1894 - File H-M





1894 Plat Book of Morgan County Illinois

"Statistics of the Population of Morgan County By Townships, With Abstract of Agricultural Productions"




DR. J. R. HAGGARD was born in Clark county, Kentucky, October 29, 1839. He is the oldest child of D. J. and Sarah A. Haggard, now residents of Scott county. Mr. Haggard removed with his family to Illinois in 1840, and in Scott county the Doctor attended his first school. He attended the academy at Winchester, and also, North Prairie Seminary. At the age of twenty-two, commenced the study of medicine with Doctors Skillings & Brengle, of Winchester. In the fall of 1862 he enlisted in company D, 129th regiment Illinois Volunteers; was in the service till close of the war; participated in several hard fought battles, and was several times wounded previous to the taking of Kenesaw Mountain. As soon as he recovered somewhat, was sent to Quincy where he had charge of a ward in the hospital until discharged, July 2, 1865. The same fall he was elected county superintendent of schools for Scott county, by the Republican party. He graduated in medicine in the winter of 1868, from Rush Medical College, Chicago. The Doctor now has a good practice at his present residence at Lynnville. He was married September 24, 1867, to Miss Fannie A. Avery, daughter of Daniel and E. H. Avery, of Winchester.



REV. N. P. HEATH, the present pastor of Centenary Methodist Episcopal church, Jacksonville, Illinois, was born in Urbana, Champaign county, Ohio, on the 16th day of August, 1818. His parents moved to this state and settled in Alton, in the latter part of the year 1819, when he was left an orphan at the tender age of two years. His early education was perhaps the best the country at that time could afford, for then school houses and colleges were few and far between. He entered the traveling ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church, under the auspices of the Illinois annual conference, in the fall of 1838, and since that time he has continued in the regular work, and has filled efficiently and acceptably many of the most important and responsible stations, not only in this state, but also in the states of Indiana, Missouri, and California, and is now closing the third year of his pastorate of Centenary Church. As a minister of the gospel and an expounder of Methodism, Mr. Heath occupies an enviable position, not only among his brethren in the ministry, but also with the church and people at large where he labors. Though aiming not at display, his pulpit efforts are characterized by good sense, sound theology, fervent piety, and natural eloquence. As an active and efficient pastor, he has but few equals. In affliction he is ever present and ready to administer the consolations of the gospel of peace. He is ever jealous of the ancient landmarks of Methodism, and never hesitates to defend "the faith once delivered to the saints" when it is assailed, though he is not, by any means, dogmatic, or disposed to provoke or invite discussion. In the councils of his church he is an acknowledged leader and able debater. We should perhaps be wanting in truth did we fail to state, that for his success as a minister, and his usefulness to the church, he is greatly indebted to an active, intelligent, and indefatigable co-laborer, the partner of his joys and sorrows - an help meet in the fullest and highest sens of the word.



CHARLES HEINZ was born in Germany, January 20, 1828. He came to Arenzville and followed the occupation of carpenter till 1845, when he removed to Beardstown where he learned the blacksmith trade. He served in a cavalry company, mostly made up in Schuyler county, during the entire Mexican war. At the close of the war in 1849, he settled in Meredosia, where he engaged in blacksmithing and plow manufacturing, which business he still follows. He was a member of the 101st regiment Illinois volunteers, in which he served eight months, ranking 1st Lieutenant. He resigned, but afterwards served as 1st Lieutenant of company K, 28th regiment Illinois volunteer infantry, about one year, till the close of the war. As a good citizen and excellent mechanic, Mr. Heinz is esteemed by a large circle of friends and patrons.



