USA > Illinois > Whiteside County > The biographical record of Whiteside County, Illinois.. > Part 12
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After his marriage, Mr. Cook went into the creamery business with his brother-in- law, William Durward, their plant being known as the Spring Valley Creamery. He remained in this business for two years and then disposed of his interest, and while his wife went to the home of her parents, he again went to the mines in Wicks, Montana, and resumed his old position with the min-
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ing company, with whom he remained some eighteen months. Returning home, he re- mained about six months, and then removed with his family to Butte, Montana, where he secured employment in the office of a silver, pyrite and copper company, at a salary of one hundred dollars per month. For three years he remained with the com- pany, but on account of the ill health of his wife he was compelled to resign. She pre- ceded him home a few months, but in De- cember, 1890, he also returned.
In 1872, Mr. Cook erected on the old home farm of his wife's father, a modern farm house at a cost of three thousand dol- lars, which has since been then home. The discovery of gold in the Klondike tempted Mr. Cook to once more try his fortune in a mining country, and on the 30th of March, 1898, in company with his brother-in-law, A. S. Durward, he started for that country. Arriving in Seattle, Washington, April 5, he remained there one day, then took the steamer Queen and landed at Skaguay, Alaska, on the roth, being four days on the water. At this place they purchased their outfit, consisting of about three and a half tons of provisions, which was carried for them on pack horses to the Summit, at a cost of five cents per pound. There it was seized for duty by the Canadian authorities, and they were required to pay sixty-nine dollars and fifty cents duty, their receipt for the same reading as follows: "Cook & Durward paid their duty." This was not signed, and whether " the powers that be " received any part of the sum paid, of course is not known by Mr. Cook. Sufficient to say that they were permitted to proceed on their journey.
From the Summit they were taken by sleds which carried three hundred pounds 6
each, to Lake Bennett. Here they con- structed a boat, having to pay ten dollars logger's license to enable them to get the timber from the woods. The boat was twenty-six feet long and eight feet wide. After waiting until the ice was out they con- tinued their journey through Lake Bennett, Mud Lake, and Thirty Mile river, and while on the latter stream they came near losing their boat. They then got into Marsh Lake, and from that into Forty Mile river, through two canons and White Horse rapids into Lake Leborgo and Five Finger rapids. It may be remarked here that all the rapids except White Horse rapids, are very danger - ous, and several lives have been lost on them. From the Five Finger rapids they went into Stewart river, and there remained one day, going on to Sixty Mile creek, and thence to Dawson, where they landed. They prospected in all the streams on the route from Skaguay to Dawson, finding gold in every stream and creek, but not in paying quantities.
On their arrival in Dawson they found carpenters in great demand, wages being one dollar and fifty cents per hour. Not having the tools with which to work, they did not remainin that city, but went to Forty Mile Creek. The mines not being opened there they went down the Yukon river to Circle City where they remaine ! three days. They were there offered ten dollars per day to work in the placer mines, but as the mines were sixty miles from the place they did not accept the offer. From Circle City they went to Fort Yukon, a dis- tance of seventy miles, where they re- mained six days. Fort Yukon is three miles inside the Arctic circle. From Fort Yukon they went to Rampart City, near which place are the Little Minook and Big
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Minook creeks, where the best gold fields are found.
From Ramport City they went back to Beaver Island, one hundred and seventy miles northeast, where they located, and on government land began chopping cord wood for the steamers plying on the river, receiv- ing from ten to fifteen dollars per cord. They continued to be thus engaged during the time they remained there. Mr. Dur- ward was taken sick with typhoid pneumon- ia, and when sufficiently recovered, on the 28th of September, 1898, left for his home in Whiteside county. After he left Mr. Cook built a cabin of logs, twelve by four- ยท teen feet, making it as comfortable as pos- sible. He continued working until some time in December, when he was taken sick with the scurvy, his illness continuing for nine weeks. During that time he received a letter from his wife which was written September 2, 1898, and received by him January 5, 1899. This was as good as medicine to him, but it was the only letter received by him during his entire absence. Numerous letters were written, but none re- ceived by him, while his partner received his letters regularly, the mail being brought by carriers, who passed his cabin twice a month. Many coming and going found a welcome at his cabin during his residence there.
