USA > Illinois > Whiteside County > The biographical record of Whiteside County, Illinois.. > Part 9
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The last named obtained his education in the country schools of his native town- ship, and remained at home with his parents until he had attained his majority, assisting
in the labors of the fields and meadows and thus gaining a good practical knowledge of the occupation which he has made his life work. After reaching man's estate he worked for two years as a farm hand and then rented land for a year. About that time he was married, Miss Elva Seaman be- coming his wife on the Ist of January, 1882. She was born in Lyndon township, White- side county, October 2, 1856, and is a daughter of David and Amy (Sweet) Sea- man, natives of New York, who came to Illinois about 1852. Her mother was of Scotch descent, and after the death of her first husband, in 1858, she became the wife of William Hicks, and is now living in Mor- rison. The children of her first marriage are Ephraim, who died in childhood, and Elva, now Mrs. Hardy.
After their marriage our subject and his wife located upon a rented farm, which was their home for twelve years, on the expira- tion of which period they took up their abode on a part of the old Hardy homestead. Their union has been blessed with two chil- dren: Ray W., born December 29, 1883, and Carlie A., born October 9, 1888, the elder now a student in the schools of Morri- son.
Mr. Hardy is engaged in general farm- ing and is one of the progressive agricult- urists of the community. For a number of years, in partnership with Eli Harrison, he operated a thresher and corn sheller, and made considerable money through that in- dustry, which he continued until 1894. When he located upon the farm which is now his home, it was entirely unimproved. He has erected a comfortable residence, built good barns and other outbuildings necessary for the care of stock and grain and has placed the land under a high state of culti-
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vation, the well tilled fields yielding to him excellent returns. He raises some stock, making a specialty of hogs, and his industry, combined with his honorable business meth- ods, has brought to him a comfortable com- petence. Mr. Hardy is a member of the Fraternal Tribune lodge, of Morrison. He has served as school director and in his political views he is independent, voting for the man whom he thinks best qualified for the office, regardless of party affiliations. Industry and enterprise are numbered among his chief characteristics and make him one of the leading and representative citizens of the community.
SAMUEL A. LANGDON, one of Morri- son's most esteemed citizens, was for many years prominently identified with the agricultural interests of the county, but at present is not actively engaged in any busi- ness. He was born in Berkshire county, Massachusetts, June 17, 1833, a son of Amos and Naomi (Thompson) Langdon, also natives of that county. There the grandfather, Amos Langdon, Sr., spent his entire life as a farmer, his father, Noah Langdon, being one of the early settlers of the county, arriving there in 1755. During the Revolutionary war, Amos enlisted from Berkshire county, at the age of nineteen, with his two brothers, Martin and Seth, as soldiers of the Continental army. In his family were eight children, five sons and three daughters, of whom the father of our subject was third in order of birth. He became an extensive stock breeder of his native county, and served his fellow citizens as a member of the state legislature in 1840 and in 1852. He never came west, but died in Massachusetts, in January, 1862. His
wife afterward came to Whiteside county, and was living with her daughter in Hume township at the time of her death, which occurred January 19, 1876. Her father, Samuel Thompson, was of English descent, as well as the Langdon family. Our subject is now the only one living in a family of nine children, who in order of birth were as follows: Seth S .; Zaphna V., Reuben A., Almena R., Milo T., Albert C., Marilla A., Samuel A. and Amanda J.
Upon the home farm Samuel A. Lang- don grew to manhood, and in the district schools of the neighborhood he acquired his early education, which was supplemented by a business course at Bacon's Commercial College, in Cincinnati, Ohio. At the age of twenty-two he went to Ross county, Ohio, and for several years was station agent for the Baltimore & Ohio Southwest- ern Railroad, at Lyndon, which town was named by him. He also served as its first postmaster and still has his postmaster's commission. While holding the position of agent he was engaged in the grain business, and when he retired from the railroad serv- ice he embarked in merchandising at that place, where he remained until elected treasurer of Ross county in 1865, when he removed to Chillicothe, the county seat. So acceptably did he fill the office, that he was re-elected in 1867 for another two- years' term.
