USA > Illinois > Whiteside County > The biographical record of Whiteside County, Illinois.. > Part 57
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During the trying days of the Civil war, Mr. Marfleet manifested his loyalty and pa- triotism by enlisting in the volunteer serv- ice in September, 1861, for three years, but before his term expired he was discharged
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for disability. He has always taken an regularly into the possession of Mr. Nevitt. active interest in public affairs, is public- spirited and progressive, and while a resi- dent of Tampico township filled a number of local offices, among the number being that of justice of the peace for four years. He is at present tax collector of Rock Falls and Coloma township, and is one of the highly respected and honored citizens of the place.
H JON. EDWARD H. NEVITT. One of the pioneers of Illinois, and through- out his long and useful life intimately associ- ated with the development of its resources, no one is more truly worthy of being repre- sented in its annals than is the Hon. E. H. Nevitt, now a resident of Albany, and for- merly an able member of the state Legisla- ture.
William Nevitt, father of the above, was of English descent, and was born in Browns- ville, Pennsylvania, in 1779. In his early manhood he was engaged in teaming and freighting between Philadelphia and Pitts- burg, on the old Conestoga road. His par- ents having located at Wheeling, Virginia, about 1807, he went to the then far west, also, and in 1810 he became a resident of Breckinridge county, Kentucky, where he met and married Mary Edelin, a native of Port Tobacco, Maryland, her birth having occurred in 1781. In 1818 the young couple located in White county, Illinois, buying land near Carmi. There Mr. Nevitt was busily engaged in the improvement of his farm until 1834, when he removed to Knox county, and three years later came to White- side county. Here he had located a tract of land in the fall of 1836, purchasing a claim from some speculators, and when this land came into the market in 1839, it passed
It is situated on section 25, Albany town- ship, was entered at the Galena land office and since then has never been held by any one outside the family. His executive ability was early recognized, and the Gen- eral Assembly appointed him as a justice of the peace. At another time, he was honored by being made one of the commissioners on the improvement of the Wabash river. When a resident of White county, he was a candidate for the Legislature, on the Whig ticket, but in common with others of that party he suffered defeat. He died in 1848, and was survived by his widow, whose demise occurred in 1860. They were the parents of eleven children, namely: John, James, Maria, Elizabeth, Clement, Nancy, William G., Allen, Susan, Edward H. and Wilson. Edward and his sister Susan, wife of Thomas Finch, of Eldridge, Kansas, are the only survivors of this once large family.
The birth of the Hon. E. H. Nevitt was at Carmi, Illinois, January 6, 1822, and was fifteen years of age at the time that his parents removed to Whiteside county. He continued to give his attention to agricult- ural pursuits until 1850, save such time as was devoted to the acquisition of an educa- tion. His higher studies were completed at Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois. From 1850 until June 3, 1860, he wassuccessfully engaged in the lumber business at Abany, but on the last named date a tornado de- stroyed his house and lumber yards, and for nearly five years he sought to regain the measure of prosperity which had hitherto blessed him. For one season he served as United States mail agent between Dubuque and Rock Island, after which he resumed his former calling as a lumber dealer, and
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continued to give his energies to that line of commerce until he retired from active business in 1886.
While still a young man Mr. Nevitt was called' upon to serve in official capacities, and, as the years passed, fresh honors came to him without solicitation. When Albany township was organized he was chosen to be its first assessor, and for twenty years he was retained in the office. As school com- missioner he has served this county and for seven consecutive terms he was a super- visor of his township, resigning during the last term of his office, in order to accept the higher responsibilities of representative to the state Legislature from the eleventh district, including Whiteside and Carroll counties. He was clected to that impor- tant position in the fall of 1876, and served on several of the leading committees. He distinguished himself in the Assembly by the exercise of the same qualities of public spirit which had animated him in local af- fairs. He was again elected as a supervisor and held that office for six consecutive terms, in the meantime having charge of the construction of the Erie and Prophets- town bridge. From 1891 to 1893 he served as school treasurer. Formerly, he was a Whig, casting his first ballot for Henry Clay in 1849, and of late years he has been a stanch Republican.