After recovering from his illness, Mr. Cook resumed work, and continued to en- gage in it until June 1, 1899. On the 5th of June, he started to Ramport City, a dis- tance of one hundred and seventy miles, where he thought surely he would find mail for him at the postoffice at that place. He made the trip in two days, but was greatly disappointed and discouraged in finding no letters awaiting him. Taking a steamer
back to his camp he sold all of his wood, and on the 20th of June started for home on a steamer going to St. Michael. He then took passage on board a whaler, a sail- ing vessel, for Seattle, where he landed September 2, 1899, being on the water forty-two days. He chose the sailing ves- sel because of the fact that the price of the steamer passage to Seattle was three hun- dred dollars, while he secured passage on the whaler for thirty dollars. The voyage was not a very pleasant one, the sea being very rough, and the vessel was dismantled.
Arriving at Seattle, Mr. Cook purchased a change of clothing, cleaned up, and after depositing his gold dust in the assay office, on Sunday at 10 o'clock, he left for home, where he arrived September 8, 1899. While in the gold region he experienced some cold weather, the thermometer registering as low as seventy-six and a half degrees, while the ground was frozen at all times. However, he never suffered from the cold, but still he is glad to be once more with his family and where he can enjoy the com- forts of civilized life.
In politics, Mr. Cook is a Republican, and while he has been repeatedly offered official position he has invariably declined all such honors. Mrs. Cook is a member of the Presbyterian church, while he is a supporter of the same.
P ETER T. DURWARD. To a stu- dent of biography there is nothing more interesting than to examine the life history of a self-made man and to detect the elements of character which have en- abled him to pass on the highway of life many of the companions of his youth who at the outset of their careers were more ad-
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vantageously equipped or endowed. The subject of this review has, through his own exertions, gained a comfortable competence and is now enabled to lay aside all business cares and spend his declining years in ease and comfort at his pleasant home in Mor- rison.
Mr. Durward was born in Buxburn, Scot- land, January 18, 1827, a son of Andrew and Mary (Taylor) Durward. The father was also born in Buxburn, April 7, 1798, and was a son of Robert and Janey Malt- man) Durward, natives of Perthshire, Scot- land, who were married in 1794. They were farming people and reared a family of four children, namely: Nellie, who married William Keith and remained in Scotland; Archibald and Robert, who also remained in that country and died while serving in the army; and Andrew, the father of our subject. He married Mary Talor, a native of Banfshire, Scotland, and in that country they spent their entire lives. To them were born six children, three sons and three daughters, of whom our subject is the oldest. Alexander was a member of the Scotch Guards in the Crimean war, and is now living in AAberdeenshire, Scotland. His wife died, leaving him one son, Alexander, Jr. Mary wedded Ilugh Mckay, and died in 1887, leaving a family. Anna died at the age of eighteen years. Martha died when about twelve years of age. William, now a resident of Gladstone Terrace, Scotland, is manied and has six children, three sons and three daughters. Ile was also a soldier of the Crimean war, and was one of the Gordon Highlanders who was with Gordon when that gentleman was killed near the Nile, in Egypt.
Peter T. Durward was educated in the parish schools of his native land and re-
mained at home until seventeen years of age. He then served a five-years' appren- ticeship to the blacksmith's trade, and at the end of that time opened a shop of his own, where he carried on trade for about a year. Subsequently he engaged in the manufacture of quarry tools, with good suc- cess, and continued in that business until his emigration to the United States.
Before leaving Scotland, Mr. Durward was married, in 1852, to Miss Jane Ritchie, who was also born in Buxburn, May 27. 1827, a daughter of George and Margaret (Reed) Ritchie, natives of the same place, where the father was engaged in quarrying stone for building purposes. To our sub- ject and his wife eight children were born, of whom one died in infancy. The others are as follows: (1) Margery Murray was born in Scotland and was ten months old when brought by her parents to America. She is now the wife of Simon D. Long, of Ustick, and they have four children: George; Simon, Annie and Jane. (2) Mar- garet J. is the wife of John If. Cook, of Unionville, whose sketch appears on an- other page of this volume, and they have four children: Arlie, Lyle, Gracie and Dur- ward. (3) Mary E. is the wife of W. Hen- dricks, who lives on her father's farm, and they have two children, Edna and Ralph. (4) Virginia is the wife of Samuel Murphy. a farmer of Ustick township, and they have four children: Pearl, Leafy, Lavena and Robert R. (5) William W. has never mar- ried, and is now engaged in the creamery business in Black Hawk, Wisconsin. (6) Andrew S , a resident of Unionville, married Elizabeth Edlund and has three children: Winnie, Clifford and Lloyd S. (7) George D. lives with his parents in Morrison.
In 1854, with his wife and child, Mr.