HENDERSON, DAVID G. - Among the names of those who have taken a deep interest in the history of Morgan county, and have preserved many mementos of the past, will be prominently found the subject of this record. He was born in Hampshire county, Virginia, on the 23d of August, 1796. His father (John Henderson) and mother (whose maiden name was Phoebe Ganoe) were old residents of the county, and were related to some of the oldest and most respectable families in the state. His father was a tailor by trade, and chose that profession on account of his lameness. After residing in Virginia a few years after the birth of David, the family removed to Pennsylvania. Not satisfied with the rugged soil and climate of the Keystone State, the family emigrated to Ohio, and after removing from one county to another, finally located permanently in Pickaway county. A farm was purchased, and David, when at home, assisted his father in improving the farm and making the home pleasant and agreeable. He also attended school for a limited time, and imbibed some instruction, which ever has been to him a source of great satisfaction. Even before this, while a small boy in Virginia and Pennsylvania, he was accustomed to work for the neighboring farmers. When eight or nine years of age he was bound out to a Mr. Jacob Ersom, a farmer on the south branch of the Potomac. At the age of twenty-six he left his home in Pickaway county, and was married to Miss Mary Henderson (his cousin), daughter of David Henderson, Esq., an old resident of Pickaway county, and one of the most prominent citizens of that section. Now that he was started out in life, with a family to support, he thought of the far-famed prairies of Illinois, and resolved to remove to that locality. After remaining in Ohio two years, engaged in agricultural pursuits, in company with another family, he started in a four-horse wagon for the Prairie State. The route extended through some of the finest portions of Indiana, and the longer they rode the more beautiful seemed the country. They crossed the Wabash river just above Terre Haute, at a place called "Derger's Ferry," and the Sangamon near the present site of Decatur, and, finally, stopped in Greene county, where they made preparations to winter, on Apple Creek, on the 26th of August, 1825. So we notice, that the trip, commencing on the first of July, 1825, lasted till the latter part of August of the same year. There were no roads in Illinois at that time, and a narrow Indian trail was their only path. The settlers along their route told them that they could not travel in the daytime on account of the green-head flies, which would kill their horses. The groves were fifteen miles apart, and were the resorts of all emigrants. Upon approaching the first, which was called "Hickory Grove," about 10 o'clock A.M., the horses were bleeding and suffering great pain from the attacks of their little savage foes. This grove was recently used as a camping ground by some party, as fires were still burning. They remained here until sundown, when they again started, being now free from the bloodthirsty insects, and arrived, after a short journey, at Linn Grove. The wolves were barking all that night, though the moon shone brightly. Some of the party were greatly disturbed, but with the exception of their howling the emigrants suffered nothing from their presence. They passed over the Okaw, by Platt's, on the Sangamon, near the present site of Decatur, by Springfield to Apple Creek, Greene county. They remained one night at the residence of Rev. John Greene, a true friend to the emigrant, and one who loved to assist the pioneer, without money or price, rather than to coin treasure out of their necessities. They arrived at Apple Creek, as above stated, on the 26th of August, 1825. In the vicinity of where now Whitehall is situated, Mr. Henderson found three uncles, and this made him feel that, though in the distant west, yet he was not without friends. The cabin the family occupied during the winter of 1825-6 was a poor miserable affair that would not at the present time be used for a barn for any decent farmer's horse or cow. They were glad, however, to accept of the shelter of this hut, as it served to keep off, in a measure, the intense cold of that severe winter. It was erected by a family a short time before Mr. H.'s arrival. Since they vacated it, the stock and flies had occupied the same much to the detriment of its cleanliness, if it ever possessed any. The family cleaned the cabin aswell as they could, and prepared it for the long fall and winter. The house possessed neither floor nor upper loft, and was in very poor condition to shelter human beings from the chill winter blasts. For forty days and nights it never thawed, according to the report of all those persons in that section.

That fall Mr. Henderson cultivated a portion of North Prairie, then owned by Mr. Duvall, and planted five acres in wheat, hoping to have white bread during the next season, instead of the regular corn, which had been for a long time their only sustenance as regards grain. A Mr. North had a horse mill and still house, and used the same on week days. During Sunday of each week the poor emigrants would come, work the mill with their own horses, and pay twelve and half cents per bushel for the privilege of using the mill. The new comers were happy if they could get their corn ground even at that price. Few to-day are prepared to give credence to this tale, but by talking with many of our old citizens, the reliability of the above may easily be assured.

