USA > Illinois > Henry County > The biographical record of Henry County, Illinois > Part 53
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72
four children, while two died previously. He departed this life in the spring of 1899. at the age of seventy-six years. Herbert R. was next in order of birth. George H., is said to be the oldest pioneer resident of Moline. During his active business life he engaged in farming and is now trustee of the Second National Bank of Moline. He has one son, Milton. Charles was engaged in the hardware business in early life, but is now living retired in Galesburg.
Mr. Edwards of this sketch was reared was united in marriage with Miss Harriet and educated in Moline. At the age of twenty-one he turned his attention to the mason's trade, which he followed for some years, but in 1866 located in Western town- ship, Henry county, and devoted the re- mainder of his life to agricultural pursuits. He was the owner of four eighty-acre farms in that township, all under cultivation.
On the 4th of July, 1852, Mr. Edwards M. Gordon, a native of Wayne county, Michigan, and a daughter of Amos and Amy ( Bucklin ) Gordon. The father was born in Maine, in 1792, and when a young man removed with his parents to Wayne county, Michigan, where he enlisted in the war of 1812. In 1836 he came to Henry county, Illinois, and settled near Geneseo, where he lived for seven or eight years, and! then removed to Moline, where he died at the extreme old age of ninety-eight years. He made farming his principal occupation throughout life. His wife survived him about five years and died at the age of nine- ty-three. Their oklest son, Daniel Gordon, is now living a retired life in Moline. He, too, was an agriculturist, and for about twenty years served as county surveyor of Rock Island county. He also filled the office of supervisor.
521
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Edward were born seven children, namely : Carrie M., wife of Frank Stewart, of Colorado: Frank H., a resident of Western township: Clarence A. of Gottenburg, Nebraska: Charles H., who died at the age of two and a half years : Flora B., wife of William Tully, of Colora- do; Grace F., wife of Clarence Ward, of Atkinson township, this county : and Helen, wife of Abel Ward, of Munson township. this county.
After a well-spent and busy life Mr. Ed- wards passed away in Western township on the 21st of November. 1874. He efficiently filled the office of school director for a time. and was serving as assessor of his township at the time of his death. While a resident of Moline he was a member of the Congre- gational Church, but after his removal to Western township he joined the English Lutheran Church, which his family also at- tended. On the 3Ist of July. 1890, Mrs. Edwards became the wife of David L. Pur- viance, who is represented on another page of this volume, and they now reside on South Oakwood avenue. Geneseo.
JOHN FREMONT CALKINS.
Among the native sons of Henry county who are now prominently connected with its agricultural interests is John F. Calkins, who is successfully engaged in farming on section 22, Oxford township. His fine farm of one hundred and seventy-two acres adjoins the corporate limits of Alpha, and its neat and thrifty appearance plainly indicates the care. ful supervision and good business ability of the owner.
Mr. Calkins was born at the homestead
in Alpha. December 1. 1856, a son of An- son and Hulda G. Calkins, whose sketch ap- pears elsewhere in this work. He was reared in much the usual manner of farmer boys of his time and received a good practical educa- tion in the common schools near his home. He remained under the parental roof until his marriage, which was celebrated at Alpha, January 28, 1879. Miss Elvira J. Elliott be- coming his wife. She was born in Henry county, Ohio, and is a daughter of Willard Elliott, who met death by accident in Henry county. Ohio. Her mother afterward came to Illinois and here married Charles Elliott, a brother of her first husband. Mrs. Cal- kins was principally reared and educated at Alpha. By her marriage she has become the mother of five children, namely : Effie .A., Edna P .. Mary H., Stella E. and Frances W. The three younger children are still in school.
After his marriage Mr. Calkins located upon his present farm and to its further in- provement and cultivation he has since de- voted his energies. He has enlarged and re- modeled the residence and now has a very pleasant home, surrounded by good out- buildings and shade and fruit trees. In con- nection with his farming operations he is engaged in raising and feeding stock for market, which branch of his business he finds quite profitable. Since attaining his major- ity he has supported the men and measures of the Republican party, but has never sought office, preferring to give his time and atten- tion to his business interests. His wife and two older daughters are active members of the Baptist Church, to which he contributes liberally although not a member of any re- ligious denomination. Fraternally he is con- nected with the Modern Woodmen of Amer- ica at Alpha, and both he and his wife held
522
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
membership in the Fraternal Tribune at Woodhull. They are widely and favorably known, and no couple in the community where they reside are held in higher regard than Mr. and Mrs. Calkins.
