The History of McLean County, Illinois; portraits of early settlers and prominent men, Part 138

Author: Le Baron, Wm., Jr. & Co., Chicago, Pub
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : W. Le Baron, Jr.
Number of Pages: 1092

USA > Illinois > McLean County > The History of McLean County, Illinois; portraits of early settlers and prominent men > Part 138

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES :

Blue are seven in number, all of whom are now living; their names are: Bert, born Oct. 17, 1860; Hattie, born May 10, 1864: Katie, born Nov. 30, 1866; Della, born April 23, 1870 ; William, born Oct. 22, 1872 ; Harry, born Feb. 24, 1875, and Gracie, born April 7, 1878. Mrs. Blue was a daughter of Joshua Wood, who was born Nov. 6, 1804; he emigrated from Virginia to Illinois, and located in McLean Co. about the year 1850. He died in Old Town Township June 3, 1863. He was married in Virginia to Ann Hedrick ; she was born in Virginia : she died April 1, 1875. They were the parents of six children, of whom five are now living-George, Ahaz, Ezra, John and Kate.

S. W. BURKE, retired farmer and loan agent, Sec. 6; P. O. Bloomington. The subject of this sketch was born in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., May 20, 1824. He was brought up to farm labor until he attained his majority ; he then worked at the ship-carpenter's trade four years , and afterward followed the life of a sailor four years, most of the time upon the lakes. In the spring of 1850, he went to California, and followed mining one year. when he engaged in dealing in provisions and mining supplies four years, meeting with fair success. In the spring of 1855, he returned to Jefferson Co., N. Y., and purchased a farm, and engaged in farming for fifteen years. a portion of which time he resided in Watertown, N. Y. In the spring of 1365, he emi- grated to Illinois, and purchased 500 acres of Section 3, Old Town Township, McLean Co., upon which he located, and engaged in farming and stock-raising for four years, when he disposed of his farm for $25,500 cash, and, with his family removed to Bloomington, and purchased a resi- dence on East Washington street, where he engaged in loaning money, and, in the spring of 1871, he purchased his present place of 300 acres, upon Sec. 6, where he has since lived and followed the business of farming, stock-raising and loaning money. His marriage with Hulda E. Burke was celebrated in New York March 13, 1856. She was born in Allen Co., Ind., April 6, 1834. They were the parents of seven children, of whom six are now living-Byron R., May E., Charles O., Sada I., Reed and Clara A. ; the deceased died at three years of age. The children all make their home with their parents.

A. M. BEAL, farmer, Sec. 5 ; P. O. Bloomington : born in Butler Co., Ohio, Feb. 17, 1831, where he followed farming until 23 years of age, when he engaged in school teaching a short time, and then again resumed farming, which business he continued until 1868, at which date he came to Illinois, and, with J. W. Doner, purchased 160 acres upon Section 5, Old Town Township. After farming two years, he disposed of his interest to Mr. Doner, and returned to Butler Co., Ohio, and followed farming until 1876, when he returned to McLean Co., Ill., and purchased his present place of eighty acres. upon Section 5, Old Town Township, where he has since lived. His marriage with Lydia Yeakle was celebrated Nov. 8, 1857 ; she was born in Butler Co., Ohio. Feb. 17, 1833. They have two children by this union-Ada L., now Mrs. Milton H. Young, of this township, and Daniel J., living at home. Republican ; United Brethren.

