BERGEN, JOHN J. - The debt Cass County owes the men who so wisely shaped its financial policies during its earlier years, cannot be overestimated, for upon their judgment, knowledge, experience and integrity was built up much of the present day prosperity of this section. One of the men who bore well his part in this direction is John J. Bergen, now retired, but who, for many years, was associated with the banking life of Virginia. Mr. Bergen was born at Princeton, this county, September 25, 1842, a son of Jacob F. and Eliza J. (Montgomery) Bergen, the former of whom was born May 27, 1802, in New Jersey, while his wife was a native of Kentucky. They were married in Cass County, Ill. At the time of his death, the father owned 500 acres of land in Cass and Morgan counties. His death occurred at Virginia, where he had conducted a general dry goods store for some years after leaving Princeton, where he also had been a merchant. The mother died in Princeton, Ill.

John J. Bergen was educated in the schools of his district, and the Illinois College at Jacksonville, where he attended for three years. After leaving college, he started into business for himself at Virginia, then married and after a year or so moved to his farm, two miles south of Virginia. This property of 180 acres had been given him by his father and on it he carried on farming for seven years. He then returned to Virginia and entered as a partner the firm of Stevenson & Bergen, his father and father-in-law, for the purpose of handling a general mercantile business. After several years, he moved to a farm east of Little Indian, this county, during this period being associated with his father in a general merchandise business in Little Indian. Once more he made a change, returning to Virginia, where he and his father carried on a general merchandise business at the county seat, but in 1894, he sold his interests and in April, 1896, became cashier in the Centennial National Bank, a position he held for eighteen years. In April, 1914, he resigned, although he continues a stockholder in the institution, and is also a stockholder, and secretary and treasurer, of the Little Indian Farmers Grain Elevator Company.

On December 2, 1862, Mr. Bergen was married in Cass County to Sarah C. Stevenson, born in Cass County, a daughter of William and Frances Stevenson, natives of the state of Virginia and of Kentucky, respectively. Mr. and Mrs. Bergen have two daughters, namely: Louisa M. and Frances E. Mr. Bergen owns forty acres of land near Little Indian, and the family residence at Virginia, while Mrs. Bergen owns a store and eighty acres of land at Little Indian. In religious faith, Mr. Bergen is a Presbyterian. Politically he is a Republican, but has not cared for public office. His fraternal connections are with the Masons and Odd Fellows.