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Durward sailed for the new world, landing in Quebec, Canada, whence he came direct to Whiteside county, Illinois. At that time the car line ended at Freeport and he made the remainder of the journey with an ox team. He located in Fulton, where he suc- cessfully engaged in the blacksmith business for about two and a half years. He then purchased a small farm near Thomson, Car- roll county, but never having a deed to it, he lost the place. Returning to Whiteside county, he purchased property in Ustick township, on which he erected a small blacksmith shop, and conducted the same for a few years. He bought forty acres of land in Ustick township, to which he added from time to time as his financial resources increased, buying tracts of forty-six and seventy-six acres, a part of which was raw prairie land. On that farm he located in 1857, and for several years successfully en- gaged in general farming and stock raising, making a specialty of hogs, which at times he sold as high as eleven dollars per hun- dred pounds. On leaving the farm in 1886 he removed to Morrison, where he erected a comfortable, modern residence. Here he opened a hardware store and engaged in that trade with marked success for five years.
In political sentiment Mr. Durward is a stanch Republican and while a resident of Ustick township, he most acceptably filled the offices of township treasurer eleven years, road commissioner sixteen years, constable, collector and school director for a number of years. He has always taken an active and commendable interest in pub- lic affairs and does all in his power to ad- vance the interests of his town and county. Socially, he is a Master Mason and religious- ly both he and his wife are active and prom- inent members of the Presbyterian church
of Ustick. He gave liberally toward the erection of the house of worship at that place and served as one of its trustees for some time. In 1891 both Mr. and Mrs. Durward returned to Scotland, where they spent six enjoyable months in visiting old friends, familiar scenes of their early life, and other points of interest. He possesses many of the admirable characteristics of the Scotch race, and is a genial, jovial gentle- man who makes many friends.
EDWARD SCOTCHBROOK, a retired farmer of Unionville, Whiteside coun- ty, Illinois, has demonstrated the true mean- ing of the word success as the full accom- plishment of an honorable purpose. Energy, close application, perseverance and good management-these are the elements that have entered into his business career and crowned his efforts with prosperity.
A native of England, Mr. Scotchbrook was born in Lincolnshire, December 8, 1827, and is a son of John and Char- lotte (Taylor) Scotchbrook, also natives of that country where they continued to make their home until after the birth of all their children. The father was born April 4, 1793, the mother December 9, 1795. In 1853 they came to America, and took up their residence in Fenton township, White- side county, Illinois, purchasing a farm of a few acres, on which they made their home. The father died in July, 1872, and the mother passed away in May, 1882, in her eighty-sixth year, both being laid to rest in the Lyndon cemetery. They had three chil- dren: Mary Ann, who wedded William Forth, and died in Fenton township, in 1895, leaving one son, John; Edward, our subject; and Elizabeth, who died in England
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at the age of eighteen years before the emigration of the family to America.
Our subject was reared in his native land, and as he commenced working at an early age, his education was obtained at night schools. He continued to make his home with his parents until twenty-four years of age, when he crossed the Atlantic and first located in Tompkins county, New York, where he worked as a farm hand for over a year. In 1852 he came to Lyndon, Whiteside county, Illinois, where he was similarly employed for the following four years. Having saved some money he was able to purchase a farm of one hundred acres of partly improved land, paying two thou- sand dollars for the same with the crop then growing. Subsequently he traded that place for eighty acres and six hundred dol- lars additional. After improving that farm, he sold it in 1864 for twenty-five hundred dollars, and purchased one hundred and twenty acres of partially improved land in Lyndon township, for which he paid thirty- six hundred dollars. He operated that farm for seven years and then sold it for seventy dollars per acre. Ilis next purchase consisted of one hundred and twenty acres of land in Fenton township. which he sold about four years ago at a good profit. He afterward bought two hundred and ninety-three acres in Mount Pleasant township, at forty dollars per acre, which valuable farm he still owns. At one time he owned another one-hundred-and-twenty- acre tract, which he sold to his son, who is now living thereon. For many years he engaged in general farming and stock rais- ing with marked success, but since 1890 has lived retired in Unionville, where he owns a pleasant home and is surrounded by all of the comforts of life.
