USA > Illinois > Henry County > The biographical record of Henry County, Illinois > Part 9
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THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
ury he has been prominently identified with the upbuilding of Henry county. He has since seen its wild lands transformed into beautiful homes and farms, its hamlets grow into villages and flourishing towns, and all of the interests andevidences of an advanced civilization introduced. As a honored pioneer and worthy citizen of his adopted county he is certainly deserving of prominent mention in its history, and his sketch will be read with interest by a host of warm friends through- out the county.
J. A. KIRKLAND, M. D.
One of the most exacting of all the high- er lines of occupation to which a man may lend his energies is that of the physician. A most scrupulous preliminary training is de- manded, a nicety of judgment but little un- derstood by the laity. In this respect Dr. Kirkland is well fitted for the profession which he has chosen for a life work, and his skill and ability have won for him a lucra- tive practice.
This well-known physician and surgeon of Cambridge was born near Belvidere, Boone county, Illinois, July 13. 1856, but before he was a year okl was brought to Henry county by his parents, William and Hannah ( Farley) Kirkland. The father was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, in September, 1813, and was a son of Alexander Kirkland, who at an early day was extensively engaged in trading with the Indians on this side of the Alleghanies, bringing his goods across the mountains on horseback and in pack trains. He and two brothers, Robert and one whose name is unknown, were millionaires, and paid many hundred thousand dollars to the government in way of duties. In pioneer days Alexander Kirkland went to Indiana,
where he purchased a large amount of land. but was soon taken ill, from which illness he died. His widow then returned east on horseback, carrying her infant son, the Doc- tor's father, a distance of three hundred misiles, following blazed trees and fording streams, stopping by the wayside to nurse her sick infant and give him what medical attention she could. She gave an attorney power to secure the lands which her husband had purchased and sell them as he found op- portunity. After selling the property he left for parts unknown, taking the proceeds with him. The brothers of Alexander Kirk- land were lost track of, and nothing was known of them and their descendants for many years, but recently some were found living in Baltimore.
In 1856 William Kirkland, the Doctor's father, came to Illinois from Morgan coun- ty, Ohio, and located near Woodhull, Henry county, where he improved a farm, being an agriculturist by occupation. Here he died February 22, 1896, honored and respected by all who knew him. He was an active and prominent member of the Christian hurch assisted in organizing several churches of that denomination and was an intimate friend of Alexander Campbell, who was often a guest at his home. His widow is a devout Christian and a very active member of the same church. She was born in Pennsyl- vania and is now seventy-six years of age. making her home in Woodhull. Her par- ents, James and Ellen Farley, were natives of Pennsylvania and England, respectively. and died in Boone county, Illinois, the former at the age of eighty-four years, the later at the age of eighty-six. In early life William Kirkland was a Democrat, but voted for Lincoln in 1860, and was afterward a Re- publican.
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Dr. Kirkland is the fifth in order of birth in a family of seven children, the others being Mary, wife of Martin Hiller, a farmer of Iowa; James Curtis, a farmer, who died in 1881, at the age of thirty five years: Eliza- beth E., who has been an invalid for years ; William P., who is extensively engaged in farming and stock raising on the old home- stead at Woodhull, Illinois: Davis O, a farmer of Henry county; and Lloyd G., attorney for the Iowa Insurance Company and a man of considerable prominence in Chicago, who is now serving as president of the park board.
After leaving the common schools, where his primary education was secured, Dr. Kirk- land attended Abingdon College three years, and for one year was a student at the Ken- tucky University. He successfully engaged in teaching school for two years, then read medicine with Dr. Dunlap, of Cambridge, for a time, and later attended lectures at Jet- ferson Medical College, Philadelphia, where he was graduated in 1885. Immediately af- ter his graduation he opened an office in Chi- cago, where he remained two years, and since 1887 has successfully engaged in practice at Cambridge. Besides his large general prac- tice he is medical examiner for the following insurance companies and societies : The Man- hattan, Penn Mutual, Fidelity Mutual, Pho- nix Mutual, Home Life of Philadelphia, Pru- dential of New York, the Modern Woodmen of America, Home Forum, Knights of the Globe, and Kansas Life. The Doctor is also interested in business enterprises, and has served as president of the Electric Light Company of Cambridge for several years. He has an extensive and well-selected li- brary, equal to, if not excelling, any other in Cambridge.
