Eckhoff, John H.

PORTRAIT & BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM OF MORGAN AND SCOTT COUNTIES, ILLINOIS
Chicago: Chapman Bros., Publishers

1889


JOHN H. ECKHOFF, a native of this county and one of its most enterprising young farmer and stock-raisers, owns and operates 200 acres of land on section 21, township 16, range 12. He has just passed his thirty-second year, having been born May 11, 1857, and is of German parentage, being the son of Henry and Elizabeth (Oberkotter) Eckhoff, the father a native of Hanover, Germany, and the mother born in Prussia

The father of our subject emigrated to America about forty years ago, and for three years was a resident of Cleveland, Ohio. There he met his future wife and was married, and to them were born five children, of whom four are living, namely: John H.; Annie, the wife of Albert Uhnken; Henry and T. F. Upon coming to Illinois early in the fifties they established themselves in Meredosia Precinct, and for several years thereafter the father rented land in both Morgan and Scott counties. In the fall of 1865 he secured the property now owned and occupied by our subject, and here the parents both died, the mother in 1872 and the father in 1883.

The elder Eckhoff was a poor man when coming to this county, but at his death left an estate of 160 acres of land in addition to $8,000 worth of personal property. This fact indicates the success with which he labored and the manner in which he overcame the hardship and difficulties incident to pioneer life. Without making any great stir in the world he pursued the even tenor of his way in an honest and upright manner and while accumulating the wherewithal to make life comfortable and desirable, established himself in the esteem and confidence of his neighbors. He was the friend of religious and educational institutions and a member in good standing of the Lutheran Church, in which he served as a Trustee, and to the support of which he contributed liberally. Politically, he affiliated with the Democratic party, and served in the district as School Director.

The subject of this sketch obtained his education in the public schools and grew up amid surroundings far different from those of the young men of today. He was thoughtful and intelligent beyond his years, and by a course of reading has always kept himself posted upon current events. His 200 acre farm is steadily growing in value under his good management and careful cultivation, and he has already become a man of note in his community. Like his honored father he supports the principles of the Democratic party.


1889 Index
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