IRA P. BEDELL, farmer, Sec. 2: P. O. Holder. The subject of this memoir was born in Greene Co., N. Y., Nov. 7, 1834, where he followed farming until 1861, at which date he emi- grated to McLean Co., Ill., and, with his father, followed farming in Padua Township until the decease of the latter, which occurred Dec. 10. 1863. In 1866, he purchased his present place of eighty acres upon Sec. 2, Old Town Township, upon which he then located, where he has since lived. His father, Richard Bedell, was born Nov. 20, 1805, in Greene Co., N. Y., where he was married to Jane Searles; she was born July 16, 1812. They were the parents of two sons ; the youngest-John ; he lost his life while serving in the 94th Regiment I. V. I., upon the 29th of August, 1863. Mrs. Bedell died, May 24, 1866. The marriage of Ira P. Bedell with Sarah T. Bingham was celebrated Sept. 16, 1863. She was born in Lake Co., Ill .. May 19, 1842. They have four children now living, having los two by death. The living are-John S., born Nov. 3, 1866 ; Homer, Nov. 13, 1867 ; George E., Oct. 30, 1874; and Melvin W., April 30, 1877. The deceased died in infancy. Mrs. Bedell was a daughter of G. J. Bingham, who located in Lake Co., Ill., at an early day, and came to Padua Township, McLean Co., in 1855, where his decease occurred Feb. 21, 1879. Mrs. Bingham now lives upon the old place.

DYER COLAW, farmer : P. O. Downs; one of the old settlers of McLean Co. ; born in Highland Co., Va .. Feb. 20, 1846. He is the son of William Colaw, who emigrated from Virginia and located in McLean Co. in 1854. llis biography appears among the biographical sketches of Downs Township in this work The subject of this sketch emigrated with his parents when 9 years of age, and located in McLean Co. He attended the common school until 19 years of age, during which time he was engaged in farming in summer. He remained with his father until he attained his majority, when, upon the 15th of September, 1867, he was united in marriage with Mary J. Garr; she was born in McLean Co. Dec. 31, 1841. They have two children- Alpha, born Sept. 19, 1868 ; Lillie, May 21, 1872. Upon the marriage of Mr. Colaw, he engaged in farming two years in McLean Co. and three years in De Witt Co., and located upon Sec. 34 in Old Town Township, where he has since lived. He is engaged in farming some 150 acres. Mr. and Mrs. Colaw have been members of the M. E. Church for a period of fifteen years. Mrs. C. is a daughter of Joseph Garr, one of the early settlers, who emigrated from Kentucky and located upon Scc. 34, in Old Town Township, McLean Co., in 1836, where he lived until his decease, which occurred March 15, 1844. He married in Kentucky, in 1820, Margaret Galloway ; she was born in Kentucky, and died in MeLean Co. March 9, 1876, aged 76 years.

HUDSON TP.

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OLD TOWN TOWNSHIP.

FREDERICK R. COWDEN, retired farmer, Sec. 31; P. O. Downs ; one of the early pion- eers of MeLean Co., and one of the oldest living of the early settlers of MeLean Co .; born in Allen Co., Ky., Nov. 30. 1811 : his father, James Cowden, was born in Virginia, and emigrated to Kentneky at a very early day, where he followed farming until his decease, which occurred about the year 1835. The subject of this sketch lived with his father and was brought up to heavy farm labor, until 21 years of age, and, in 1833, emigrated to Illinois and located in Greene Co., and. the following year. 1834, he entered eighty-one acres of land in this and Downs Town- ship, which he at once commenced to improve. He built a hewed-log cabin, cutting and hewing the logs himself; his cabin was at that time considered of a superior quality, as it had a brick chimney and plank floor, the boards of which he sawed by hand ; he afterward built a frame addition, and in the cabin lived thirty years, and a portion of it is now used as a kitchen to his present residence. He has driven stock to Galena, Ill., and St. Louis, Mo .; his milling was done at Mackinaw, and afterward at Bloomington, which he considered quite near. At the time Mr. Cowden settled here, there were but few settlers ; some few had settled upon the streams and timber, but not a single house was to be seen upon the prairie : there were no roads at that time, nothing but deer-paths and Indian trails, and to go to Bloomington or any point, a direct. line would be taken, with no fence to obstruct the way. Such has been the progress of improve- ment during the forty-five years' residence of Mr. Cowden, that the whole vast prairie has been improved to such an extent that upon nearly every quarter-section stands one or more houses ; there was not a single railroad in the State at that time, while now you can reach a railroad by going a distance of five miles in nearly every part of the county, and within a distance of seven miles from where Mr. Cowden now lives, center eight railroads, one of which passes by his door, the station of which is located upon his land, and is named Gillum, in honor of Mrs. Cowden. He has suffered all the hardships and privations of frontier life ; he was his own carpenter in build- ing his first house, burning the bricks for the chimney ; he cut and split his own rails, broke his own prairie, which he has brought to a high state of cultivation. His marriage with Polly (Gillum) Price was celebrated Aug. 17, 1842; she was born in Kentucky Feb. 24, 1824; they had eight children, one died in infancy ; the living are-John J., born May 24, 1843 ; Amanda J., born Nov. 12, 1845; William R., born Dee. 19, 1847; Eliza A., born March 10, 1850; Matilda B., born Aug. 16, 1852; Frank, born Dec. 22, 1854, and Elizabeth G., born Jan. 17, 1857-all of whom are married and live within four miles of their parents. Of township and school offices, he has had his full share, having been Collector, Supervisor and School Trustee for most of the time of his residence here. Mr. Cowden had no capital when he located here, except one horse, which he rode from Greene Co. He borrowed the money to enter his first land, and paid it from the receipts of his wages, at $9 per month ; he has since, by his hard labor, accumulated about five hundred acres ; has given each of his children some $3,000 in land, and has reserved the old homestead for the support of himself and wife, who has nobly assisted him in accumulating all the above property.

