Quincy and Adams County history and representative men, Vol. II, Part 96

Author: Wilcox, David F., 1851- ed
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 952

USA > Illinois > Adams County > Quincy > Quincy and Adams County history and representative men, Vol. II > Part 96

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1 November 18, 1869, he married Miss Aurelia Louise Heidenbrich. She was born in Quincy February 2, 1851, the home in which she was born standing on the present site of the State Street Bank Building. She is a daughter of Henry and Johanna Heidenbrich, who came from Germany as a young mar- ried couple. Henry Heidenbrich died during an epidemic of cholera. He had worked as a laborer in this country, and in Germany had been employed as a coachman. He left two children, Amelia and Aurelia. The mother kept her children with her and later married Daniel Merker, a farmer of Melrose Town- ship. Mrs. Loos has two half-brothers, Fred and John Merker of Quincy, and one half-sister, Mary Merker, now Mrs. Henry Mangold. Her sister Amelia married Adolph Montag, a country butcher who later moved out to Denver, Colorado, and Mrs. Montag died in that state.

Mr. and Mrs. Loos had the following children: John William, to whom a special sketch is dedicated on other pages; Charles Frederick, member of the firm Pape & Loos, millers at Quincy; Frank, a farmer near Mendon, who owns one of his father's farms in Melrose Township; Arthur Henry, a farmer near Payson ; William Albert, a farmer near Melrose Chapel; John Walter, a farmer in Mendon Township; C. Herbert, who now occupies the old home- stead; Laura, wife of William Speckhardt, a Fall Creek Township farmer ; Selma Melissa, wife of Walter Schroeder, who lives in Melrose Township, four miles east of Quincy ; and Clara Johanna, wife of Walter Henry Simmons, who is an arehitect and has a large practice at Eldorado, Kansas.

Mr. Loos out of his prosperity was able to give each of his sons a start, and all of them have made good in business affairs. Mr. Loos served thirty-three years as a school director in his distriet, succeeding his father in that office. He was also a road commissioner six years. He is a demoerat, and a member of the Salem Evangelical Church at Quincy.

GEORGE JOSEPH BOCKHOLD. The large and handsome property represented at his home five miles southeast of the courthouse on Payson road in Melrose Township George Joseph Bockhold has acquired and developed in a compara- tively brief time, having made his start as a farm owner and farm manager less than twenty years ago.

Mr. Bockhold was born in Melrose Township, near St. Antonius Church. May 7, 1872, son of Bernard and Christina (Voegeding) Boekhold. Some of the experiences and incidents in the life of his father are referred to on other pages. At his father's death George Joseph Bockhold was executor of the estate. He was at home to the age of sixteen, and then worked five years for his brother Henry at wages of $12.50 a month. However, the wages went to his father. Later he worked in a briek vard in Quincy at $1.50 a day for one season, and during the winter was employed in a pork house. Then for three years he was in the stove foundry at Qniney, receiving $8.50 a week. He had a rather particular job, one requiring skill and experience, in charge of feeding the cupola for melting the metal. When the company moved to Chicago they held ont indneements for hin to follow, but he decided to remain behind, especially since he had married and had made plans to become a farmer.

For a few months Mr. Bockhold fired lime kilns. He then rented a farm in Melrose Township and continued as a renter until he bought his present place, the William Schneider farm, containing cighty acres. This was in 1900. He paid $4,600, assuming a debt of over $6,000, part of it for tools, teams and other equipment. It was a strenuous program he laid out for himself, and he satisfied it in every particular and a number of years ago got clear of debt. For some years he rented much land besides that in his own farm, and has pursued a very effective policy in building up the soil. He has followed the

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plan of deep plowing and the rotation of clover in addition to a variety of other crops. He has kept all the stock his farm would carry, and has never sold a ton of hay or grain. IIe has a fine herd of cows, and feeds a bunch of hogs every year. Mr. Bockhold has also built some important out buildings, including hog houses and silo, and his farm is in every sense in a high class condition.

Mr. Bockhold besides his work at home has found time to serve the public welfare in various ways. For three years he was road commissioner and four times he was nominated by the democrats for township supervisor, being de- feated by a small margin each time. He is township committee man of his party, was delegate to the state convention of 1918, and has a large acquaintance among those prominent in polities over the state.