Being in poor health, Mr. Langdon de- termined to come to Illinois, in 1871, and accordingly came to Whiteside county. After living in Morrison for one year, he purchased a farm of three hundred and forty-four acres, and to its cultivation and improvement he devoted his energies for twenty-two years, but since 1894 has lived retired in Morrison, surrounded by all the
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comforts and many of the luxuries of life. While in the country he gave special atten- tion to the breeding and raising of Holstein cattle, having the first herd of the kind in this locality, and he often kept as high as eighty head upon his place.
On the 25th of November, 1862, Mr. Langdon was united in marriage with Miss Lucelia Brewer, who was born in Portland township, this county. April 3, 1844, a daughter of Daniel P. and Emeline (Hollis- ter) Brewer, pioneers of Whiteside county, who are mentioned more fully in the sketch of D. P. Brewer on another page of this volume. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Langdon, namely: Elsie L., wife of F. A Belt, a florist of Sterling, by whom she has two children; Porter B., a resident of Portland, Oregon, who married Daisy Wharfield, and has three children; Buel A., who married Hattie Swarthout and is now editor and publisher of the Record of Morrison; Ross S., at home with his parents in Morrison; Clark E., who is a graduate of the Morrison high school and is also at home.
Mr. Langdon is a member of the Hol- stein Friesian Association, and is a Knight Templar Mason, belonging to the blue lodge, chapter and commandery of Chilli- cothe, Ohio. Politically he is a stanch supporter of the Democratic party, and dur- his residence in this county has served as supervisor three terms, school clerk fifteen years and school director for the same length of time. While in Ohio he also served as township treasurer for five years. His offi- cial duties have always been most promptly and faithfully discharged, and he has always been recognized as a useful and valued citi- zen of the communities in which his lot has been cast. His estimable wife is a member
of the Methodist Episcopal church, and both are held in high regard by all who know them.
W ILLIAM THOMSON, of Unionville, is now living a retired life in the en- joyment of a rest which he has truly earned and richly deserves by reason of his indus- trious efforts of former years. As one of the highly respected and honored citizens of his community he is well entitled to repre- sentation in the history of his adopted county.
Mr. Thomson was born in Ayrshire, Scot- land, March, 1822, and is a son of Thomas and Margaret (Skeycoch) Thomson, also natives of Ayrshire, the former born in 1777, the latter in 1779. The father was a sailor and sawyer, who spent his entire life in his native place, and there died in 1847. His father, John Thomson, was a large land owner and extensive farmer of Ayrshire. His wife, Janet Blue, was born in Clark Manor, Scotland. They had four children, two sons and two daughters, all of whom lived and died at their birthplace. Of the eleven children born to the parents of our subject three died in infancy; Mary wedded James Kirkwood and died in Scotland at the age of eighty-three years; Janet mar- ried William Miller and died in the same country and about the age of seventy years; Jeannie died at the age of eighteen; John was killed in Scotland while in the employ of a railroad company at the age of sixty- seven years; William, our subject, is the next of the family: Margaret married Rob- ert Dunlap and died when past sixty years of age; and Jeannie, the youngest of the family, is now deceased.
William Thomson was educated in the
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parish schools of Scotland, and during his youth learned the weaver's trade. He also gained an excellent knowledge of carpenter- ing and cabinet-making. He remained in his native land until twenty-seven years of age, and at the age of twenty-five he mar- ried Miss Jane Burns, who was born in Ayr- shire in November, 1820. Two years later he came alone to the new world and first located in Maryland, where he was in the employ of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad as roadmaster of the division for three years.
At the end of that time he was joined by his wife, whom he had left in Scotland, and soon after her arrival they removed to West Virginia, where they made their home for ten years, leaving that state just at the close of the war. There he followed farm- ing with good success. In 1866 he came to Whiteside county, Illinois, and for five years operated rented land near Round Grove, after which he purchased one hun- dred and sixty acres, which he immediately began to improve and cultivate. Two years later he added to his original purchase a one- hundred-and-twenty acre tract, and subse- quently bought eighty acres more, owning at the time he retired from active labor three hundred and sixty acres of fine farm- ing land. He made all the improvements upon his property with the exception of those on the eighty-acre tract which had already been improved. In connection with general farming, he was successfully en- gaged in stock raising, his specialty being draft horses. In 1887 he laid aside busi- ness cares and moved to Unionville, where he had purchased two and a quarter acres of improved land, where he now has a pleasant home and outbuildings.