JOHN J. COWDEN, farmer, Sec. 32; P. O. Downs ; one of the pioneers of MeLean Co .; born in what is now Downs Township, MeLean Co., May 24, 1843 ; he is the oldest son of F. R. Cowden, one of the early settlers of Old Town Township, and whose sketch appears among the biographies of this township, in this work. The subject of this sketch obtained a limited edu- cation, in a log schoolhouse, and assisted his father in farming until 21 years of age, and, upon Nov. 19, 1864, was united in marriage with Naney C. Craig; she was born in MeLean Co. May 29, 1844 ; she was a daughter of Porter Craig, one of the early settlers of this eounty; they have no children of their own, but adopted a neice of Mrs. Cowden's, when 2 days old, which they have raised to its present age and educated as their own child; her name is Nancy E. Cowden, born June 9, 1870. Upon the marriage of Mr. Cowden, he located upon his present place, where he has 130 acres, with good farm buildings. He now holds the offices of Commis- sioner of Highways and School Director in the distriet in which he lives.

JOHN COLEMAN, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. O. Bloomington ; born in Perry Co., Ohio, AApril 28, 1833, where he attended the common schools and assisted his father in farming until 20 years of age; in 1856, he went to Iowa, returning to MeLean Co. in 1857, and, until 1864, followed farming upon rented land in Downs and Old Town Townships ; he then purchased his present place, upon which he then located and where he has since lived ; he has 159 acres upon his home farm, under a good state of cultivation, with the very best of farm buildings, which are finely located and of which the surroundings are very beautiful, showing that a large amount of labor, care and expense have been expended upon the beautifying of the same; he has a large and extended variety of fruits, as well as numerous kinds of trees and shrubbery, of native and foreign growth. His marriage with Elizabeth Reddick was celebrated in May, 1855; she was born in Ohio Oet. 20, 1835, and died Oct. 8, 1875. Upon the 27th of December, 1877, he was united in marriage with Emma Bozarth ; she was born in this county May 9, 1856 ; she is a daughter of John Bozarth, who emigrated from Ohio, and located in MeLean Co. in 1854, and now lives in Bloomington Township.