The marriage of Mr. Nevitt and Hannah Alvoid was solemnized at Le Claire, Iowa, December 27, 1855. She was born May 26, 1826, at Ellicottville, New York, and died November 30, 1882. Her only child, Lizzie Blanche, born April 19, 1856, died November 18, 1858. The second marriage of Mr. Nevitt took place January 15, 1884. Jennie F. Winer becoming his bride. She is a native of Lockport, New York, born Au-
gust 5, 1854. By her marriage has become the mother of two children: Fannie A., born March 1, 1886, and Edward H., Jr., born February 27, 1888.
In his fraternal relations Mr. Nevitt is a Master Mason, being identified with Albany lodge, No. 566, F. & A. M. For the past twelve years he has served as treasurer of the lodge and in various ways has mater- ially contributed to the welfare of the or- ganization. For many years Mr. Nevitt has been numbered among the members of the Albany Methodist Episcopal church, and for a long period he has acted as one of its trustees.
C OLONEL MOSES DILLON, one of the most prominent business men of Sterling, a dealer in lumber, grain and coal, was born in Zanesville, Ohio, September 19, 1845, a son of Lloyd and Margaret (Culbertson) Dillon, the former a native of Baltimore, Maryland, the latter of Pennsyl- vania. The paternal grandfather, John Dillon, was also born in Baltimore of Quaker ancestry, and was a pioneer pig iron manu- facturer at Dillon's Falls, near Zanesville, Ohio. The Colonel's father died in Zanes- ville, in 1845, and the mother departed this life in 1879. To them were born five chil- dren, namely: Ella, who died in childhood; Lloyd H .; Mary P .; Washington M .; and Moses.
In 1856 Colonel Dillon removed with the family to Dixon, Illinois, and four years later came to Sterling, where, after receiv- ing a good common-school education, he clerked in the dry goods store of Mr. Craw- ford until he entered the army during the Civil war. On the 19th of May, 1864, he enlisted at Sterling in Company A, One Hundred and Fortieth Illinois Volunteer In-
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fantry, under Captain James A. Morgan and Colonel L. H. Whitney. From the camp at Dixon the regiment was ordered to Camp Butler, Springfield, Illinois, June 18, and from there proceeded by railroad to Cairo. Three months were spent in guarding the Memphis & Charleston Railroad, after which they returned to Memphis and from there went to Camp Frey, Chicago. At the time of Price's invasion of Missouri, the command was sent to assist in repelling the rebels' advance on St. Louis. Colonel Dillon was mustered out at Camp Frey, October 29, 1864, and returned to Sterling.
For ten years he was successfully en- gaged in the grocery business as a member of the firm of Smith & Dillon, and then turned his attention to the lumber, grain and coal trade, buying the established business of Judge Golden. In this enter- prise he has met with marked success, and is to-day one of the most prosperous and substantial of the place. He owns a grain elevator and also owns and operates a large planing mill.
On the 8th of May, 1867, Colonel Dillon married Miss Emma J. Golden, daughter of Judge Joseph and Prudence Golden. Her father was at one time judge of the Wood- stock district. Mrs. Dillon died June 14, 1888, leaving five children, namely: Mary P., Margret A., Alice E., Joseph G. and Moses L. The Colonel was again married, January 6, 1892, his second union being with Mrs. Anna H. Whipple, one of the most charming and cultured ladies of Sterl- ing and a general favorite in society. After a two months trip to the Pacific coast, they settled down at their elegant home in Haw- thorne Villa, a beautiful suburb of Sterling.
Socially Colonel Dillon is quite prom- inent and belongs to the Ancient Order of
United Workmen, the Modern Woodmen of America, and Sterling lodge, No. 174, I. O. O. F. He has been lieutenant colonel of the First Regiment P. M. of Illinois, and was commander of Will Robinson post, No. 274, G. A. R., in 1888. While serving in the latter office he conceived the idea of erecting a soldiers' monument at Sterling, which resulted in the satisfactory consum- mation of his plans. The completion of this artistic memorial to Sterling's devoted sons who so gallantly fought for their coun- try during the dark days of the Civil war, is due to the untiring efforts, zeal and patriotic fervor of Colonel Dillon while serving as president of the soldiers and citizens' com- mittee. It is not only a grand tribute of honor to her dead soldiers, but also to the cause for which they so heroically fought. Among the distinguished guests present at the dedication, July 4, 1890, was General Alger, commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, while the oration was delivered by General McNulta, then of Bloomington, Illinois. In 1889 Colonel Dillon was a member of the staff of Con- mander-in-Chief Warner, of the Grand Army of the Republic. He is an ardent supporter of the Republican party, is a member of the Presbyterian church, and was a member of the building committee in 1887. By many laudable public and private acts and bene- ficiaries the Colonel has conferred honor on the community in which he lives and has given to his country an example of lofty patriotism which will ever dignify his name and memory.