On the first day of April, 1826, Mr. Henderson left Apple Creek for Morgan county, traveling via the Rattlesnake spring, near the present situation of Winchester, through the prairie where Lynnville is located, thence to Swinnington Point to James Deaton's, in the timber. During the fall of 1825 a destructive storm had occurred, destroying much of the timber and blockading the paths with the limbs and trunks of forest trees. Mr. H. was forced to literally cut his way through the timber. Finally, after the considerable labor, on the evening of the 2d of April (Sunday), they arrived in Jersey prairie, and commenced to look for a permanent abiding-place. Without money or friends, Mr. H. now experienced hard times. We have heard Mr. H. relate many incidents illustrating the kindly feelings of the parties who were then living on Jersey prairie. True friends they were, indeed, to the poor emigrant who had arrived in the almost unbroken wilderness. Without delay, he purchased a cabin of a Gus Smith, who had built the same on section 16, range 10, during the previous fall, paying for the same a cow valued at ten dollars. Mr. H. had not two cows and two ponies, upon which to depend for sustenance. He rented, of Squire Thomas Barston, some ground which Mr. H. planted in corn and cotton. When harvest came, the grain crop having failed, he started for Greene county to look after his wheat crop. With a sickle in his hand, on foot he traveled to Apple Creek, a distance of over forty miles. When the grain was cut, he threshed the old way - by having the horses trample it - and carried it to a tread-mill near Alton, where it was ground; it was then taken home, where it delighted the family, so long a time deprived of good wheat bread. "Twas delicious, and at that time tasted to me far better than any sweet cake since that eventful trip." As for their clothing, it was not fashioned according to the present mode. The settlers raised flax and cotton for their domestic use. After the flax was rolled, braked &c., by the men, the women, after the usual preparation, separated it into three parts, viz: lint, coarse and fine tow. The coarse was used for breeches, &c. and the fine for shirts. The cotton was prepared with considerable difficulty, the seeds having to be picked out by hand. Mr.H. would remain at work carding with the hand-cards till a late hour night after night. His wife would spin and manufacture the cotton to suit the various wants of the family. Of course, coloring was needed for most of the above cloths. Indigo was raised for that purpose; and there being no earthern or iron vessels, they were forced to manufacture something to hold the dye. A large log that laid in the yard was dug out and used for dying purposes. There being no hot dyes known at that time, of course it answered all demands made upon it. Our space will not permit mentioning any other of these incidents, but we will proceed to note some of the offices, &c., held by Mr. Henderson. Upon arriving in the precinct he was elected constable, and held that office for over eight years. The people soon found that Mr. H. was a man possessed of some character, and thereupon elected him justice of the peace. For over sixteen years he filled the position to the satisfaction of all, and Squire Henderson was often called upon to settle disputes and grievances. As township treasurer, he served over twenty-eight years, without a single doubt as to his honor and integrity as a public official. In 1847 we notice his name as county commissioner, which position brought him in contact with all the leading citizens in the county. Nearly all the time since 1826 he has served the people in some capacity. This fact alone is ample evidence as to his ability as an officer and his popularity as a citizen. Though now in his seventy-seventh year, his mind is unimpaired, and his memory still preserves its accustomed vigor. Squire Henderson is to-day a living example of those brave men who founded this county - changed the wilderness into a populated section, and planted and encouraged the present system of intellectual and religious instruction. May we prove worthy of his labors, and show that we appreciate the struggles and trials of those brave pioneers for their own and their state's existence.