On the 17th of November, 1887, Dr.
Kirkland was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Price, daughter of Obed and Mary Price, of Galva, who are now residing at Etherly, Knox county, Illinois, where the father is engaged in business as a merchant. As a contractor and builder he was promi- rently identified with the interests of this. county for some years, and erected more large buildings than any other man within its borders. He is a native of New Jersey, his wife of Pennsylvania, and they were mar- ried in Illinois in the early '60s. Religious- ly they are quite prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. Kirk- land is the older of their two children. The other, Archibald, is an extensive contractor and builder of Anaconda, Montana, and has erected some of the large public buildings of that state. Mrs. Kirkland was a member of the first class ever graduated from the high school of Galva, and prior to her mar- riage successfully engaged in teaching for twelve years, ten of these being in the city schools of Galva. She won an enviable rep- utation as an instructor, and by extensive reading has become perfectly familiar with the best literature. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Doctor and his wife have three children, namely : Helen Irene, Archibald F. and Therese.
Politically Dr. Kirkland is identified with the Republican party, but takes no act- ive part in polities aside from voting. For six years he was a member of the school board of Cambridge. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is also connected with the Galva Medical Society and the Military Tract Medical Society: He has taken a post-graduate course at the Post-Graduate Medical College of Chicago, and has writ- ten many able articles for medical journals.
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Um Doctor is a lover of nature, and pos- desses an excellent knowledge of natural history. While a student at the Kentucky University he was shown how to mount a ford, and since then, through his own per- sistent effort, has become an expert taxider- thist. Ile has given instruction to many Tigh school pupils and others in this art. Wwwing started several amateurs along that The of work. He has the best and largest oronthological collection in Henry county, Having about one hundred and twenty-five varieties of birds mounted, and their poise - AScellent, showing a thorough knowledge of ther life and habits.
HENRY G. GRIFFIN.
There is particular satisfacton in revert- my to the life history of the honored and venerable gentleman whose name initiates this review, since his mind bears impress of the historical annals of Henry county from the early pioneer days, and from the fact that fc has been a loyal son of the Republic. For many years be was identified with the agri- cultural interests of the county, but is now bying a retired life in Cambridge.
Mr. Griffin was born in Stockbridge Berkshire county, Massachusetts, June 19, 18to, and traces his ancestry back to Will- Em Griffin, the progenitor of the family in America, who was a native of Wales and an early settler in Connecticut. Ilis son, Samuel Griffin, the grandfather of our sub- ject, moved from Connecticut to Massachu- -Uits prior to his marriage with Nahusta Callwell, who was born of New England pirentage and was of Welsh and English extraction. They made their home in Mas-
sachusetts, and lived to an advanced age. John Griffin, our subject's father, was born in that state, and on leaving home at the age of eighteen went to New York. Being draft- ed, he served as a soklier in the war of 1812, and when peace was once more restored he resumed work at his trade of carpenter and joiner in New York. While there he wedded Miss Mary Hoag, a native of Rensselaer county, that state, but owing to ill health he finally returned to Massachusetts. In [841 he came to Illinois and settled near Viola, Mercer county, where he secured a quarter-section of land on a warrant due for his services in the war of 1812, and to it he subsequently added by purchase. A part of this farm is still in possession of the family. The father died in Mercer county in June, 1865, at the age of sixty-eight years, and the mother, who was a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, died in Janu- ary. 1800, at the advanced age of ninety-two years and six months. Their children were William, who has been dead many years; Henry G., our subject : James MI., deceased : Sarah, who died in Massachusetts, in 1839; Huldah, widow of Anson Calkins, and a resi- drent of this county : Elizabeth, who died at the age of sixteen years; George, who has been dead many years ; and Septimus, who lives near Viola, Illinois.
The boyhood and youth of Henry G. Griffin were spent on a farm in his native state, and he was educated in the common schools of the neighborhood. As early as :837 he came to Illinois, and located one hundred and sixty acres of land in what is now Green township, Mercer county. To the improvement and cultivation of that place he devoted his energies until 1846, when he moved to Cambridge township, Henry county. Five years later he sold the
H. G. GRIFFIN.
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farm which he first porellased and bought another in the same township, making it his home until his removal to the city of Cam- bridge in March, 1900. It is a well improved place of one hundred and seventy four acres on section 2, and has been rented to the same parties for twenty years.