Mr. and Mrs. Thomson have had eight
children, namely: (1) William, a successful farmer of Ustiek township, who purchased two hundred and eighty acres of land owned by his father, married Bertha Hoover, and had eleven children, all living with the ex- ception of one son, George. (2) Archibald, who owns and operates a fine farm of eight hundred acres in Plymouth county, Iowa, married Margaret Crease, and has three children, Stephen, Jeannie and William B. (3) Robert B., who has one hundred and sixty acres in the same county, married Mary Stiles, by whom he has two children and an adopted daughter. (4) Hugh, who also owns a good farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Plymouth county, Iowa, married Fanny MeKee, of Ustick, and has three chil- dren. (5) Mary J. is the wife of David Har- rison, a retired farmer of Morrison, who still owns a farm in Union Grove township, and they have two children, Donald and Madge J. (6) Elizabeth W., who died in 1882, was the first wife of David G. Har- rison, by whom she had three children: Ot- to, Jeannie and Euphemia. (7) Anna, who died in 1893, was the wife of Thomas Mat- thew, of Round Grove, and had four chil- dren, Archibald, Robert, Jeannie and Bes- sie, who are all married and have children- the great-grandchildren of our subject. Archibald Matthew has two children: Jean- nie, wife of W. Heath, of Union Grove township, has one child, Bessie: Bessie, wife of James Steiner, of Round Grove has one daughter, and Robert married Ger- trude Lewis and has one son.
In his political views Mr. Thomson is a Prohibitionist. During the first year of the Civil war, while a resident of West Virginia, he was one of the party that helped divide that state, and was one of the nine men that held the county of Tucker in the Union.
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At that time he was serving as county sur- veyor and was quite prominent and influen- tial. During his residence in Ustick town- ship, this county, he served as school direct- or, but never sought office, preferring to give his undivided attention to his business interests. His success in life is due to good management and hard work, and he well deserves the prosperity that has come to him. He is a worthy representative of that class of citizens who lead quiet, industrious, honest and useful lives, and constitute the best portion of a community. Religiously, both he and his wife are faithful members of the Presbyterian church of Morrison.
FLI UPTON, an honored pioneer of Whiteside county, who is now living retired in Morrison, was born in Peterboro, Hillsboro county, New Hampshire, Septem- ber 28, 1811, a son of Eli and Abigail (Snow) Upton, also natives of that state, where the father was proprietor of a gristmill for a great many years. He finally came west and spent the last eight years with our sub- ject in this county, where he died at the age of eighty-five years. As he was left an orphan at the age of two but little is known of his ancestry. The mother of our subject died many years ago at the age of thirty years. She had eight children, six sons and two daughters, of who Eli is the second in order of birth. He is the only one of the family now living with the exception of a half sister, by his father's second marriage, Mrs. Charles B. Sheldon, of Peterboro, New Hampshire.
In his native state our subject passed his boyhood and youth, but on attaining his majority he went to Massachusetts, to learn the machinist's trade, and remained there
three years. Later he obtained a position as a machinist in a woolen and cotton mill, where he was employed for two years, and at the end of that time went to Los Angeles, state of Sonora, Mexico, with Charles Peck, to set up and put in operation the machinery for a cotton mill to be built at that place. They left Boston, August 3, 1839, rounded the Horn, went up the Gulf of California, and crossed overland to Los Angeles, where they remained for nearly four years. On the 7th of February, 1844, they boarded a ship for San Blass, Mexico, from there crossed the continent to Tampico, Mexico, and by steamer proceeded to New Orleans, where they landed in March. They went up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to Wheel- ing, West Virginia, and from that place proceeded by land to Peterboro, New Hamp- shire, where Mr. Upton was married in June, 1844, to Miss Elizabeth Ann New- comb, a daughter of John Newcomb, of that state.
Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Upton started for Illinois, traveling by way of the Great Lakes to Chicago, which at that time was little better than a " mud- hole." There he purchased a team of horses, a wagon and some household uten- sils, and then continued on his journey to Whiteside county. On section 6, Lyndon township, he bought one hundred and eighty- five acres of land from Ambrose Maxwell, and there he made his home for ten years, at the end of which time he removed to Mount Pleasant township. On coming to the county the greater part of the land was still in its primitive condition, and there was plenty of wild game, including deer, prairie chickens, turkeys and quails and the wolves were also numerous. The prairie chickens were often so thick that in rising from our
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subject's cornfield the noise made by their wings sounded like thunder, and the heavy- ens would be black with them. Mr. Upton continued to actively engage in farming un- til 1882, when he removed to Morrison, where he has since made his home. At one time he owned eight hundred acres of land in the county, and at the time of his removal to the city still owned four hundred and forty acres. In Morrison, he and his son George Y. dealt in Percheron horses for twelve years, but since giving up that busi- ness he has lived retired, enjoying the fruits of his former toil. In his political views he is independent. He is highly respected and esteemed by all who know him, and in the records of Whiteside county's honored pio- neers his name should be among the fore- most.
Mr. Upton has been called upon to mourn the loss of his estimable wife, who died June 9, 1890, at the age of sixty-eight years. Five children were born to them who reached years of maturity, one daugh- ter, Susan, died at the age of fifteen months. George Y. is represented on another page of this volume. John Eli married Mary Galbraith, now of Redfield, Sonth Dakota, and died at the age of twenty-nine years, leaving three children. Joseph Snow mar- ried Augusta Rockwell, and they have six children and he is now engaged in farming in Fargo, North Dakota, making a specialty of wheat. Franklin A. married Ellen Pud- difoot, now of Windsor Park, Illinois, and died at the age of thirty-two years leaving four children.
AMUEL N. JAMES resides on section
S 26, Clyde township, where he operates his father's farm of one hundred and thirty-
five acres. He is the owner of one hundred and fifty acres which he leases, and also owns forty acres which he operates, and is meeting with success as a general farmer and stock raiser. He was born in Clyde township, Whiteside county, July 25, 1860, and is a son of Amos James, who was also born in the same township. On the home farm he grew to manhood, and in the com- mon schools of the township he received his education. The education received in the school room has, however. been supple- mented by practical knowledge received in the school of experience. He remained at home with his parents, assisting in the culti- vation of the home farm until he was twen- ty-two years of age, when he went to Da- kota and pre-empted one hundred and sixty acres of land, and for six years roughed it in that new country.
After a residence of six years in Dakota, and having proved up his claim and secur- ing the deed, he sold the same and returned to his old home, concluding that White- side county was good enough for him. On his return he rented the farm where he now resides, and for a year and a half continued to manage it as he did his Dakota farm, without the aid of a "better half." Realiz- ing then that it " was not good for man to be alone," on the 2d of September, 1890, he was united in marriage with Miss Agnes E. Wells, who was born February 7, 1866, in Clyde township, Whiteside county, and daughter of John and Catherine (Ruckel) Wells, the former a native of England, born in 1834, and the latter a native of Ireland, born in 1832, but who came to this country when in their youth, and were here married. They became the parents of nine children, all of whom are yet living: Charles, in Mount Pleasant township; Lenwood, also in Mount
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Pleasant township; Irena, wife of Wm. Det- ra, and living in Clyde township; Agnes E., wife of our subject : George, residing in New- ton township: Fred, living in Clyde town- ship; Ulysses, Frank and Edward, at home.
After their marriage, Mr. James took his young wife to the farm which has since been their home. Here four children have been born to them, two of whom, however, died in infancy. The living are Hazel M., born June 20, 1891, and Portus A., born January 26, 1897.
While residing in Dakota, Mr. James served his township as constable for a time, and since his return to Whiteside county he has served his district as school director, an office which he is now satisfactorily filling. In politics he is a stanch Republican. In his farming operations, in addition to the raising of grain, he makes a specialty of cattle and hogs which he feeds for the market. At times he also buys and ships to the market, and in all that he does, he gives his best ef- forts, and as a consequence success usually crowns them all. He is a good farmer, a kind and accommodating neighbor and en- joys the confidence and respect of all that know him.