HENRY MUSSEY.
The subject of this sketch, who is a member of the well-known firm of Mussey Brothers, grain and coal dealers of Atkin- son, Illinois, was born in Rutland, Vermont. on the Ist of June, 1828, and is a son of Henry and Sabra Amanda ( Lawrence ) Mussey, also natives of the Green Mountain state, the former born in March, 1795. the latter in May. 1808. The Mussey family is an old one in America. Our subject's pa- ternal grandfather, Ebenezer Mussey, was a native of Connecticut and a farmer by occu- pation, while his maternal grandfather. Cap- tain Amos Lawrence, was captain of a com- pany of Connecticut troops in the Revolu- tionary war. Throughout his active busi- ness life the father engaged in farming near Rutland, Vermont, and there died at the age of eighty-three years. The mother's death occurred at Atkinson, Illinois when she was ninety-two years of age. All of their ten children reached years of maturity and eight of the number are still living, while Henry. William and Mrs. Thomas Nowers are resi- dents of Atkinson.
Our subject grew to manhood on the home farm, and during the summer months assisted in its operation, while through the winter season he attended school in Rutland until eighteen years of age. He remained under the parental roof until twenty-four years of age. On coming west. in 1857. he
located in Will county, Illinois, about four miles from Aurora, where he purchased two hundred and seventy acres of improved land, and to its cultivation and further develop- ment devoted his energies for twenty-four years. Selling that place he came to Atkin- son where his brother Henry made his. home, and after living retired for two years he bought the elevator of Emanuel Law- baugh and embarked in the grain business. to. which he has since added coal. His brother is a member of the firm and they do quite a large and profitable business.
Mr. Mussey was married. November 9, 1852. to Miss Charlotte E. Moulthrop, who was born in. Vermont in 1829, and is of Scotch-Irish extraction. Her father, Tru- man Moulthrop, followed farming near Rut- land. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Mussey were born three children : Henry Ellsworth, who died at the age of six months : Jennie E., wife of I. J. Emmons, of Atkinson; and Alice Emily, wife of W. F. Arnold, by whom she has three children, Henry, Helen and Har- riet.
Mr. Mussey is an active member and deacon in the Congregational Church, while his wife is an Episcopalian in religious be- lief. Politically he is a stanch supporter of the Republican party and its principles. He bas ever taken an active and prominent part in: educational affairs, and served as school director in Will county eighteen years, in. Henry county for three years.
MRS. PAULINA H. SHINN.
Among the well-known residents and honored citizens of Oxford township. the Shinn family occupy an enviable position.
523
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Their homestwo adiron- the village of \ pha. Mrs. Shin was born in Addison coun- ty, Vermont, February 19, 1828, and belongs to an old and prominent New England fam- ily, tracing her ancestry back to Robert Pease, who came to the new world on the ship Francis from Ipswich, England. and landed in Boston in April, 1634. but later settled in Salem, Massachusetts. Her father, Obed Pease, was born in Enfield, Commecti- cut, April 20. 1789. and was a son of Eze kiel Pease, also a native of the same state The former was reared in Connecticut, but when a young man went to Vermont, where he cleared a farm and made for himself and family a good home. There he was married April 11, 1811, to Miss Lydia Lamos, a na- tive of New Hampshire. He continued to engage in farming in Vermont until 1839, when he came west and took up his residence in Knox county, Illinois, where he entered land and opened up a farm, making it his home until called to his final rest, in 1845. His wife died November 28, 1803.