In 1895, at the age of twenty-three, Mr. Bockhold married Miss Ana Ma- tilda Blaesing, daughter of Bernard Blaesing. Her father was born in Ger- many and married Mary Goesina Kroner. The Blaesings were long prominent as farming people of Melrose Township. Mrs. Bockhold was born in that township. Mr. and Mrs. Bockhold lost three children. Those still living are Stella, Rosena, Elizabeth Florence, Agnes Anna, Alois George, Helen Mary and Margaret Anna. All these children are still at home. The family are members of St. Antonius Catholic Church 11/2 miles from their home.

JOHN WAND. Some of the richest and most productive land of Melrose Township has responded to the efforts of three generations of the Wand fam- ily, who are properly considered among the progressive and successful agri- culturists of that locality in Adams County. The old Wand farm and home is mine miles sontheast of Quincy, and is now owned by Mr. John Wand, who was born on the farm, and the third generation of the family is represented by his son, the farm manager for the last ten or twelve years.

John Wand was born July 19, 1853, son of William and Margaret (Berg- man) Wand. His father, a native of Germany, came to the United States with a couple of companions and was a farm laborer in Adams County. In 1849 he joined the tide of gold seekers in California, and spent several years on the gold coast, mining and following other occupations. With some cap- ital saved from that venture and experience he returned to Adams County in 1852 and bought a tract of sixty-eight acres in Melrose Township, paying about $30 an acre. It was partly improved, but much of it was in timber, and contained only one or two log buildings. He went to work clearing away the woods and brush, and gradually added to his possessions until he had 360 acres. The home place proper constituted 240 acres, but all his land lay in practically one body. He was a very strong and resourceful man both phys- ically and mentally, and left his farm as a substantial testimony to his efforts and enterprise. One of the large barns on the farm was built by him about the close of the Civil war and has been standing and in constant use for half a century. William Wand and wife were married in Marion County, Mis- souri. She had come to this country with her parents. William Wand and wife finally retired from the farm and moved to Quincy, where they bought a home and where they both died in 1881, he on a Wednesday and she the fol- lowing Saturday. He was then sixty years of age and she fifty-eight. He was a democrat, and had served as road commissioner for the good of the com- munity. The family were all members of St. Anthony's Catholic Church 51% miles from their farm. Both parents were laid to rest in the St. Boniface churchyard at Quincy. A brief record of their children is as follows: Wil- liam, who was a farmer near the old place but died in Quincy; Christ ; John ; Enoch, who was a farmer but finally retired to Quincy, where he died, and his widow and family are living in that city; Mary, unmarried; Margaret, who lives in Quincy, widow of Gerry Vanden Boom.

Mr. John Wand has spent all his life on the old homestead. He attended the local schools, and as soon as old enough assumed a share in the manage-

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ment of the place and later acquired 160 acres of the home farm for himself. He built a substantial residence in 1895. He has always kept his interests on the farm, has devoted his land to grain and stock raising, and for the past twelve years has turned over the chief responsibilities to his son.

At the age of twenty-six Mr. Wand married Miss Caroline Kaltenbach, who was reared in Payson Township of this eounty, and was twenty years of age at her marriage. She is a daughter of William Kaltenbach, and a member of the well known Kaltenbach family elsewhere referred to, Mr. and Mrs. Wand had three children: Edward; Eugene, a plumber at Quincy, with Best Broth- ers ; and Elnora, wife of Frank Awerkamp, a bookkeeper at Quincy.

Edward Wand was born on the home farm April 15, 1880. At the age of twenty-five he married Mary Benz, daughter of Joseph Benz. They have two sons, John Edward, born in 1916, and Joseph William, born in February, 1919. John Wand is a democrat but has never sought any public honors.

WILLIAM WESLEY HORNER, now living retired in the Village of Camp Point, has had much experience to identify him with Adams County. He culti- vated and gathered erops from the land for nearly half a century, and he can appreciate more than most living citizens the wonderful conveniences and facilities which the modern agriculturist enjoys, over those who performed the labor of planting and gathering erops in the early days.

The Horner family has been a factor in Adams County citizenship for nearly seventy years. William Wesley Horner was born in Hamilton County, Ohio, February 5, 1839, and was a boy of ten years when brought to this county. His parents were William and Maria (Iludson) Horner, also natives of Ohio. When they came to Adams County they settled in Columbus Township, buying eighty acres of unimproved land. William Horner had made the first improve- ments and was only just getting comfortably located when he died June 1, 1854, at the age of forty years. His widow survived him just forty years and passed away in 1894, at the age of seventy-five. Their children were: Eliza- beth, William Wesley, Eliza, Rose Ann, deceased, Albert L., Cynthia, Zebulon, deceased, and Alice.