On the 27th of March, 1854, Mr. Scotch- brook was united in marriage with Miss Mary A. Pope, also a native of Lincolnshire, England, born December 25, 1830. In 1853 she came to the new world with her parents, Abraham and Sarah (Crampton) Pope, who located first in Lyndon township Whiteside county, Illinois, but in 1874 re- moved to Vancouver's Island British Colum- bia, where both died. Their children were Mary A., Betsey, Thomas, Sarah, Louisa, Eliza, Emma and Aaron. Mrs. Scotch- brook died on the home farm in November, 1889. By that union our subject had five children namely: (1) Mary E. is a resident of Tampico, Illinois. (2) George P., a grain dealer of Wessington, South Dakota, mar- ried Nettie Borden and has two children, Carl E. and Frances W. (3) Willard A., editor of a newspaper at Stockton, Illinois, married Lillie Myers, of Morrison, and they have five children: Ruby, Ray, Bessie, Nettie and Cecil. (4) John T., who lives on his father's farm, married Edith Upton, who died leaving four children: Beulah, Ivy, Mary and Edith. (5) Sadie E. is the wife of Frank Davis, who is engaged in the imple- ment business in Tampico, and is also a land owner, and they have three children:
Mr. Scotchbrook was again married, in 1891, his second union being with Miss Charlotte Westmoreland, who was born in Lincolnshire, England, January 2, 1865, and is a daughter of Moses and Maria West- moreland, also natives of that country, where the father died April 16, ISSI. The mother is still living and now makes her home in Hull, England. She has three children: Charlotte, wife of our subject; Samuel; and Jennie, wife of John Stock, of Hull, England, by whom she has two chil- dren, Samuel and Horace. By his second
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marriage Mr. Scotchbrook has three chil- dren, namely: Jennie, born July 16, 1892; Charlotte, born September 11, 1894, and Samuel, born September 6, 1897.
Politically Mr. Scotchbrook is independ- ent, and supports the men whom he deems best quited to fill the offices. Ile served as school director in his district for a number of years, and hasalways taken an active in- terest in any enterprise which he believed calculated to advance the moral, intellectual or material welfare of his adopted county. He merits and receives the respect and con- fidence of his fellow citizens and by all who know him he is held in high regard.
W ILLIAM MARTIN PATRICK, a re- tired newspaper man, of Lyndon, was born in Putnam county, Indiana, May 20, 1832, a son of Enoch and Polly (Mar- tin) Patrick, who were married in Bethel, Kentucky, about 1820. The father was born in Bath county, that state, in 1792, the mother in Virginia, in 1802. lle followed farming until 1840, when he sold his farm as ill health prevented him from continuing to follow the life of an agriculturist, and he then operated a hotel in Knoxville, Illinois, which he conducted until his death in De- cember, 1864. llis wife died in the same place in January, 1872. . To them were born ten children, namely: (1) Aletha mar- ried Willis Nelson, of Indiana, and has eight children, one of whom is living, Enoch, who has made his home with our subject for some time. (2) Jeremiah, who was a soldier of the Civil war and was killed in the battle of Chickamauga, mar- ried Jane Cox and had five children, two now living: Enoch, of Minnesota, and Mrs. Lizzie Bixly, of Altoona, Illinois. (3)
Caroline married Hiram T. Morey, a prom- inent lawyer who studied with Stephen A. Douglas, and they had four children, three living: Anna, of Monmouth, Illinois; Car- rie, wife of Jasper Baker; and Hiram, a dry goods merchant of Galesburg. (4) Nan- cy married James Olmstead, an inventor living at Knoxville, where she died. Only one of her three children is now living, Mrs. Hattie O. Aldrich. (5) Mary A. first mar- ried a Mr. Morey, by whom she had one child, Martha, now deceased; and for her second husband she married John Combs, by whom she had a son, Frank. She died in Maquon, Illinois. (6) Rachel married David Collins, a farmer of Stark county, Illinois, and they had three children, two now living, George and Jennie. (7) Will- iam M., our subject, is the next of the family. (8) Elizabeth is the wife of Fitch Evans, of California, and they have four children. (9) Dorcas, who for a time was a teacher in the Abingdon Seminary, a Methodist school, married Rev. Frank Chaffee, a prominent worker in the Meth- odist Episcopal church, living at Emporia, Kansas, and they have two sons, Frank and Herbert. She died in Redlands, Cali- fornia, November 12, 1899. (10) Rebecca, also a teacher in the Abingdon Seminary, married Stuart Wells, an engineer of Joliet. She died in McDonough county, leaving one daughter, Ella.
