USA > Illinois > Whiteside County > The biographical record of Whiteside County, Illinois.. > Part 54
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has justly won a place among the wealthy agriculturists of his adopted county.
While in Dixon Mr. Johnson was united in marriage, April 22, 1869, to Eva E., daughter of J. J. and Marie E. (Dirkes) Juelfs, natives of Germany. Mrs. Johnson was born in that country in 1848, and by her marriage has become the mother of four children: Mamie, wife of John Terhune, who is residing on a farm in Lee county, and they now have two sons, Harry and Lester; Albert, who wedded Olive E. Pettitt, and is now renting a farm adjoining his father's; Effie, wife of Harry Erd, an operator at the postal telegraph station in Chicago; and Fred, who is assisting his father on the farm. The parents are consistent members of the Lutheran church, and enjoy the high regard of many warm friends. In politics Mr. Johnson is a stanch Republican, an advo- cate of sound money, and for a number of years has acceptably filled the office of school director. His hope of bettering his financial condition in the new world has been more than realized, and he has justly gained a place among the representative agriculturists of Whiteside county, for his business career has been characterized by integrity and unfailing industry.
H JON. J. G. MANAHAN, deceased, was for many years one of the most promi- nent and successful lawyers of Whiteside county, his home being in Sterling. He made a specialty of patent law and in that line gained a most enviable reputation. He was born in Concord, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, May 12, 1837, a son of William and Isabella (Galt) Manahan, na- tives of the same county. There the father
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engaged in merchandising and also ran a private railroad. He was born February 25, 1806, and was a son of James E. Manahan, who was born near Baltimore, Maryland, March 16 or 18, 1777, and with his wife came to Whiteside county, Illinois, here spending their remainder days. The great-grandfather of our subject was James Manahan, who was born March 16, 1740, and died February 17, 1823. He was a soldier of the Revolutionary war under General Washington. The family is of Scotch-Irish extraction, and was founded in this country by a native of County Cavan, Ireland.
In his native county, William Manahan, father of our subject, was married in 1829, to Miss Isabella Galt, an aunt of Thomas A. Galt, of Sterling, and a descent of Robert Galt, who emigrated to this country in 1710. In 1846 they came to Galt, Whiteside county, Illinois, and here Mr. Manahan be- came an extensive landholder, owning prop- erty in different parts of the county up to the time of his death. He was one of the first settlers of this region to come down the Ohio and up the Mississippi, and then drive across the country to Fulton. He continued to live on his farm near Galt un- til elected sheriff of the county in 1854 when he removed to Sterling, then the county seat. He was one of the most prominent and influential citizens of this part of the state, as well as one of its honored pioneers. On locating here he took up a tract of government land and had to go to Springfield to enter the same. In connection with agricultural pursuits he was also engaged in the hardware business in Sterling, and owned an interest in R. B. Whitmer's store, becoming quite wealthy. He died while on a visit to his farm in
Hopkins, June 16, 1886. He was a faith- ful member of the Presbyterian church, and as an Abolitionist took an active interest in the underground railroad prior to the Civil war.
J. G. Manahan, our subject, remained on the home farm until the removal of the family to Sterling in 1854. He attended Knox College, Galesburg, and later read law with Kirk & Ward, of Sterling, the lat- ter an older brother of Judge Ward, who is represented elsewhere in this work. Be- fore finishing his law course, however, he enlisted in 1861, in Company B, Thirteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and his military career was a brilliant one until shot in front of Vicksburg during the siege of that place. Up to this time he was with his regiment uninterruptedly and was always found at his post of duty, valiantly defend- ing the old flag and the cause it represented. After being wounded he was sent to the hospital at St. Louis, and later was detailed to guard rebel prisoners at Rock Island and took the first prisoners to Governor island. He was in the service over three years and was then honorably discharged and returned home.
While recuperating he spent three years upon his father's farm and left it at the end of that time in excellent condition. On the 25th of December, 1866, he married Miss Chattie L. Ward, a sister of Judge Ward, and they remained on the farm until the following year when they returned to Sterl- ing and purchased the ground on which the beautiful home of the family now stands, at No. 507 Fifth avenue. Here his widow and daughter, Miss Mary Isabella, now re- ride. The latter has taken up the work of her father as far as securing patents are concerned. On the 29th of November,
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1899, she was married to Frederick W. Honens, who is employed as a civil engin- eer on the Hennepin canal.