William Wesley Horner finished his edueation in an old log school house near his father's farm. Later he acquired the homestead of eighty aeres and has kept that land in thorough cultivation and has gathered additional land under his ownership until he now has 137 acres in Columbus Township.

In 1893 he removed to the Village of Camp Point and bought an acre of ground as a building site and erected a very commodious and ample residence, situated just west of the Maplewood High School. Mr. Horner is a democrat in politics and while living in Columbus Township was a member of the school board eighteen years, and also township supervisor and road commissioner. He is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and with the Christian Church at Camp Point.

August 17, 1862, Mr. Horner married Miss Eliza A. DeMoss. They have lived together fifty-six years and their home is almost unique in the fact that it has never been the scene of either a death or a birth. Mrs. Horner was born in Adams County March 18, 1842, a daughter of Peter and Catherine (Her- ron) DeMoss. Her parents were natives of Ohio, her father born in April, 1818, and her mother in 1825. They settled in Adams County in the '30s and were prominent residents of Columbus Township. Her father died there in 1854 and her mother in 1911. Mrs. Horner is the oldest of three children. Her sister, Mary Elizabeth, is the wife of John Christopher Marshall, and her only brother, James William, lived at Savannah, Missouri.

Albert L. Horner, brother of William Wesley, has for many years been one of the leading stock farmers and citizens of Camp Point Township. He was born in Hamilton Township, Ohio, January 24, 1845, and eame to this county at the age of four years. He is the owner of 201 aeres in Camp Point Town- ship and other lands in Columbus Township. In 1875 he removed to Camp

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Point Township and bought from his father-in-law the old John F. Seaton farm, ont of the best and most noted farmsteads in that part of the county. This farm he has made the center of his extensive stock raising industry. He is a well known breeder of Poland China hogs and Polled Angus cattle. Ilis po- litieal affiliations have been with the democratic party. He has served as road commissioner. He is a member of the Christian Church of Camp Point.

In 1875 Albert L. Horner married Maria Seaton. Her father, John F. Sea- ton, came to Adams County when a child from Kentucky and spent all his life in this locality. Mr. and Mrs. Albert L. Horner had four children. Alice, the oldest, died when four years old. Nellie is the wife of Henry Meyers, and their children are named Horner, Alfred and Eleanor. Florence is the wife of War- ren II. Hoke and has one daughter, Margaret. Kate is the wife of William Steiner and has a daughter, Lois. Mrs. Albert L. Horner died December 15, 1915.

CHARLES VEIHL is a man of importance in Burton Township, has been iden- tified with farming there for many years, and is now rendering valuable serviee in the office of highway commissioner. His home is fourteen miles south- east of Quincy.

Mr. Veihl was born at St. Louis Oteober 21, 1865. His father, Christ Veihl, came to Quiney from St. Louis and was a wagon maker by trade. He was employed in the old Knapheide wagon shop until about 1873, when he moved to Burton Village and ran his own shop there until he lost an arm through an accident. After that he continued to live in the Village of Burton, ran a hnekster wagon for some years, and died in 1910, when about sixty-seven years of age. He married Christina Fultz, who died some years before him. They were married in St. Louis. Besides Charles one son, Christ, is a resident of Fall Creek Township, and two sisters, Mrs. George Kemmerer and Mrs. Fred Usher, live in Quiney, and two others have their home in Kansas City, Missouri.

Charles Veihl grew up at Burton, and from an early age began earning his own living. For a number of years he was in the employ of George Abel. At the age of twenty-four he married Miss Hannah Gilhouse, daughter of August and Serepta (Huffman) Gilhouse. Her parents were residents of Bur- ton Township. Her father gave her at the time of her marriage eighty aeres of land, this being the old farm of Major Aten, who built the substantial house there in 1859. Mr. Veihl has farmed this place ever since his marriage, and has inereased his holdings by another eighty aeres purchased at $100 an acre. He is engaged in general farming and specializes in Poland China hogs.

In the way of public service Mr. Veihl was tax collector of the township two years and for the past three years has been highway commissioner. His chief duties in this office are the building of a number of eement eulverts on the town- ship highways. He is a democrat and has served as preeinet committeeman and election judge.

Mrs. Veihl died in 1915, the mother of two sons, Elmer and William. Both sons had a part in the management of the farm until William enlisted and is now a soldier at Camp Sheridan. Ehner, who remains on the farm, married Miss Frances Lester.

WILLIAM BOCK is proprietor of one of those farms in Melrose Township that have been longest in the possession of and under the tillage of one family. His home is nine miles southeast of Quincy, and the land in his farm has been im- proved and cultivated by the Boek family for more than half a century.