William M. Patrick was educated in the common schools of Knoxville and lived at home with his parents until of age, in the meantime having learned the printer's trade in the office of the Knoxville Journal, of which he finally became foreman, at the same time doing all the private work of an editor. For eight years he was connected with that paper, and then, in 1857, formed
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a partnership with J. H. Howe, as proprie- tors of the Kewanee Dial. He soon sold out his interest in that paper, but continued in the printing business until he entered the army during the war of the Rebellion. On the 4th of July, 1861, he enlisted in Com- pany B, Thirty-seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry, with which he served two years. Ile was then transferred to the Sixteenth Corps, D'Afrique, and served as adjutant one year. Upon the consolidation of this reg- iment with the Ninety-seventh Engineer Corps, he refused to be transferred as adjutant and was mustered out in Novem- ber, 1864, and returned home. The fol- lowing March, however, he re-enlisted in Company B, Fourth Regiment, United States Veteran Corps, with which he served for one year as first sergeant. Ile participated in several important battles and numerous skirmishes, including the en- gagements at Pea Ridge, Prairie Grove and Vicksburg.
After the war Mr. Patrick again em- barked in the newspaper business, starting the Orford Leader at Montour, Tama county, lowa, which he successfully con- ducted until after the Grant-Colfax cam- paign of 1868. In 1870 he removed to Center Point, lowa, where he conducted a paper for a short time, and then returned to Illinois, locating in Mendota, where he established a paper that he carried on for a year. After living in Mendota for twelve years he moved his presses and paper to Lyndon, in 1883, and published the Advo- cate at that place for two years. At the end of that time he moved his office to Erie, having purchased the Erie Independ- ent, and consolidated the two papers. lle continued his connection with the same until 1889, but two years previous gave his
daughter an interest in the business, and her husband has since had charge of the paper, while our subject practically lives retired in Lyndon. He has always been a stanch Republican in politics and a power- ful advocate of good government.
On the 5th of September, 1870, Mr. Patrick married Miss Louise Maxwell, a daughter of Ambrose and Artimesia (HInlse) Maxwell, and a granddaughter of Christo- pher C. Maxwell, of Scottish descent, being the son of the founder of the family in Amer- ica. IIer ancestors lived in the lowlands of Scotland for many generations and among their number were many seafaring men, but more dominies and doctors. In late years some of the Hopes and Maxwells have formed matrimonial alliances with the de- scendants of Sir Walter Scott. At the age of twenty Miss Maxwell commenced teach- ing school. She taught in Whiteside district schools, principal of ward schools at Polo, Ogle county, and at Hanover, Jo Daviess county, afterward in Tama City, Iowa, four years as principal of schools. She taught in Mendota and vicinity eleven years, teaching from 1860 to 1885, twenty-five years in all. She still maintains an active interest in edu- cational affairs and literary pursuits, and for four years has been leader of the reading circle formed in Lyndon, in 1 89o, for the study of poets and history. It was organized by Miss E. II. Gould, Mrs. Kate Radford, Mrs. L. M. Patrick, and Miss Helen Daggett, now Mrs. Greenlee, and is now in a flourish- ing condition. Mrs. Patrick was also leader of the International Ilistorical Society dur- ing its existence of one year. While in Tama City and Mendota, she taught drawing, music, etc., in connection with the regular school studies, her time being fully taken up from morning until night. Mr. and Mrs. Pat-
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rick have an adopted daughter, Mary, wife of C. D. Hannon, editor and proprietor of the Erie Independent. At the early age of fif- teen years she won a piano for the best se- lected story for the Valentine number of Tit-Bits, a humorous paper, out of two thou- sand, two hundred and forty contestants. She still has the instrument in her home at Erie. Mr. and Mrs. Hannon have two chil- dren, Robert and Enid.
C HARLES BENT, the subject of this sketch, was born in Chicago, Illinois, December 8, 1844, at the family residence, No. 185 Michigan avenue, upon which lot, with others, the Leland Hotel is now situated. At the time of his birth Chicago contained a population of less than nine thousand peo- ple, and during the year in which he was born the first public school building in the city was erected. In his childhood days the shore of Lake Michigan, which fronted his home, was not obstructed by railroads or breakwater, but its water laved the sandy beach as in the days of the carly discover- ies. Before the construction of water works, he remembers seeing large two- wheeled carts, surmounted by a large hogs- head, backed into the lake to be filled, and then driven to residences, to fill the home barrel for a stipulated price. The city's boundaries were not so extensive then as now. Quite a resort until into the 'fifties was known as the " Bull's Head, " which was the sign of a tavern located at what is now the intersection of Madison and Hal- stead streets. Adjoining this locality was the country where picnics and celebrations were held.
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