In 1868 Mr. Manahan was admitted to the bar and engaged in practice in Sterling, being a partner of Colonel William Kilgore for some years. He enjoyed an extensive practice, especially as a patent lawyer be- fore the supreme county of the United States, and as such had few equals and no superiors. He assisted in organizing the Sterling Gas & Electric Light Company, and also had an interest in the Gas Engine Company. His fellow citizens, recognizing his worth and ability, called him to public office, and he most acceptably served as mayor of the city three terms, alderman many terms, and in 1882 was elected to the state Legislature on the Republican ticket. He was a member of the state board of charities for twelve years from 1879, and was a warm personal friend of Governors Fifer and Tanner, but was asked to resign by Governor Altgeld. He took an active interest in everything for the upbuilding of the city, and bore an important part in or- ganizing the public library. He died Sep- tember 11, 1897, honored and respected by all who knew him. He was an earnest and sincere Christian, a member of the Presby- terian church, in which he served as deacon for over a quarter of a century and was also Sunday school superintendent for many years. Upright, reliable and honorable, his strict adherence to principle commanded the respect of all. The place he won in the legal profession was accorded him in recog- nition of his skill and ability, and the place he occupied in the social world was a tribute to that genuine worth and true nobleness of character which were universally recognized and honored.
EDWARD ASHLING, deceased, was one of the prominent and highly respected citizens of Rock Falls, whose early life was identified with the growth and upbuilding of the county. He was a native of Illinois, born in Aurora, November 27, 1854, and was a son of William and Susanna (Nick- son) Ashling, who were born in England 'and came to the United States at an early age, being married in Aurora, Illinois, No- vember 13, 1853. The father, who is a carpenter by trade, was born Jannary 12, 1829, and is still living in Rock Falls, but the mother died December 8, 1893, at the age of sixty-four years.
Of the seven children born to them our subject was the oldest, the others being as follows: (2) William, born November 7, 1857, is a farmer of Montmorency township, this county. He married Addie Tuttle and had three children: Lloyd, deceased; Frank and Fred. (3) Mary, born in Auro- ra, in 1860, married Alonzo Stone, a farm- er, who died in Nelson township, Lee coun- ty, Illinois, in 1886, and she now resides in Rock Falls. They had five children: Arthur, now twenty-one years of age; Mabel and Olive, who died in Nelson township; Gilbert, who died in Rock Falls; and Alice, who is attending school in the latter place. (4) Louisa died in 1863, at the age of four- teen months. (5) Ellen, born August 2, 1865, lives in Rock Falls. (6) Frank, born in November, 1867, in Montmorency town- ship, this county, died in Rock Falls, in October, 1886. (7) Sadie, born in Mont- morency township, in 1870, is the wife of Elmer E. Teach, a blacksmith, of Rock Falls, and they have two children, Floyd and a baby unnamed.
The first twelve years of his life, Ed- ward Ashling passed in his native city, and
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then moved with the family to Montmoren- and Lamina Stone, who were married Oc- cy township, Whiteside county, where he grew to manhood. After his marriage he followed farming in that township for twelve years and in his undertakings met with excellent success. In 1887 he moved to Rock Falls, and during his residence there devoted his time to looking after his property interests, being the owner of a large farm in Lee county. He erected a fine residence in a most beautiful part of the city and lived there until his death, which occurred December 10, 1889. He was widely known as an upright, relia- ble business man, and he commanded the respect and confidence of all with whom he came in contact either in business or social life. He was a man of the times, broad- minded, public-spirited and progressive, and in his death the community realized that it had lost a valued citizen.
On the 17th of February, 1873, Mr. Ashling was united in marriage with Miss Mary J. Stone, and to them were born five children, namely: Lois I., born in Nelson, Lee county, Illinois, in February, 1874, was married in February, 1895, to Lucius Parks, a farmer of Nelson township; George Will- iam, born in Nelson, in 1875, is a farmer of Lee county; Olive J., born in Nelson, in September, 1877, was married in 1897, to Lyle Golder, a farmer of Montmorency township, this county, and they have one child, Hugh Edward, born in September, 1898; Clarence M., born in Nelson, in 1880, died there at the age of four months; Ed- ward W. A., born in Nelson, in 1885. and Luverne V., born in Rock Falls, in 1889, are both at home with their mother.