It was not far from his present home that William Boek was born Septem- ber 5. 1860. Ile is a son of Daniel and Fredericka (Gasser) Bock. Daniel Bock was born in Waldeck. Germany, February 2, 1828, and was reared and edu- cated in the schools of his native country. He came to America in 1854, locat- ing in Melrose Township, where his older brother, William, also lived. William

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spent many years in this county, was an active farmer in Melrose Township, and died after living retired several years in Quincy. He left no descendants. Daniel Bock worked on a farm two years after coming to Adams County, and then married in Quincy on February 7, 1858, Miss Gasser. She was born in Germany March 14, 1838. She came to America with her mother and three brothers. These brothers, William, Fred and Henry Gasser, all went west and became business men. Fredericka Gasser was twenty years of age at the time of her marriage. After that Daniel Bock rented land from his brother William in Melrose Township, and about 1866 bought eighty acres for $4,500. A few years later he acquired another eighty acres at $80 an acre. This is the land now in the home farm of his son William. Daniel Bock brought that land under a high state of cultivation, abundantly supplied with fruit and with good build- ings. He was one of the most energetic farmers in the township. He built a house, barn and other buildings, and was always up to date in his farm manage- ment. His wife died on the old farm, and he passed away in 1910 at a good old age. He was a democrat and a member of the German Lutheran Church in Fall Creek Township. He and his wife had eight children : Mary, first wife of Adam Speckhart ; William; Fred, a resident of Quiney; Philip, a farmer in Melrose Township near Marblehead; John, who was an employe of the Burlington Rail- way and was killed in a train accident : Henry, a farmer in Fall Creek Town- ship ; Kate, who lives with her sister Minnie; and Minnie, wife of Fred Reich, member of a well known family elsewhere referred to in these pages.

William Bock grew up on his father's farm, and for two years he worked out as a farm hand at wages of $175 to $190 a year. On March 22, 1888, he mar- ried Miss Elizabeth Rothgeb, of Quincy, daughter of Charles Rothgeb. Mrs. Bock was born on the farm where she now lives, her father renting it at the time. She grew up in Quincy and was educated there. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Bock rented land in Fall Creek Township and then took over the home farm. After his father's death Mr. Bock bought the other interests in the 160 acres, and has continued there a very prosperous career as a general farmer, adding much to the value of the farm in the way of buildings and other facilities. He is the present dircetor of his local school board, and in politics is a democrat. He and his family are members of the Bluff Hall Church in Fall Creek Township.

For the past two years Mr. Bock has been retired from the more active re- sponsibilities of the farm, which is conducted by his son-in-law. He and his wife have five children : Emma is the wife of Ed Wolf, of Pike County, Illinois. Margaret married Matt Loos, who lives on his father's farm. Carl died at the age of three years. Lydia is still. at home. Elsie married August Kaufmann, who now operates the Bock farm. August Kaufmann is a son of the late Henry Kaufmann, who was born in Germany and died in Melrose Township April 21, 1916. He married in Quincy Catherine Speckhart, a sister of John and Adam Speckhart.

BEN SCHNEIDER is a resident of Melrose Township, his farm home being eight miles southeast of Quincy. He is one of the capable farmers and citizens of that locality and for a number of years has been a general farmer, stock raiser and truck grower, marketing the produce of his fields largely in Quincy.

He was born two miles from his present home on November 3, 1867, son of Moritz and Catherine (Mnhe) Schneider. Moritz Schneider was born in Stein- bach, Germany, and was eighteen years of age when he came to the United States in company with a friend, George Herold, who became a well known Adams County citizen. They landed at Quincy, and Moritz Schneider worked in a store for a time. In 1850 he went overland to California, having a partner and driving eighty oxen across the plains. It took all summer to cross. For four years he remained in the mining districts, made considerable money, but saved comparatively little on account of the high cost of living. He returned by way of the Isthmus. After that he lived in Adams County, making his home with Vol. II-38

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Mr. Herold until he married, at the age of thirty-two, Miss Catherine Mule, of St. Louis. She was twenty-two years of age at the time of her marriage.