TERRY V. MCCARTY was for several J
years one of the leading and representa- tive business men of Rock Falls, but is now
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living a retired life. Though born on the other side of the Atlantic, he is thoroughly American in thought and feeling, and that he is patriotic and sincere in his love for the stars and stripes was manifest by his service in the Civil war.
Mr. McCarty was born in London, Eng- land, June 20, 1842, a son of Dennis and Johanna (Cochlan) McCarty, both natives of Ireland. The mother died when our subject was only three years old, and in 1849 the father married Margaret Barry, also a native of the Emerald Isle. For twenty years he was a resident of London, England, and then, in 1850, emigrated to America and first located in New England, where he made his home for a part of one year. In the fall of 1850 he removed to McHenry county, Illinois, and in I851 went to Stephenson county, later living in several Illinois counties until 1857 when he came to Whiteside county. He died October 3, 1871, but his second wife is still living and makes her home in Rock Falls. To them were born the following children: Kate, who was married, in 1872, to M. B. Fitzgerald, contractor of Sterling; Mary, wife of James Fitzgerald, also a contractor of Sterling; Ella, wife of James Ballou, a cornicemaker of Chicago; Julia, a resident of Chicago; and Fannie, wife of James Wolfe, of Chi- cago. Of the four children born of the first union only two are now living, John and our subject.
Jerry V. McCarty was only eight years old when he came with the family to this country and the time spent in New England remained with the family in its various moves until coming to Whiteside county, in 1857. Since then the home of the family has been in Whiteside county. In 1861, our subject enlisted for three years in Com-
pany E, Thirty-fourth Illinois Volunteer In- fantry, and participated in sixteen general engagements. During the battle of Shiloh he was twice wounded. On receiving an honorable discharge at Atlanta, September 17. 1864, he returned home and took up the more quiet pursuits of farm life, which claimed his attention for five years. Becoming tired of that occupation, he entered the employ of the Rockford, Rock Island & St. Louis Railroad Company, and was a locomotive engineer for two years, and the following eleven years was employed by the Panhandle, the western system of the Pennsylvania system. Dur- ing eleven years he lived in Logansport, Indiana, but with the exception of this time he has lived in Whiteside county, Illinois, since 1857. At the end of that period hc started in business in Rock Falls as a dealer in coal and building material, and in that undertaking he met with well-merited suc- cess, accumulating considerable property. In September, 1899, he sold out his busi- ness, and is now living retired, surrounded by all the comforts and many of the luxuries of life, which have been obtained through his own industry, perseverance and able management.
On the 22d of April, 1875, Mr. McCarty was united in marriage with Miss Mary Amelia Cassidy, a daughter of James and Elizabeth (Kissinger) Cassidy. The father, who was a native of Pennsylvania, and a contractor by occupation, died at his home in Logansport, Indiana, in 1866, but the mother is still living and continues her resi- dence there. Besides Mrs. McCarty they had three other children, namely: (1) Cecelia, born at Logansport, is the wife of James Shafer, a locomotive engineer of Huntington, Indiana, and they have one
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child, Augustus. (2) John M., born at Logansport, is now a restaurant keeper in the city. He is married and has one child. (3) William, also born in Logansport, is a machinist and foreman of the round-house of the Panhandle Railroad Company at that place. He married Emma Thackarh, and they have one child, Florence.
Mr. and Mrs. McCarty have two children : (1) Charles J., born in Logansport, Indiana, September 29, 1876, and was eight years of age when he came with his parents to Whiteside county, Illinois. He graduated from the Rock Falls high school in 1894, and then took up the study of electrical engineering at the State University in Cham- paign, Illinois, completing the four years' course. For a time he was engaged in the coal business with his father in Rock Falls, but is at present the superintendent of the electric light plant of that city. (2) Ger- trude, born in Logansport, August 26, 1880, resides at home with her parents.
O LIVER TALBOTT, long one of the representative agriculturists of White- side county, is now living practically re- tired at his pleasant home near Sanfords- ville. He may be justly termed a self-made man, for to his own unaided efforts he owes the competence which he now enjoys, and which is amply sufficient for the needs of himself and family during the remainder of their lives. In all local affairs, which should receive the attention of patriotic cit- izens, he has been active and zealous, doing all within his power to advance the welfare of the public.