Burrell H. Stone, the father of Mrs. Ashling, was born in New York state, in 1821, and was the second child of Luther
tober 19, 1817. They came west about 1834 and settled at Fairpoint, Lee county, Illinois, and both died in Nelson, that coun- ty, Luther Stone in 1863, his wife in 1875. He was a farmer and stock raiser by occu- pation. In their family were seven children: Willard, Burrell H., Samuel, Alonzo, Savina, Albert, and one son who died unna med. Burrell H. Stone was about fourteen years of age when he came to this state with the family and took up his residence at Fair- point, Lee county, which place is now known as Nelson. There he followed farming and stock raising throughout life, dying in Nel- son, May 7, 1886. In 1851 he married Miss Isabella McNeil, who was born in Paisley, Scotland, in 1832, and in 1849 came to America with her parents, Alexander and Janet (Mason) McNeil, also natives of Scotland. They crossed the Atlantic on a sailing vessel and landed in New Orleans in safety, but the mother died while coming up the Mississippi river. The father, with his family, located in Lee county, this state, where he lived for several years and then moved to Chicago where he continued to make his home until called from this life July 4, 1861. He was an engineer and fol- lowed that occupation throughout life. Mrs. Stone was the eldest of his five chil- dren; Mary, the second, is the wife of H. F. Batcheler, a manufacturer of Rock Falls; Robert is represented on another page of this volume; Jane is the wife of John Lyle, a farmer of Florida, by whom she has four children; and George M., a resident of Chicago, is married and has two children.
Mrs. Ashling is the second in order of birth in a family of five children: (1) Lois J., born in Lee county, in 1852, died at Nelson in 1858. (3) Jessie A., born in Nel-
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son, in 1856, is the wife of J. F. Schofield, of California; by a former marriage she has one child, Ernest W. Beal. (4) George D., born in Nelson, in 1861, is a farmer of Burt, Iowa. He married Elma Tuttle, of Sterling, and they have four children: Maude E., Anna Belle, Clara and George H. (5) Lamina, born in Nelson, in 1864, is the wife of Walter Cameron, of Georgia; by a former marriage she had one son, Lester Robinson, now nine years of age.
M RS. CAROLINE H. BURR, widow of Captain James Madison Burr, is one of the honored pioneers of Whitesides county, and few, indeed, if any, of the citi- zens here to-day can with her boast a con- tinuous residence within the county boun- daries of three-score years. She well recalls in memory the appearance of Como and the surrounding country, as she first beheld it, when Chicago was a tiny hamlet and the Mississippi river was, practically, the western frontier boundary. Nobly and faithfully did she perform the duties which fell to her share, not only as a wife and mother and neighbor, but also as one of the founders of the future prosperity and civiliza- tion of the county and state.
The birth of Mrs. Burr occurred in New Hampshire, December 20, 1820. Though now in her eightieth year, she possesses unusual vigor and strength of mind and body, and her accounts of her early experi- ences in this new country are highly enter- taining. She was one of the five children and is the only survivor in the family. Her father died in 1827, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and her mother passed to the better land in 1869.
The marriage of Captain James M. Burr
and our subject occurred in New Hampshire, August 22, 1840. He had followed the high seas for a number of years prior to that event, but at last had concluded to establish a home in the west. Prior to his marriage he had made a western trip and had located a tract of land near the present town of Como, also building a small cabin, which sheltered his family for many years after their arrival here. Mr. Burr was a son of Martin and Eunice (Turner) Burr, who were married in Boston, Massachusetts. The father died November 19, 1846, and the mother survived until August, 1855. They were the parents of nine children. Martin Burr was a member of the Masonic order, belonging to the blue lodge. In religion he was a Congregationalist, while, politically, he was a Whig. His father and uncle, natives of England, came to the United States in the early part of this century.