On the removal of her parents to this state, Mrs. Shinn remained with a sister in Vermont to complete her education, and in 1844 joined her parents in Knox county. Prior to her marriage she was successfully engaged in teaching school in Knox and Warren counties. On the oth of January. 1848. she wedded Moses H. Shinn, who was born in Harrison county, West Virginia, November 5. 1821. a son of Hiram Shinn. The progenitor of his family in America was John Shinn. a Quaker, who came to this country from England in 1679, landing at Burlington. New Jersey, and later located in West Virginia. In 1833 Moses H. Shinn came to Illinois, and after spending some years in Fulton county. he took up his resi- dence in Knox county in 1841. Being a black-
smith by trade he followed that occupation in early life, but on his removal to Henry county, in 1855, he purchased land and turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. In Oxford township he improved the farm of two hundred and forty acres on which his widow still resides, erecting thereon a good residence and substantial barns and out-build- ings, and making many other improvements which added greatly to the value and at- tractive appearance of the place. He also bought land in Kansas for his children. On completing his apprenticeship as a black- smith he started out in life for himself with a capital of only twenty-five cents, but being industrious, energetic and ambitious he met with success in his undertakings, and by the assistance of his estimable wife accumulated a large and valuable property. He continued to actively engage in farming until his death, which occurred May 16, 1883. He was well and favorably known throughout his section of the county as a man of business integrity and sterling worth, and had the confidence and respect of all with whom he came in contact. Politically he was a stanch Repub- lican, the principles of which party his fam- ily also support.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Shinn were born six children, namely : Sylvia A., wife of Charles Hall, of Akron, lowa: Carroll A., who is married and engaged in farming in Jewell county, Kansas; Bertha P., who was grad- uated from Knox College in 1894, and is now successfully engaged in teaching in Henry, Illinois. The others are now de- ceased. Angelia L., the first born, and Ed- win both died in infancy. Jenette E. married Robert Watson, of Henry county, and died in March, 1892, at the age of thir- ty-nine years, leaving one child, Ethel Wat- son, who finds a home with her grand-
524
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
mother. Mrs. Shinn and her daughter Bertha are members of the Methodist Epis- copal Church and are held in high regard by all who know them.
JOHN D. HILL.
Among the brave men who devoted the opening years of their manhood to the de- fense of our country from the internal foes who sought her dismemberment was John D. Hill, now a prominent resident of Gen- eseo. He was born in Rappahannock coun- ty, Virginia, March 19, 1843, but in 1855 came with his parents to this county, with whose interests he has since been actively identified.
William T. Hill, the father of our sub- ject, was born in Culpeper county, Virginia. April 10, 1821, and was the oldest son of John K. and Grace ( Jenkins ) Hill, also na- tives of the Old Dominion, and the former a soldier of the war of 1812. William I. Hill grew to manhood upon a farm in Rap- pahannock county, and on the 30th of March, 1841, was united in marriage with Miss Flizabeth Lockhart, who was born there January 13. 1821. They continued their residence in Rappahannock until 1845. when thes removed to Rockingham county. Vir- gina, where they made their home for six Men's. The following four years were spent of Augusta county, the same state, where Mr. TI perated a rented farm, and in 1855 he Giffle 1 . Henry county, Illinois, the family freeling overland in a spring wagon, while Blatt household goods were hauled in a two- ha- Munber wagon. It required thirty diye to make the journey. For two years Te Boller rented a farm in Cornwall town-
ship, and then purchased one hundred and sixty acres of wild prairie land on section 24. Munson township, for which he paid ten dollars per acre. It is now the property of our subject. and beng under a high state of cultivation and well improved, it is worth eighty dollars per acre. In 1856 the father erected thereon the first house, and the fol- lowing year harvested the first crop. He added to his farm until he had two hundred and eighty acres, and also owned city prop- erty in Geneseo, and three farms of two hun- dred and forty acres each in Nebraska. William T. Hill died December 30, 1893, and his wife died October 2, 1884, and their remains are interred in Oakwood cemetery, Geneseo.
John D. Hill, of this review, is the sec- ond in order of birth in a family of fourteen children, the others being as follows: Will- iam J., born January 15. 1842. enlisted Au- gust 15, 1862. in Company C. One Hundred and Twelfth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was killed in the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, June 7, 1864. George R., born .August 13, 1844. was married. December 31, 1873, to Mary M. Taylor, and is now en- gaged in the implement business in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sarah Elizabeth, born August 5. 1846, was married, January 25, 1865. to George Dugdale, now a retired farmer of Geneseo, Illinois. Julia F., born February 20, 1848, married Samuel J. Murphy, and died December 24. 1884. Edward L., born April 24. 1849, was married. December 28. 1871, to Ella Calhoun, and is now a traveling salesman for the McCormick Reaper Com- pany, residing in Des Moines, lowa. Rachel V., born April 27. 1851. was married, De- cember 28, 1871, to Porter Liken, now a retired farmer of Geneseo, Illinois. Mary E .. born September 7. 1852, was married.