JONAS EDLUND. Many of the most J enterprising and prosperous farmers of Whiteside county have come from the land beyond the sea, and through their own un- aided efforts have worked their way upward to a position of affluence. Among this num- ber is Jonas Edlund, who now owns a valu- able farm of three hundred and eighty acres on section 2. Ustick township. He was born in Northland, Sweden, January 3, 1833, and is a son of Mickleson and Bertha (Fanquat) Edlund, who spent their entire
lives at that place, where the father worked at the tailor's trade. He died at the age of seventy years; his wife at the age of sev- enty-five. To them were born ten children, all of whom reached years of maturity, but only the following are now living: Cather- ine, wife of John Johnson, of Sweden, by whom she has three children; Ann Eliza, widow of Jonas Immerson, by whom she had three children, and Jonas, our subject.
Jonas Edlund was educated in the schools of his native land and was in the military service of his country for a time. Soon after attaining his majority he emi- grated to the new world and first located in Chicago, Illinois, where he worked as a laborer for two years. At the end of that time he came to Whiteside county, where he was employed in a lime kiln for two years, and then worked at the mason's trade for about twenty years. His first farm property consisted of one hundred and sixty acres of partially improved land, for which he paid thirty-seven and a half dollars per acre, and upon which he has since erected a good residence and substantial outbuildings. As an agriculturist he has met with excellent success and is now the owner of three hundred and eighty acres of land which he has placed under a high state of cultivation. He also has eight acres of timber land and is successfully en- gaged in general farming and stock raising.
In 1882 Mr. Edlund was united in mar- riage with Mrs. Martha I. (Peterson) Ed- lund, also a native of Sweden, and the widow of our subject's brother, Gulick Edlund, who died when his son was only three months old. He left three children, whom the mother kept together and sup- ported until her marriage to our subject. They are Elizabeth, now the wife of An-
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drew S. Durward, of Unionville; Bertha, wife of Henry Longnecker, of Ustick, and Nelson J., who now manages our subject's farm. He was born in 1869, and was mar- ried in 1896 to Minnie M. Patterson, who was born in Ustick township, in 1877, a daughter of W. J. and Mary E. (Cassel- man) Patterson, natives of Pennsylvania and New York respectively. Nelson J. Ed- lund and his wife have one son, Russell J.
Mr. Edlund has practically lived retired from active business since 1888. For eight years his farm was operated by Mr. A. F. Durward, his wife's son-in-law, and since 1896 Nelson J. Edlund has had charge of the same. Our subject is a stanch sup- porter of the Republican party and its prin- ciples, but has always declined office. He is an earnest, consistent Christian, a mnem- ber of the Presbyterian church, in which he serves as elder. On coming to this country he was entirely ignorant of the English lan- guage and had no money with which to begin life here, but he has made the most of his opportunities, and being industrious, persevering and enterprising, has become one of the most substantial as well as one of the most reliable and highly respected citizens of his community.
JOHN CLARK, deceased, was for many J years one of the best known as well as most highly respected citizens of Whiteside county. He was born in Fredonia, Chau- tauqua county, New York, March 3, 1840, and was the son of Albert and Phoebe Clark, the former a native of England and the lat- ter of New York. They were the parents of eight children, four sons and four daugh- ters, the sons all being now deceased. The daughters are Sarah, wife of H. A. Boyd, 5
of Morrison, of whom mention is made else- where in this volume; Alice, wife of Ezra Poole, of Iowa; Maria, wife of William Green, also of Iowa; and Elizabeth, wife of Gabriel Green, living on the old home place in Fredonia, New York.
In his native state our subject remained until he was fifteen years old, in the mean- time receiving a good common-school edu- cation, which was made practical use of in after years. In 1855 he left his old home and came to Whiteside county, where he began life in an humble way, working as a farm hand for Isaac Fletcher, of Clyde township, with whom he remained for sev- eral years, doing his duty faithfully and being rewarded with the confidence of his employer, who appreciated his services highly. Having saved a little money, he made a trip to Pike's Peak on a prospecting tour, and while there engaged in mining for a year, meeting with a fair degree of success and saving some money. Not being satis- fied with the life of a miner in that new western country, he determined to return to Whiteside county, and from the time he returned the success which attended him in after life began.
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