In Mercer county, Mr. Griffin became acquainted with ad. August 4. 1840, mar- ried, Miss Isabella W. McGaughey, who was born near New Bedford, Pennsylvania, April 29, 1822. Iler parents, Alexander and Re- becca ( Tarrance ) MeGaughey, were natives of Adams county, that state, but shortly after their marriage moved to Mercer county, Pennsylvania, locating near New Bedford. By occupation her father was a wagonmaker and farmer. Having lost her mother when in her tenth year, Mrs. Griffin went to live with her sister, Mrs. Agnes Stewart, near Coitsville, Ohio, and in 1839 came with her to Viola, Mercer county, Illinois. She died September 6, 1893, and the funeral services, which were held at the Congregational Church, and conducted by Rev. E. P. Brand, were very impressive and comforting, the text being "Let not your hearts be troubled." In early life she was a member of the Unit- ed Presbyterian Church, and was instructed well in the Holy Scriptures, which she taught her children both by precept and example. On the organization of the Congregational Church at Cambridge, she and her husband were two of the original members, and Mr. Griffin is now the only survivor. She al- ways took an active and prominent part in the work of the church, and, save a few times during the Civil war, always prepared the bread for communion. As a friend she was ever true and loyal, and no one ever left her home who did not have good reason to be grateful for her hospitality. In her efforts
to make her family comfortable, she, like a true mother, often went beyond her strength. As a wife "many daughters have done vir- tiously, but thou excellest them all," is the feeling of the husband, whose home was left desolate by her death. In the great struggle between the north and the south, with forti- tude an dforesight, sustained the cares of the family and the farm while her husband and son were at the front, and she gave liberally to both the sanitary and Christian commis- sions. On the 4th of . August, 1890, at their golden wedding, the community showed their appreciation of her worth by many substan- tial offerings.
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Grif- fin were as follows: (1) John A. has been a minister in the Congregational Church for many years, and now resides at Sherrard, Ilinois. At President Lincolni's first call for troops he enlisted in Company D, Seven- teenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was promoted from the rank of sergeant to sec- ond lieutenant. He remained in the service until March, 1866, and was wounded in the thigh at the battle of Shiloh. He first wed- ded Mary Payne, who died in Danville, Illi- nois, leaving four children, Chester, Alice, Grace and Albert. For his second wife he married Margaret Haddick, and to them were born four children: Isabel, who died when about three years and a half old; Rob- ert T., John and Charlotte. (2) French B., our subject's second child, was born March 29, 1845, and died at the age of six months. (3) James M. died in infancy. (4) The fourth child died in infancy unnamed. (5) William A., born September 23, 1848, mar- ried Lovica Hibbard and died March 17, 1882, leaving two children, Evelyn and Wilhelmina. (6) Mary A. is the wife of J. MI. Merrill, of Des Moines, lowa, and has
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three children, Frank, Earl and Royce. (7) Rebecca A. is the wife of Rufus Anderson, of Des Moines, by whom she has one child, Julia A., and they also have an adopted daughter, Fannie Anderson. (8) Gilbert A., born July 25, 1857, died January 18, 1861. (9) Julia A. is the wife of F. H. Streed, of Ulah, Illinois, and they have two children, Henry G. and Eugene F. (10) Sarah A. is the wife of C. K. Filmore, of Marshalltown, Iowa, and they had seven children, Ralph W., Ross C., Paul H., Agnes, Dora, Marion and Charles K., deceased. Mr. Griffin has now living five children, twenty-two grandchildren, and five great- grandchildren.
For his second wife Mr. Griffin married Mrs. Susan C. Blanchard, of Davenport, Iowa, March 2, 1898. She is a daughter of William and Matilda Kennedy, prominent residents of Rock Island county, Illinois.