James Talbott, the father of the above, was born in Westmoreland county, Penn- sylvania, in August, 1801. He was a car-
penter and builder by trade, and after his marriage he removed to Cincinnati, where he continued to work at his usual calling for a number of years. In 1833, he started by boat for Peoria, and at Louisville the river was frozen and the family could pro- ceed no further on their journey until the ensuing spring. They lived in Peoria only a year, Mr. Talbott being employed in the building of two mills on the Kickapoo river. Then, buying oxteams and wagons, he moved to Whiteside county, and here followed his trade as a millwright for some five years. In 1835 he built the Wilson mill, known all over this section of Illinois. Besides the one which he erected at Sterling and one at Buffalo Grove, he put up many others in various locations round about, and won the reputation of being unsurpassed in his spec- ial line of business. Building a log house on Buffalo creek, it became a regular stopping place for travelers on the way from Dixon to Galena, and hospitality was one of the prime traits of Mr. Talbott's character. In 1835 he started to Peoria, one hundred and ten miles away, for flour, but when he arrived found that the wheat had yet to be threshed, and then had to wait until grain was ground before he could return home with the flour. For several years he was occupied in farming, and at one time owned about three hundred acres. About 1873 he retired, thenceforth making his, home in Sterling. His death took place in 1879, his wife dying in 1882. Politically he was a Democrat, and frequently officiated in local positions, being the first supervisor of Jordan township, and holding that place for four terms, and also being assessor, collect- or, justice of the peace and commissioner for several years at a time. Thus, it may plainly be seen that he was a man of much
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more than ordinary ability, and that his neighbors and friends reposed great trusts to his keeping, confidently believing in his effi- ciency and integrity. He was raised a Quaker and after coming to this county he joined the Methodist Episcopal church, and until his death lived a noble Christian life.
The wife of James Talbott bore the maiden name of Sarah Woods, and she, too, was a native of Westmoreland county, her birth having occurred June 5, 1807. Two of their ten children, Mary J. and Sarah, died in infancy, and John W., the eldest born, died in Kansas, unmarried. Hannah A., wife of Aaron Doty, of Kimball, South Dakota, has three living children. Martha died about 1876; she for some years engaged in teaching school in Iowa, and also taught several terms in Jordan township. Annetta, unmarried, resides in Sterling. James died, leaving a wife and four children, Belle, Bessie, James and Bertha. Their home is in Jordan township. Samuel, of the same township, has four children, Fred, Grace, Walter and Floyd. Amelia makes her home with her sister, Annetta, at the old homestead in Sterling.
The birth of Oliver Talbott took place in Louisville, Kentucky, December 18, 1833. His education was obtained in the schools of this county, and when of suitable age began the struggle for a livelihood. He thoroughly mastered agriculture in its vari- ous details, and dwelt with his parents until he was twenty-five years of age. Having no capital, he rented farms for several years, and then bought eighty acres of land, a part of the old homestead, at three dollars an acre. By good management, he was enabled to add to this amount, until he now owns over five hundred acres, all being under cultivation and valuable. Stock-
raising has been one of his most profitable undertakings, and success came to him ere he had arrived at the prime of manhood. In 1891, he retired from active labors. His property is situated in Whiteside, Ogle and Carroll counties, comprising some of the best land in these sections.
In 1888, Mr. Talbott married Mary C. Furry, who was born in Victor, New York, in 1845. One daughter has been born to this worthy couple, Alice, whose nativity occurred January 14, 1890. She is a pupil in the local school, and is making rapid progress in her studies. Mrs. Talbott was for twenty-five years a successful teacher in the schools of this county, and is a grad- uate of the State Normal at Normal, Illi- nois. Both as an educator and as presi- dent of the Whiteside county branch of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, which important office she has held for the past ten years, she has become widely known, not only in this county, but through- out the northwest. Both Mr. and Mrs. Talbott have traveled considerably, and are well posted in the leading events and issues of the day. He has attended all of the great expositions in this country since the Centennial, including the one held at Atlanta, Georgia, and the New Orleans Cot- ton Exhibition. Generous to a fault, Mr. Talbott has assisted friends and acquaint- ances times without number, both finan- cially and in other ways, and is loyal to the high principles of Christian manhood which were inculcated in him by his esti- mable parents. Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and take earnest interest in religious en- terprises. Politically, he is a Prohibition- ist. Many of the important local offices have been filled by him, such as school
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trustee, constable, road commissioner and tax collector, and the same fidelity which he has manifested in all of his relations with his fellow men have actuated him when serving in a public capacity.