527
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
September 7. 1876, to Adam Young, a farm- ly's Ford, Dandridge, and many others. er of Storm Lake, Iowa. Philip D., born He was shot in the shoulder at Knoxville. Tennessee, but remained in the service, and the flag which he carried was riddled by many bullets. June 17. 1854. was married. December 19, 1877. to Florence Benton, and is an anc- tioneer of Muscatine, Iowa. Jennie .A., born February 27. 1857, is the wife of Ilerman Wiedenhoeft, a farmer of Munson township. this county. James N., born September 17, 1858, married Belle McRae, and is a farmer and stock raiser of Colfax county, Nebraska. Emma P., born July 18. 1860, married James J. Callender, and resides in Des Moines, lowa. Stephen R., born September 27, 1862, married Cora McRae, and is a farmer and stock raiser of Wheeler, Ne- braska. Estella L., born April 9. 1865. is the widow of William Lane, and now a stenographer in Des Moines, Iowa.
During his boyhood and youth John D. Hill attended the district schools of Munson township through the winter months, while in summer he aided in the work of the farm. He was twelve years of age on coming to this county, and remained with his parents until after the Civil war broke out. Prompt- ed by a spirit of patriotism, he enlisted on the 15th of August, 1862, in Company C, One Hundred and Twelfth Illinois Volun- teer Infantry, at Cambridge, and was mus- tered into the United States service at Pe- oria in the following October. He was made corporal October 17. 1863, and detailed as color guard, carrying the regimental banner from May of that year to May 6, 1864, when he was appointed color sergeant and served as such until mustered out in Chi- cago, July 10. 1865. He participated in the battle of Knoxville, Sanders raid, and the engagements at Bean Station. Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, Utah Creek, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Franklin, Nashville, Wilming- ton (North Carolina ), Fort Anderson, Kel-
On the 30th of September. 1868, Mr. Hill was united in marriage with Miss Es- ther E. Ayres, who was born in Hicksville. Ohio, May 14, 1845. and died Febuary 6. 1900, her remains being interred in Oak- wood cemetery, Geneseo. Her parents were Buenos and Sarah ( Osborn ) Ayres, of Mun- son township, this county, where her father owned and operated four hundred and eighty acres of valuable land. He was of a mechan- ical turn of mind, and of great physical en- ergy. He was also extremely philanthropi- cal, and was interested in all that tended to the advancement of the community in which he lived. He died in 1895. at the age of eighty-five years, honored and loved by all who knew him, and his wife passed away November 1, 1894. at the age of seventy- eight years. He belonged to a family of English origin, which was founded in Mas- sachusetts in the early part of the seven- teenth century, tracing his ancestry back to the famous Captain John Ayres, of Brook- field, that state.
Mrs. Hill was one of a family of eleven children who in order of birth were as fol- lows : Sheldon H., born April 23. 1835. was married, January 22, 1857, to Louisa Em- ery, who died near Galva, March 12, 1864, and on the Ist of May, 1865, he married Sarah Fronk. Orlando B., born July 26, 1836, married. July 13, 1864. Annie L. Stone, now a resident of Des Moines, Iowa, and died March 28, 1900. He was a promi- nent attorney. In the spring of 1837 the father of this family removed to Defiance, Ohio, where the following six children were
528
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
horn: George W., born January 6, 1839. (lied October 10, 1839. Mary A., born No- vember 22. 1840, died November 25, 1840. Samuel P., born May 16, 1842, was married, .April 6, 1871. to Mary Inglefield. He was engaged in the practice of law at Knoxville, Jowa, for a time, but subsequently embarked in the newspaper business, and is now editor of the Herald of Marshalltown, Jowa. Mrs. Hill was the next in order of birth. Roder- ick W .. born April 26, 1848, was married, February 12, 1874. to Sadie M. Inglefield, and after her death was again married, De- cember 27. 1876, his second union being with Edith M. Swain. He is now a farmer of Bussey, Marion county, Iowa. Ransom ()., born in Bureau county, Illinois, October 24. 1852, was married. January 24. 1877, to Fannie Reaver, and is a miller of Knoxville; Iowa. Azoline, born in Munson townshpi, this county. August 24. 1854. died three days later. John C. F., born in the same place. August 26. 1856, was married, December 25. 1879. to S. Alice Martin, and followed farming in Munson township for several years, but is now living a retired life in Gen- esen. Helen E., born September 3, 1859. (lied October 13, 1862.