Mr. Griffin entered the Union service during the Civil war, enlisting August II, 1862, for three years, in Company D, One Hundred and Twelfth Illinois Volunter In- fantry, under the command of Colonel T. J. Henderson. He took part in all the engage- ments in which his regiment participated un- til the battle of Knoxville, where he was cap- tured by the rebels. By a roundabout way he was taken to Libby prison, where he re- mained from December 1, 1863, to May 7, 1864, and was then transferred to the stock- aude at Macon, Georgia. In August of the same year he was taken with others to Charleston, where they were placed under the fire from the Union guns on Morris Isl- and and were kept there until October 6, When they were sent to Columbia, South Carolina, where they were kept in an open OM until December 12. On that date the poters were moved to the state insane asy-
lum, and remained there until the 18th of February, 1865, when sent to the parole camp near Wilmington. Here they were de- livered to the Union authorities, but Mr. Griffin was not exchanged until April 26, 1865, when he was allowed to join his regi- ment at Greensboro, North Carolina. The war having ended, he was finally discharged July 7, 1865, after almost three years of faithful service on southern battle fields and in the loathsome prisons of the south, where he endured all the hardships and privations of prison life.
Politically Mr. Griffin was originally a Whig, but has been an ardent supporter of the Republican party since its organization, and has served as a delegate to many county and state conventions of his party. He has been in office most of his life, being elected justice of the peace when very young. He was county school commissioner two years, and was on the building committee for the erection of different school-houses, including the first in the village of Cambridge. He was coroner of the county for a time and was supervisor of Andover township for nearly twenty years. He is a very prominent and influential member of the Congregational Church of Cambridge, and has served as deacon since its organization. His upright course in life commands the respect and commendation of everyone, and his labors as a founder of the county justly entitle him to a prominent place in its annals.
PHILIP B. KEELER.
Among the recognized leaders of the Republican party in Henry county is Philip B. Keeler, the well-known and efficient cir- cuit clerk, whose large acquaintance and en-
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bounded popularity give him an influential following, while his shrewd judgment of men and affairs makes his counsel of value in all important movements. In business circles lie also takes a foremost rank, and his snc- cess is all the more notable from the fact that it has been secured by his own judicious management.
Mr. Keeler was born in Clarendon, Or- leans county, New York, August 27, 1843. the youngest child of Ira B. and Clarissa H. (Foley) Keeler, also natives of the Empire state, and of English and Irish descent, re- spectively. In early life the father followed the carpenter's and joiner's trade, and later engaged in bridge building, constructing many of the bridges over the Erie canal. Ile was widely and favorably known, and was a man of considerable prominence in his town, being called upon to serve as supervisor and in many other positions of public trust. Fra- ternally he was quite a prominent member of the Odd Fellows Society. He died in Jan uary, 1852, at about the age of fifty-two years, while his wife, who was a consistent and faithful member of the Baptist Church for many years, was born in 1797 and died in 1879. To them were born eleven children, of whom eight reached years of maturity, namely : Harriet B. is the widow of Clark Glidden, with whom she came to De Kalb county, Illinois, in 1854, but is now living with her son in Aberdeen, Washington; Ru- fus died in California in 1898; Delia died in 1852; Josiah was accidentally killed in Scottsville, Kansas; Elizabeth V. is the wife of J. W. Eddy, a jeweler of Kewanee, and is now, in 1900, visiting the Paris exposition ; Mary E. is the widow of Andrew Wood and a resident of Cambridge; Viola M. married L. P. Wilson and died in 1889; and Philip B. completes the family.
The early education of our subject was acquired in the public schools of his native state, but later he attended the Union high school at Kewanee, Illinois, and also took a special course in bookkeeping. By the death of his father he was thrown upon his own re- sources at the tender age of seven years, and has since made his own way in the world un- aided. In 1859 he came with his mother to Kewanee, which he still considers his home, though in the discharge of his present official duties he is compelled to spend most of his time at the county seat. On starting out in lite for himself he learned the jeweler's trade in Kewanee. Subsequently he found employ- ment in a machine shop, but in less than a year he had the misfortune to lose his right hand and a portion of his forearm, though he did not resign his position for three years, successfully manipulating the machine with one hand during that time. Following this he again worked at the jeweler's trade until 1866, when he formed a partnership with & Keeler he was engaged as a dealer in jew- elry, sewing machines and musical instru- ments, being successfully engaged in that line of trade for thirty years, he taking charge of the sewing machines and musical instrument department. For a time he was also inter- ested in the lumber business in southern Ar- kansas, but his property there was destroyed by fire. The Building and Loan Association of Kewanee owes much of its success to Mr. Keeler, who is a man of keen discrimination, sound judgment and indefatigable enterprise. As one of the organizers and directors and president he has labored untiringly for its success, and has succeeded, with others, in placing the concern on a good financial basis. Through this organization many poor people have been able to secure homes for them- selves which they never could have done in
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any other way, and it has thus advanced the interests of the town.
