency.

Of Mr. and Mrs. Shultz's four children, William M. is a promising young physician at Buena Vista, Col .; Crit is the sole successor to the drug business of W. M. Shultz & Co., and manager and one-fourth owner of the Opera House; Lottie and Lewis are the names of the younger members of the household.

Mr. Shultz was an ardent Democrat and a mem- ber of the Masonic Order, and, though identified with no particular Church, was a liberal giver to all,

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The day succeeding his death, a local paper con- tained the following handsome tribute to his memory : "Mr. Shultz was an open, generous, enterpris- ing and public-spirited man, always ready with his purse and influence to further every enterprise for the growth and advancement of Monmouth. As a neighbor and friend he was possessed of that gen- uine Kentucky hospitality and frankness that made his home one of the most pleasant and attractive in the city, and none were more earnest in entertaining friends and company than he. To those with whom he was intimate, he was a fast and abiding friend, tried and true, and with them was most deservedly popular. The death of no citizen could be more universally regretted."

ames Kelsay, formerly a resident of Swan Township, was born in Kentucky in 1805. He came to Illinois when he was a young man and located in the southern portion of Sangamon County which, by a later divi- sion, was set off to Christian County. He oc- cupied his time in farming, and, in 1834, was married to Elizabeth Vandervere, who was born in Indi- ana in 1815. They continued to reside in the county in which they were married until the fall of the year succeeding. In that season they removed to Warren County. They passed the first year in Floyd Township and then fixed their residence in Swan Township. They bought land there and the hus- band erected a log house. He lost no time in mak- ing the improvements customary in a prairie country and the work was far advanced at the time of his death. That event occurred in August, 1844. His widow was his survivor 28 years, her demise occur- ring Aug. 28, 1872. Their children numbered six and there are five still living. Mary J. is the wife of Israel Jared and they are living in Point Pleasant Township. Margaret A. is married to James Jared and they live in Swan Township. John A. is a citi- zen of the township. William resides in the State of Missouri. Samuel B. lives in the township where his father and mother resided.

Mrs. Kelsay was married in 1847 to Jolin Blue.

They had three children. Cynthia is married to Benjamin Kidder and they also reside in Swan Township. Absalom V. is a citizen of Shenandoah, Iowa. Bailey R. lives in Nebraska. The parents were both members of the Baptist Church.

illiam Spencer Almond, now deceased, was formerly a resident in the township of Point Pleasant. He was born Oct. 11, 18II, in Louisa Co., Va. His parents re- moved in his youth to Kentucky and were pioneers of Warren County, that State. Wyatt Almond, his father, was a man of superior abilities and education and was a soldier in the service of the United States in the War of 1812. He followed the profession of teacher in Kentucky and was a resident of that State after his removal there until the time of his death. The name of the lady who became his wife was Susannah Ware?previous to her marriage to him. After his death she came to Illi- nois and married Thomas Gunter, and finally died in Swan Township, this county. Five of her chil- dren are her survivors. A daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Watkins, resides in Shenandoah, lowa. Thomas lives in Point Pleasant Township. William S. was the next in order of birth. Mrs. Emma Wade lives in this county. Mrs. Susan Collier resides in Ar- ·kansas. Zachariah D. is a citizen of Union Mills,. Mahaska Co., Iowa.

Mr. Almond, of this sketch, was brought up in the county in which he was born. He was married in Kentucky, to Miss Nancy Spradling, who was a na- tive of that State, and died there in 1852. She left six children : William Allen lives in Union Mills, Iowa. Martha J. is the wife of Joseph Johnson, of Point Pleasant Township. Thomas J. is a farmer in the same. James W. was a soldier in the 83d IIl. Vol. Inf., and was killed at Fort Donelson. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Almond was married to Sarah A. Hawkins. Mrs. Hawkins was born in Warren Co., Ky., March 3, 1818. She was the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Meyers) Haw- kins. Mr. H. was an Englishman by birth and his wife was a native of Virginia. They both died in Edmonson Co., Ky. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs.

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Almond took place about the year 1854. She, by a former marriage, to Mitchell Spradling, had four chil- dren : Mary F., wife of George Ewing, a resident of Mills Co., Iowa. James K. lives in Kansas. Re- ·becca, wife of L. W. Simmons, and lives in Califor- nia. Angeline, wife of Weldon Worrell, and a resident of Mills Co., Iowa.

The family removed to Illinois in 1852. They traveled with ox-teams and brought with them all their household belongings, and they lived in the gipsey fashion while on the road. Mr."Almond made a location in the township of Swan, where he bought '50 acres of land on section 34, on which he lived four years. At the end of that time he sold the prop- erty there and removed to Point Pleasant Township, where he bought 160 acres of wild land, on section '34. This was the homestead until the death of the father, which occurred May 12, 1884. 'All the prop- erty was under improvement, and the proprietor had increased his acreage until he was the owner of 320 'acres in that township and another considerable tract in Iowa. Mr. Almond had built farm structures of a character suited to the farm. He was a quiet man "and good neighbor, a member of the Methodist Church, and in political sentiment a Democrat.

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Portrait and biographical album of Warren County, Illinois : containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, Part 21

Author: Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Chicago : Chapman Bros. Number of Pages: 794

Author:
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Chicago : Chapman Bros.
Number of Pages: 794