LEWIS CASE, farmer, Sec. 25; P. O. Holder; one of the early pioneers of McLean Co .; born in Ontario, N. Y., Feb. 27, 1809, where he was brought up to farm labor until 1824, and, at 13 years of age. emigrated to furon Co., Ohio, from which place he emigrated to Illinois and

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located upon Sec. 25, Old Town Township, in 1833 ; his capital at that time consisted of one yoke of oxen and wagon (with which he hauled his family and worldly goods from Ohio), two feather- beds and bedding, and $50 worth of leather, which he traded for a cow, one hog and seven pigs. and provisions for the winter; he managed to get in a crop of corn, and, in the fall, he lost his cow, four pigs and one of his oxen, which left him in a worse condition than when he located ; the following summer, he made a short poke and plowed his corn with his single ox ; he built his first house of hewed logs, besides which he got out the rails and fenced forty acres the first year ; about the year 1835, new settlers came in and gradually increased until school districts were formed and churches were held. The first religious meeting held in Old Town Township was in the log house of Mr. Case, and in this log house the early settlers assembled from a dis- tance of many miles, where they worshiped God some thirteen years. Mr. Case erected the first frame barn, in which were held two quarterly meetings, and where school was kept. Mr. Case first entered forty acres of land, upon which he erected a rude log cabin ; to this forty acres he has since added until he now owns upward of six hundred acres ; in the place of the log house stands the best of farm buildings, and his taxes have increased from 25 cents to $250. His marriage with Sarah Hendrix was celebrated Oct. 13, 1831, in Ohio; she was born in New York State Jan. 14, 1810; they were the parents of five daughters, of whom four are now living, viz , Mary A., Olive, Sarah and Hannah E. Mr. and Mrs. Case have taken a deep interest in the cause of religion, having, with his wife, been a member of the M. E. Church for about half a century, and their children all being members of the same Church. The writer of this article is inclined to give Mr. Case the credit of being the oldest continuous living settler of this town- ship, but not feeling perfectly satisfied in this matter, he feels safe in saying that the two oldest continuous residents of Old Town Township are Lewis Case and Frederick R. Cowden.

ALEXANDER CRAIG, farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 25; P. O. Ilolder; born in Carroll Co., Ind., July 25, 1842 ; he was a son of Charles Craig, who was born in Ohio, and emigrated to Indiana at an early day, and then to Illinois in 1852; he located in McLean Co. in 1853 ; he died in 1855. The subject of this sketch followed farming until Aug. 5, 1862, when, at 20 years of age, he enlisted in Co. D, 94th I. V. I .. and went forward to battle for the Union ; he served in the campaign of Missouri and Arkansas, and, in the spring of 1863, was sent down the river. landing at Milliken's Bend, and marched across the country to Warrenton, where they crossed the Mississippi, and in June took a position at the extreme left of Grant's army in rear of Vicksburg, remaining there until after the surrender of that place, which occurred July 4, 1863 : they then went up the Yazoo, and, after capturing Yazoo City, on July 13, went down the river to New Orleans, then to Brownsville, Tex., remaining there until Angust, 1864, when he was forwarded to Mobile Bay and was engaged in the battles of Ft. Morgan and Spanish Fort, and, after the capture of Mobile. was sent to Galveston, Tex., in June, 1865, and mustered out of service in July, and was discharged at Springfield in August, 1865, having served a little over three years ; he then came to Old Town Township and farmed upon rented land some five years. when he removed upon his present place in 1871, where he has since continued to live ; he has 148 acres of land in Old Town Township, with good farm buildings, and forty acres in Downs Township. His marriage with Salle B. Campbell was celebrated Nov. 9. 1871 ; she was born in McLean Co., October, 1843; she was a daughter of John Campbell, who emigrated to McLean Co. with his father, A. Campbell, in 1835, and was one of the early settlers. They have two children by this union-Elizabeth A., born July 21, 1872; Nettie B., born Sept. 23, 1875.