On the 22nd of December, 1866, Mr. Keeler was united in marriage with Miss Mary F. Whittemore, a daughter of Caleb Whittemore, who to-day is one of the oldest and most highly esteemed business men of Peoria, where their marriage was cele- brated. By this union were born two chil- dren : Rufus W., an expert electrician; and Philip B., Jr., a pupil in the public schools.
Since casting his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln Mr. Keeler has been an ardent Republican, and has worked un- tiringly for the success of his party. He has been honored with several important off- cial positions, having served as a member of the village board of Kewanee and was super- visor of Kewanee township for many years. While a member of the village board the gas plant was put in and preliminary steps were taken to secure water works. He was char- man of the board of supervisors from the time he was first elected until his election as circuit clerk, which office he now so credita- bly fills, discharging its duties to the entire satisfaction of all the people. He was re- elected to the latter office in 1900 by a largely increased majority, and had no opposition in the convention. For some years he was a member of the library board of Kewanee, its library being one of the finest in the state, and its rooms kept open every day in the year. In the building up of this library much credit is due to him.
.As a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows he has done much for the or- der, and is one of the most prominent mem- bers in the state. He was a member of the building committee when the hall of the Ke- wance lodge was built. He is past grand of the subordinate lodge, and has been a rep-
resentative to the grand lodge of the state for the past twenty-five years. A member also of the encampment he is now past chief patriarch, and he has represented his camp in the grand encampment of the state for twenty-five years. He is now past grand marshal of the grand encampment. Until his election to the office of circuit clerk, he was a trustee of the I. O. O. F. prop- erty in Kewanee from 1870. Philip B. Keeler is emphatically a man of enterprise, positive character, indomitable energy and liberal views, and is thoroughly identified in every respect with the growth and pros- perity of his adopted city and county.
WILLIAM RINGLE.
Prominent among the successful stock- dealers and agriculturists of Henry county is William Ringle, the present efficient super- visor of Osco township. He was born in Al- legheny county, near Pittsburg, Pennsylva- nia, on the 6th of March, 1847, and was ten years of age when brought to this county by his parents, Joseph and Mary ( Whitsel ) Ringle, also natives of the Keystone state, where their marriage was celebrated. His paternal grandfather was a soldier of the Revolutionary war under the command of General Washington, and was trainmaster at Valley Forge. He died when comparatively a young man, leaving a large family of chil- dren, all of whom lived to an advanced age.
Joseph Ringle, father of our subject, was born in 1811, and died in 1893. He was born and reared in western Pennsylvania. his early home being in Indiana county. During his early manhood he lived for a time near Pittsburg, where he was engaged in the dairy business, but later returned to Indiana
WILLIAM RINGLE.
JOSEPH RINGLE.
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county. He was one of the first to settle on the prairies in Osco township, Ilenry coun- ty, where he purchased and improved a farm of one hundred and sixty acres of land, and later added eighty acres more, which he re- tained until a settlement was made among the children by their starting out in life for themselves. He was a supporter and active member of the Presbyterian Church of Munson, and was a Prohibitionist in politics, though he never took a very active part in political affairs. He was a man of sound financial standing, and, starting from noth- ing, he accumulated quite a fortune. Ilis wife was of Dutch ancestry, her forefathers hay- ing come from Ilolland at an early day and settled in Pennsylvania. They were quite wealthy and invested their money in coal mining, which is still carried on extensively by their descendants in that state. Mrs. Ringle died at the home of a daughter in Cambridge, in 1898. She was the mother of nine children, two of whom died in infancy, the others being James, a retired farmer of Munson township, who now resides in Gene- seo; John, a retired resident of Cambridge; William, our subject ; David W., a farmer of Geneseo township; Catherine, wife of Harri- son Moore, a retired farmer of Newton, Iowa; Louisa, widow of A. J. Combs and a resident of Cambridge; and Mary, wife of John Sherrard, of Cambridge township.
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