For some thirty years, Captain and Mrs. Burr continued to dwell upon their com- fortable homestead in Hopkins township, and there all of their children were born. The death of their first-born, James Madi- son, who died in infancy, was the first event of the kind in Como. Their eldest daughter, Adeline E., became the wife of David Davis, and after his death she was united in marriage with Colonel Wharton J. Green, who had won his title in the Confed- erate army, and who then, as now, makes his home in North Carolina. Eunice T., deceased, was the wife of Charles N. Mun- son, and the mother of two sons and one daughter. Subsequent to her death, Mr. Munson re-married, and with his wife, two sons and daughter, is now living in Kansas City. Hetty B., of Marshalltown, lowa, married Charles Heitshu, of Pennsylvania, and had two sons, one of whom survives.
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Charles M., who married Mary Bowles, and has one daughter, resides in the beautiful city of Los Angeles, California. J. Ellery, of Sterling, Illinois, chose Lucy Partridge for his wife, and their home is blessed by two sons and two daughters. William T., whose home is in Como, married Mary Wilkinson, and has two sons and a daugh- ter.
In all his relations in life, Captain Burr was upright and loyal to high principles. For some time prior to his death, he was identified with the Odd Fellows society at Como, and in his political creed he was a stalwart Republican. He retired from the active labors of an agriculturist, and thence- forth made his abode in Como, where he was ranked among the most honored and representative citizens. In 1890 he and his beloved wife celebrated their golden wed- ding anniversary. It was a truly memora- ble occasion, one not easily forgotten by any of the participants. Most of the im- mediate relatives of the venerable couple were present, and beautiful souvenirs came to them from the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, from the north and the south. Since the death of the Captain, on the Ioth of October, 1891, Mrs. Burr has resided with her children, passing the winter at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Green, in North Caro- lina, while the rest of the year she resides, as for sixty years past, in Como, where cling the associations of almost a life-time.
H ARLOW SMITH, a well known and prominent farmer residing on section 34, Hume township, Whiteside county, Illinois, has for over half a century been identified with the agricultural interests of the county and has been an important fac-
tor in its upbuilding and development. He was born near Toronto, Canada, May IS, 1830, and is a son of William and Anna (Sutherland) Smith, who were born, reared and married in Vermont, and from that state removed to Canada, where the father en- gaged in farming throughout the remainder of his life.
On leaving the Dominion, in the spring of 1849, Mr. Smith came to Whiteside county, Illinois, and found work with Warner Brothers at Prophetstown. For three years he engaged in teaming, mostly to Peru, and in the meantime purchased a horse-power threshing machine, which he operated during the threshing season for some years. Later he purchased one of the first steam thresh- ers in the county, and has successfully en- gaged in the threshing business in season for forty-nine years. In early days he also broke prairie with ox teams for a number of years. He has also devoted considerable time in breeding and raising a fine grade of Hambletonian horses and at the present time has about sixty head of high grade horses on hand.
In Lyndon, this county, December 3, 1854, Mr. Smith was united in marriage with Miss Louisa Pope, who was born near Spaulding in Lincolnshire, England, and is a sister of Aaron and Thomas Pope, who are presented elsewhere in this volume. They began their domestic life in the village of Prophetstown, where they made their home for one year, and then rented a farm adjoin- ing Mr. Smith's place. Our subject's first purchase consisted of eighty acres of wild land in Tampico township, which he fenced, broke and improved with good buildings, but after residing thereon for about five years, he removed to his present farm on section 34, where he has two hundred acres, on
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which at that time was only a small house, while much of the land was still in its primi- tive condition. To its further improvement and cultivation he has since devoted his energies with most gratifying results. He has a pleasant residence, good barns and other outbuildings, surrounded by forest and fruit trees, and everything about the place betokens the thrift and enterprise of the owner and shows conclusively that he thoroughly understands the occupation which he has chosen as his life work. He has bought, improved and sold several farms, and besides his home place, he now owns a valuable farm of two hundred and twelve acres in Tampico township.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith have a family of six children, namely: Carrie L., now the wife of Fred Brown, of Hume township; lda J., wife of R. B. Smith, of Prophetstown; Sarah Ella, wife of James Farrell, of Proph- etstown; William N., a prominent Repub- lican and one of the township officers, and correspondent of the agricultural bureau, residing at home; Minnie E., wife of Dr. T. L. Rounds of Tampico; and Herbert H., who is married and engaged in the livery business in Erie. Our subject and his wife have also reared and educated two other children.