A. CAMPBELL, farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 24; P. O. Holder; an old settler of McLean Co., Ill., born in Ireland March 27, 1826; he emigrated to America with his parents when 1 year of age, landing in New York in 1827: coming West, they lived eighteen months in Pitts- burgh ; then moved to Jessamine Co., Ky., where they lived eight years ; they then moved to McLean Co., 111., in 1835, and the following year located upon Sec. 26, in Old Town Township. where his father purchased eighty acres of land, and afterward entered and purchased some four hundred acres more ; here he lived until his decease, which occurred in August, 1873; Mrs. Campbell died June 12, 1869; they were the parents of four children, all of whom are now living, two in Padua and two in this township. The subject of this sketch made his home with his father until Feb. 26, 1852, when he was united in marriage with Mary Ellen Twining : she was born in Pennsylvania June 2, 1833, and is a daughter of Thomas Twining, whose biography appears in this work : they have seven children now living-Mary B., Thomas W., Elizabeth, Frank- lin E., Howard A., Charles C. and Nellie. Mrs. Campbell was a daughter of Thomas Twining, one of the early settlers and prominent men of Old Town Township, and whose biography appears among the sketches of Old Town Township in this work. Upon the marriage of Mr. Campbell, he settled upon his present place, where he has since lived during a period of a quarter of a century ; he has 320 acres of well-improved land, upon which he has good farm buildings ; he also owns sixty acres, upon Sec. 26, 329 in other parts of the county, 106 in De Witt Co., 80 in Lee Co. and 80 in Kansas. A more extended mention of his parents is to be found in the biog- raphy of his brother, James A. Campbell, in this work.

JAMES A. CAMPBELL, farmer, Sec. 26; P. O. Ilolder ; one of the early settlers ot McLean Co .; born in County Londonderry, Ireland, Feb. 27, 1822. He was a son of Archibald Campbell, who was born in Ireland in June, 1792. He married in Ireland to Elizabeth Shield :

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OLD TOWN TOWNSHIP.

she was also born in the same place in 1790; they emigrated to America and landed at Quebec in the summer of 1827; they then came to Pittsburgh, and, after living there eighteen months, went to Kentucky, where they lived some seven years, from which place they traveled by team to MeLean Co., Ill., being fifteen days upon the road ; they located upon the spot where James A. Campbell now lives, in the fall of 1835 ; he had at that time $1,600 in specie, good teams and plenty of provisions ; he was the wealthiest early settler that ever came to this township ; he first entered eighty acres of land, to which he afterward added by purchase until he had acquired some 500 acres. tle took an active interest in the affairs of the township, and held the office of Justice of the Peace for many years ; he was a brickmason and plasterer by trade, and worked at his trade for twenty-five years in connection with farming. He and his wife were mem- bers of the Baptist Church at the time of their decease, having been members previous to their marriage, lived and died consistent Christians. Mrs. Campbell died June 12, 1869, upon the old homestead. Mr. Campbell died Aug. 23, 1873, upon the same bed his wife died on. The subject of this memoir was raised to farm labor until quite a young inan, when he commenced to work at the mason's trade with his father, often doing work for a distance of' fifteen miles and upward from home, viz., Cheney's Grove, Blooming Grove, Le Roy and Bloomington. At upward of 20 years of age, he commenced for himself, and farmed in connection with his trade, continuing the same until about the year 1869, when he abandoned his trade, since which time he has given his attention to farming ; he has, in his home place, 132 acres of land, which is the old homestead upon which he with his father located in 1835 ; he also owns 160 acres upon Sec. 24, making in all a farm of 292 acres His marriage with Martha A. Shields was celebrated in Jessamine Co., Ky., Sept. 20, 1849: she was born in the same county April 24, 1820; they were the parents of seven children, of whom two are living-John T., born Dec. 5, 1854, and Mary Frances, Oct. 31, 1861 ; of the deceased, four died in infancy, and one, William R., was born Aug. 6, 1858, and died Feb. 25, 1875, in the 18th year of his age, from the effects of sunstroke. Mrs. Campbell was a daughter of James Shields, who was born in Londonderry, in Ireland, May 6, 1781. Ile married Sarah Black in Kentucky ; she was born in Kentucky Sept. 17, 1789. Mr. Shields died in Jessamine Co., Ky., June 20, 1865, aged 89 years. Mrs. Shields died June 14, 1867, at the age of 78 years.