R OBERT McNEIL. Quite a number of the leading and prominent citizens of Whiteside county were born on the other side of the Atlantic, and have transported to this land of fertility and plenty the thrifty habits of their native country. Among these none is better known or more widely respected than the gentleman whose name heads this sketch. His home is on section 27, Coloma township, where for many years he was actively engaged in farming, but is now living retired.
Mr. McNeil was born in Paisley, Scot- land, November 27, 1836, a son of Alex- ander and Janet (Mason) McNeil, also na- tives of that country. In 1849, with their family, they sailed for the United States, and arrived safely in New Orleans, but the mother was taken sick and died before reaching this county, being laid to rest in the cemetery at Albany, Illinois. The father, who was a machinist by trade, re- mained in Whiteside county for two years and then went to Chicago, where he worked at his trade until his death. In the family were five children, namely: (1) Isabella is the widow of Burrell Stone, who was an extensive and prosperous farmer, and she now spends her summers in Rock Falls, Illinois, and the winter in Florida. She has four children living, Mary J., Mina, Jessie and George, and one deceased. (2) Mary is the wife of Henry F. Batcheller, who was supervisor of Coloma township for twenty-five consecutive years, but is now
living retired in Rock Falls, and they have three children; Imogene, wife of S. O. Roberson; Addison; and Mrs. Fay Rodde- meyer. (3) Robert, our subject, is the next of the family. (4) Jane is wife of John A. Lyde, of St. Andrews Bay, Florida. George lives in Chicago, and is a machinist; has charge of R. F. Crane's machine shops.
Robert McNeil acquired his education in the schools of his native land, and after the emigration of the family to the new world, he began life for himself as a farm hand, being thus employed until able to purchase land. During his boyhood, he also engaged in teaming from that county to Chicago and Aurora, and drove cattle to market in the former city. From his wages, he at length saved one hundred dollars in gold, and with it purchased a tract of government land be- tore he was twenty years of age. For a number of years he successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising, making a specialty of Durham cattle, and at one time owned two hundred and eighty acres of very valuable and productive land, one hun- dred and eighty acres of which he still owns.
In July, 1856, Mr. McNeil was united in marriage with Miss Jean Lyle, who was also born in Paisley, Scotland, January 22, 1839, and was one of a family of ten children. Her parents were James and Agnes (Alli- son) Lyle, who came to this country in 1843, and took up their residence at Buf- falo Grove, Ogle county, Illinois, where the father followed farming, though in Scotland he was a manufacturer. Of the nine chil- dren born to our subject and his wife one died in infancy. The others are as follows: (1) Alexander J., a hardware merchant of Rock Falls, is married and has one child, Jean E. (2) Agnes is the wife of James
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H. Donaldson, living near Polo, Illinois, to success by his perseverance, energy and and they have three children, Robert W., good management, so that he is now one of the well-to-do and substantial men of his community, as well as one of its represent- ative and honored citizens. Harold J. and Mildred. (3) William E., a farmer of Montmorency township, this county, is married and has four children, Bessie, Lester, Walter and Jean. (4) John M., also a farmer of Montmorency town- ship, is married and has three children, H LARM T. MEINS. One of the most enterprising larmers of Hopkins town- ship, Whiteside county, is the gentleman whose name heads this sketch. By the in- dustry and economy which he has practiced from his early manhood he has acquired a competence, and at the same time has won the respect of everyone with whom he has been associated, on account of his uniform integrity and honor. Arthur, Emery and Mary. (5) Jean is employed in the store of her brother, Alex- ander, in Rock Falls. (6) Margaret is at home. (7) Robert B., reporter for the Standard, and a resident of Rock Falls, is married and has three children, Wayne L., Althea and Dorothea. } He was a corporal in Company E, Sixth Illinois Volunteer In- fantry, during the Spanish-American war, and was sent to Porto Rico. (8) Mary I., living at home, is the wife of Harry Kadel, and they have one son, Donald McNeil Kadel.
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