The Republican party has always found in Mr. Smith a stanch supporter of its prin- ciples, and although he has never sought nor desired public office, he has been called upon to serve as commissioner of highways, and school director for fifteen years. He has acquired a handsome competence through his own well-directed and energetic efforts and has not only advanced his individual prosperity but has also materially promoted the general welfare by transforming the wild land into highly cultivated fields and
converting the county into one of the best agricultural districts of the state. As a valued and useful citizen of the community he is well worthy of prominent mention in a work of this character.
H ENRY C. LANDIS, a successful agri- culturist residing on section 23, Co- loma township, who devotes the greater part of his attention to market gardening, and is the owner of a good farm of eighty- seven acres on sections 23 and 26, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, May 6, 1833, a son of A. N. and Maria (Pickle) Landis, also natives of that county, where the father followed the occupation of farm- ing in early life. In 1847 he came with his family to Whiteside county, Illinois, and purchased land in Sterling township, where he improved a good farm of one hundred and forty acres. He continued to actively engage in agricultural pursuits as long as his health permitted and then removed to Sterling, where he lived retired until called from this life. There his wife also died. They were consistent members of the Menonite church, and were highly esteemed by all who knew them.
In their family were the following chil- dren: Elmina, who married H. B. Stillman and died, leaving one daughter, Harriet, wife of James Stitzel, of Nelson; Nancy, who married Henry Shelters, of Iowa, and they have one son, Abraham; Mary, de- ceased wife of R. A. Getts; Henry C., our subject; Lizzie, wife of Henry Feather, both of whom died leaving three children, Lorenzo, Mary and Lizzie; Harriet, wife of John Mckinstry, of Nelson, Illinois; Abraham, a resident of Nelson, who is married and has four children, Eva, Grace, Maude and
26
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Harry; John, of Chicago, who is married and has two sons, Walter and Leslie; and Benjamin, of St. Paul, Minnesota, who is married and has one son, Clyde.
Henry C. Landis began his education in the public schools of his native state, and in 1847 accompanied his parents on their emigration to this county, where he worked .on his father's farm until he attained his majority. Returning to Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, he was there married, in 1859, to Miss Melinda Summey, who was born there, in 1840. Her parents, Daniel and Anna (Frick) Summney, came to White- side county in 1865, and spent their last days in Sterling, where the father worked at the tailor's trade on first coming to the county. His wife was an earnest member of the Congregational church. Of their five children, one died in infancy and one at the age of nineteen years. Those living are Melinda, wife of our subject; Anna, wife of S. W. Bard, of Pennsylvania; and Clayton, a resident of Chicago, who is married and has two children, Edna and Dorothy.
After his marriage, Mr. Landis returned to Whiteside county, and after successfully operating a rented farm in Sterling town- ship for four years, he purchased his present place in Coloma township, upon which he has made many useful and valuable im- provements, including the erection of two houses, barns and other outbuildings. He has engaged in general farming on a small scale but devotes the greater part of his time and attention to truck gardening, in which he has met with marked success.
To Mr. and Mrs. Landis were born seven children, of whom three died when young. The others are as follows: (1) Will- iam, a traveling salesman of Melrose Park, married Bertha Fowler and they have six
children: Ralph, Hallie, William, Arthur, Byron and Walter. (2) Ada is the wife of Walter Fox, of Chicago, a salesman in a music store, and they have two children, Harry and Zella. (3) Grant, who lives on the home farm, married Anna Dickson, and they have three children, Helen, Chester and Grant. (4) May is the deceased wife of Daniel Brown, of Beardstown, Illinois, who was in the employ of a railroad company.
Mr. Landis cast his first presidential vote for John C. Fremont, and has ever since been an ardent supporter of the Republican party, always taking a deep and commend- able interest in public affairs and doing all in his power to insure the success of his party. He filled the office of road commissioner for some time. Both he and his wife are active and prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal church of Rock Falls, of which he is one of the trustees, and are held in high regard by all who know them.
S IDNEY BARBER, deceased, was num- bered among the honored pioneers of Whiteside county, who settled here when this locality was a wild and unimproved re- gion. In the work of development he took an active part and aided in opening up the country to civilization. As the years passed he faithfully performed his duties of citizen- ship and his interest in the welfare and prog- ress of the community never abated. Be- coming widely and favorably known, he made many friends, and his death was a loss to the entire community.
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