After that they began farming near St. Anthony's Catholic Church and in 1868 moved to the present farm of Ben Schneider. Moritz Schneider seeured eighty-two acres of rather poor land, with indifferent buildings, and in course of time had a good farm. He built the present home in 1893. During his last years he lived retired at a small property close to his old home. He also owned ninety-four acres in the same locality, improved it with buildings, and sold it to his son. Mr. Schneider served sixteen years as road boss and was a democrat in politics. He died December 31, 1910, at the age of eighty-five years and two months, and is one of the well remembered old timers of Melrose Township. His widow survived him about a year and was seventy-six at the time of her death. They were active members of St. Anthony's Catholic Church, situated five miles from their home. They contributed to the building of that church, and he was a trustee for many years. They are laid to rest in the churchyard there. Their family consisted of eight children: August and Philip, both of whom died in early childhood ; Elizabeth, who died at the age of twenty ; Margaret, Mrs. Henry Wand, of Melrose Township; Ben, whose Christian name is Boniface ; Philip, who lived near the old homestead and died in 1908, at the age of thirty-six ; Emma, who married Simon Wand and died in 1917, at the age of forty-five; and Pauline, who became Sister Dolores in the Order of St. Francis at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and died at the age of thirty-five.

Ben Schneider remained at the old homestead, rented the farm from his father, and finally bonght it. For fifteen years during the winter he com- bined farming with another ocenpation, that of teaming for the Papes flour mill on Mill Creek. He now has his farm nearly all in cultivation, with twenty-six acres of rich bottom land on Mill Creek. As a trnek grower he specializes in such crops as melons and potatoes. He has always raised a number of hogs. In the way of public service Mr. Schneider was highway commissioner one term of three years. That was an important office at the time, sinee as a result of heavy floods many of the bridges and culverts had been destroyed and for several months he was almost constantly on duty in rebuilding and repairing the highways. That was before the time of cement construction, and bridges were not built so per- manently as at present. Mr. Schneider is a democrat, and he and his family are members of St. Anthony's Church.

January 10, 1899, he married Miss Mary Dreier, of Olpe, Lyon County, Kan- sas. Mrs. Schneider was born in Melrose Township May 11, 1873, daughter of Gerhardt Henry and Elizabeth (Evers) Dreier. Her father was a native of Ger- many, and was brought to America at the age of seven years by his parents, Gerhardt and Helena Dreier, who spent their last years in Melrose Town- ship. When Mrs. Schneider was twelve years of age her father, her mother having died at Quiney, moved out to Kansas, and she was her father's house- keeper for a number of years. Her father later returned to Adams County and died at Quincy in February, 1917, at the age of eighty-four. During Civil war times he had driven a span of mules in the Government serviee out to Salt Lake.

Mr. and Mrs. Schneider have a family of five children, all at home, named Isabel, Clara, Frank, David and Margaret.

FRANK WELLMANN. About seventy years ago William Wellmann bought 120 aeres of woodland in Melrose Township, with only two acres cleared and with a log house as a habitation. That was the beginning of a fine farm and may also be taken as the starting point for the capable enterprise of the Well- mann family in Adams County, though William Wellmann had visited here several years previously. The Wellmanns today, grandsons of William Well- mann, are noted as some of the best orehardists, fine stoek raisers and general farmers in Melrose Township.

William Wellmann was born in Germany and married there Sophia Dom- bray. Her father was a French soldier under Napoleon. William Wellmann

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was a blacksmith, and after coming to America and locating at Quincy con- ducted a shop for many years on Ninth Street. Then about 1847 he bought a 120 acres, as above noted, in Melrose Township. He devoted himself to clearing away the trees, extending the area of cultivation, but he subsequently lived for several years in Quiney in order that his sons might attend school there. He finally returned to the farm and his last days were spent in Quincy, where he died. His widow survived him until past eighty years of age. Both were active members of St. Francis Catholic Church at Quiney, and they were laid to rest in St. Boniface Cemetery. Part of the present home on the Wellmann farm was built by William Wellmann more than forty years ago. The son Frank recon- structed the home in its present form. William Wellmann was no seeker of publie office, merely a democratic voter, and always bore the character of a steady, industrious and upright citizen. Ile and his wife had nine children : Frank ; William, a saddler living in Montana; Frederick, of Palmyra, Missouri; John, a painter at Quincy; Elizabeth, who married Edmond Reed, and died in 1907; Sophia, who died in 1913, the wife of Louis Klingle; Catherine, widow of John Criddell, living in Quincy; Theresa, widow of Frank Kerkmann; and Philomena, widow of Joseph Ashman, of Quincy.

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Quincy and Adams County history and representative men, Vol. II, Part 96

Author: Wilcox, David F., 1851- ed Publication date: 1919 Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 952

Author: Wilcox, David F., 1851- ed
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 952