S. L. CHAPIN, physician and surgeon ; Holder. The subject of this memoir was born in Marion, DeWitt Co,, 111., June 16, 1851 ; he attended the common schools until 18 years of age, after which he engaged in farming with his father until 21 years of age, when he commenced the study of medicine with Drs. Tyler & Chapin, at Marion, pursuing his studies two years ; he then entered the Rush Medical College at Chicago, attending one term, and, in March, 1875, he located at Downs and engaged in the practice of medicine, and, the following fall, associated with Dr. James Montgomery, and erected a store and engaged in the drug business in connection with the practice of medicine, which business they yet continue, and have since added a stock of paints, oils, glass, putty, notions, and a complete stock of such articles as is usually kept in a first-class drug store, as well as a complete stock of groceries, provisions, etc. Their business card is to be fonnd in the business directory of Downs, in another part of this work. In Decem- ber, 1878, Dr. Chapin located at Holder, where he has a constantly increasing practice, and where he intends making his future home. His marriage with Ada P. Douthell was celebrated July 25, 1878 ; she was born in Jamestown, Penn., March 29. 1855.

J. M. DOOLEY, farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 22; P. O. Bloomington ; born in Clark Co., Ky., Nov. 11, 1830. He is a son of William Dooley, who was born in the same county, and emigrated to Illinois and located in Old Town Township in the spring of 1852, where he pur- chased 1,500 acres of land upon which he engaged in farming and stock-raising until his decease, which occurred June 6, 1869. The subject of this memoir remained with his father and assisted in farming and stock-raising until Jan. 17, 1853, when he was united in marriage with Susan J. Nelson ; she was born in Montgomery Co., Ky., Oct. 25, 1834 ; they have cleven children now liv- ing, having lost one by death ; the living are Florence M., William L., Romulus W., Annie T., Henry S., Samuel C., Charles W., Emma C., Raymond, Edney and Bernice. Upon the marriage of Mr. Dooley, he commenced farming for himself, which business he has since followed, with the excep- tion of ten years he lived in Indiana. He settled upon his present place in 1864 ; he owns upon his home farm 373 acres, upon which he has good farm buildings, and 125 acres upon Sec. 20. Mr. Dooley is now Commissioner of Highways, and School Treasurer, and has also held the office of Assessor, and other petty offices.

O. G. DOOLEY, farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 20; P. O. Downs ; born in Clark Co., Ky., Sept. 20, 1837. He is a son of William Dooley, who emigrated from Kentucky and located in Old Town Township in the spring of 1852, where he purchased 1,500 acres of land and engaged in farming and stock-raising until his decease. The subject of this sketch attended the common school in Kentucky, and, after locating in McLean Co., he attended school at Bloomington one year, then, afterward, during the winter, in an old log schoolhouse in Old Town Township. In 1859, he went with a party of twenty teams to Pike's Peak, being twenty days making the trip from Independence, Mo., to California Gulch, where he was clerk for J. H. Bean, from Kentucky, in selling merchandise and merchants' supplies, where he remained two years; returning to McLean Co., he engaged in farming, which business he has since followed. Ile removed upon

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his present place in 1867, where has since lived : he owns 290 acres of prairie and timber land, all of which is under improvement and upon which he has good farm buildings : he is engaged feeding cattle and hogs, raising his own feed. His marriage with Amanda J. Cowden was cel- ebrated in December, 1864 ; she was born in McLean Co., Ill .; she is a daughter of F. R. Cowden, one of the carly pioneers of McLean Co., whose biography appears in this work. The children of O. G. and Amanda Dooley are four in number, viz., John C., William F., Charles A. and Dwight. Mr. Dooley is now Assessor of Old Town Township, which office he has held for four years.

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The History of McLean County, Illinois; portraits of early settlers and prominent men, Part 138

Author: Le Baron, Wm., Jr. & Co., Chicago, Pub Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Chicago : W. Le Baron, Jr. Number of Pages: 1092

Author: Le Baron, Wm., Jr. & Co., Chicago, Pub
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : W. Le Baron, Jr.
Number of Pages: 1092