Throughout his active business career Mr. Hill was engaged in agricultural pur- suits. The first land which he purchased in this county was a tract of eighty acres in Cambridge township, for which he paid about two thousand dollars, and which he sold at a profit. He next bought seventy- six acres in Munson township for four thou- sand four hundred and fifty dollars, and later added to it eighty acres, for which he paid five thousand dollars. This property he im- proved by the erection of a house and barn, med] then sold for ten thousand dollars. Sul -equently he bought a farm of three hun-
dred and four acres on section 24. Munson township, and also owns an elegant home in Geneseo, where he is now living retired from active labor, while his niece, Miss Au- gusta Ayres, keeps house for him. He has been the executor of three estates, including that of his father. Each of these required two years in settlement.
Mr. Hill is an honored member of E. J. Jenkins Post, No. 452, G. A. R., and Stewart Lodge, No. 92, F. & A. M., and is also con- nected with the Unitarian Church. He is public spirited and enterprising, and thor- oughly reliable in all things, his word being considered as good as his bond. His pleas- ant, genial manner makes him many friends, and he is held in high regard by all with whom he comes in contact either in business or social life:
R. PORTER WILBER.
Among the highly esteemed citizens of Oxford township is Porter Wilber, who owns and operates a farm of one hundred and sixty acres on section 29. He was born upon that place, August 8, 1852, and is a son of Robert M. Wilber, who was born in Rhode Island, in 1794. His ancestors were of Scotch origin and among the Puritans who first settled in Rhode Island. His grandfather, John Wilber, was a native of that state and one of the pioneers of Oneida county, New York. There our subject's fa- ther was reared and educated, and in early life was ordained a minister of the Baptist Church. He was married in that county to Hannah Phelps, and in 1840 came to Illinois, locating first in Warren county, becoming one of the pioneer preachers of the western part of the state. In 1850 he bought land
529
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
and located where the son now resides, and in connection with his farming operations he continued to actively engage in church work in Henry and adjoining counties for some years. He died here September 4, 1860, honored and respected by all who knew him. He was three times married, his second wife being Betsy Wood, a native of New York, while his last wife and the mother of our subject was Martha S. Cleveland, who was born in Grafton county, New Hampshire. and whom he married in Wisconsin. By the first union he had two children who are still living, Mrs. Polly Jenks, a widow of Warren county, Illinois ; and Celinda, wife of Edwin Bundy, of Bedford, Iowa. Of the seven children born of the second marriage three still survive, namely : Lydia .\., a resi- dent of Maryville, Missouri; A. J .. of Re- public county, Kansas ; and Elmira Dixon, of Henry county, Illinois. Two sons gave up their lives on the altar of their country dur- ing the dark days of the Civil war, these being Benjamin W., who died at New Or- leans; and John M., who was killed in a charge on Vicksburg. Our subject is the oldest of the three children born of the third marriage. the others being Cynthia and Ralph M. The latter is married and resides in Alpha. Cynthia was married November 30, 1876, to Warren Huey, and located at New Windsor, where he died February 12, 1882, leaving one son, Vernon, who assists his uncle in the operation of the farm, while Mrs. Huey keeps house for her brother.
After the death of his father Porter Wil- ber remained at home with his mother, and assisted her in carrying on the place. He suc- ceeded to the old homestead, and since 1882 his sister, Mrs. Huey, has been his house- keeper as previously stated. They both hold membership in the Baptist Church at Alpha,
and Mr. Wilber is also connected with the New Windsor lodge. I. O. O. F. He has affiliated with the Democratic party since casting his first presidential vote for Samuel J. Tilden in 1876, but at local elections where no issue is involved he usually votes for the man whom he believes best quali- fied to fill the office, regardless of party lines.
CHARLES P. ROOS.
Among the enterprising, progressive and energetic farmers of Loraine township is numbered Charles P. Roos, who is following his chosen occupation on section 18, where he operates a valuable farm of three hundred acres of his father's. besides one hundred and thirty-eight acres of his own in section IO, elegantly improved with substantial buildings. He was born in that township on the Ist of November, 1869, and through- out his active business life has been promi- nently identified with its agricultural in- terests.
Jacob Roos, father of our subject, was born in Prussia, Germany, August 30, 1837, and was sixteen years of age when he came to the new world with his father, Philip Roos, and took up his residence in Loraine township, this county. During the gold ex- citement at Pikes Peak, he went to Colorado in 1859, and engaged in teaming from Den- ver to the mountains until the Civil war broke out, when he enlisted in the First Col- orado Cavalry, and remained in the service until the cessation of hostilities. He was mostly engaged in fighting Indians on the frontier. After receiving his discharge he remained in Colorado about two years and then returned to this county and turned his
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.