E. S. HINRICHSEN was born in the Grand Duchy of Mechlinberg, on the 29th of April, 1815. The father of Mr. H., Solomon Hinrichsen, Esq., is still living in the Duchy, though over eighty-six years of age. He was a merchant of many years standing. Though retired from active business for a long time, he is yet able to walk five miles in the morning without great fatigue. The mother of Mr. E. S. Hinrichsen, whose maiden name was Rachel Behrens, died about four years ago, deeply regretted by a large family and many friends. Mr. Hinrichsen was educated in the mercantile line of business, after attending the usual common schools of the country. He was a clerk in the city of Laarge for three years. He next entered a large wholesale establishment in the city of Hamburg. He was also supercargo on a vessel for nearly three years, and made two trips to the Mediterranean, one to Sumatra, and one to South America. After the latter voyage he was shipwrecked on the Louisiana coast, and finally landed upon the Unhappy Islands. He then went up the Mississippi river, then up the Ohio, and came to Pennsylvania. He then made two trips to New Orleans on the rivers, and then engaged in railroading, under Thaddeus Stevens (afterwards the great commoner), on the Harrisburg & Gettysburg Railway. This road was called "Thad. Stevens' tape-worm," owing to its peculiar grade and curves. When Mr. Hinrichsen first came to Pennsylvania, he discovered the oil which of late has made Oil Creek so noted. He had some analyzed by a chemist at Pittsburg, who pronounced it excellent for rheumatism. It was called at this time, the "American Rock Oil." He did not understand the nature of the same, and thus let the golden opportunity of making a fortune slip through his hands, not knowing that the oil could be obtained in large quantities by boring. At this time, any of the land could be purchased for eighteen and three-fourth cents per acre. Mr. H. was the first man in the country to have the oil analyzed, and was the predecessor of those speculating parties, who almost coined gold out of the wild and inhospitable soil of the oil regions. There is much credit due Mr. H. for first introducing to the attention of the chemist this now far-famed petroleum.

Mr. H. started for the west in 1840, and arrived in Illinois in the latter part of March, of the same year. After a close examination of the state, he finally settled in Franklin, Morgan County, about seven miles south of where Alexander is now situated. Here he established himself in the mercantile business. He remained in this line of trade until 1852. He laid out Franklin, now known as Orleans, in 1852, and established his brother in the general merchandise business, but the style of the firm was in the name of the subject of this sketch. In 1853 he sold his store at Franklin, and purchased a firm three miles north of Franklin. He was also the station agent at Orleans, and grain buyer. In 1856 he purchased over one hundred thousand bushels of wheat. Not being able to obtain sufficient ground for building purposes at Orleans, in 1857 he laid out the present town of Alexander, naming it after the "Napoleon farmer of the west" - John T. Alexander, Esq. This place ever since has been the home of Mr. Hinrichsen. He was the stock agent of the Great Western Railroad in 1857. He held that position to the satisfaction of all parties concerned till 1867, when the consolidated Toledo, Wabash & Western Railway appointed him general stock agent for the road from Buffalo to Quincy, with all the branches of the road, with the single exception of the city of St. Louis. This business occupies nearly all his time, as the great railway, with its immense traffic in stock transportation, ever keeps Mr. H. on the move from one important point to another. The position is a great compliment to the business skill and management of the subject of this article. That he is worthy of the confidence placed in him by the officers of this great corporation, is evident from the long series of years in which he has been in their employ. As to the domestic relations of Mr. H., we would state that he was married in 1845, to Miss Anna Wyatt, daughter of William Wyatt, Esq., of Franklin precinct. He was among the first pioneers of Morgan county, and is regarded as among its most prominent citizens. Six children are the rest of his marriage - three boys and three girls. The oldest was twenty-five years of age in August (1872), and the youngest, five years of age in July (1872). We have given a terse and brief sketch of the life of Mr. H., so full of striking and interesting events. What he is today is due to his remarkable business adaptability, his knowledge of men, and that instinctive love of order - a peculiar characteristic of great railroad men. Withal, he is a kind, affectionate neighbor, hospitable to the strangers, and an advocate of the right. His generosity is only equaled by his urbanity. He is popular among both employers and employees, and is noted from one end of the road to the other as a first-class business man.



HOLMES, JAMES T. - Of all the early settlers of Mauvaisterre, none have a prouder record than Mr. Holmes. He was born in Holmesburg, Huntington county New Jersey, near the city of Easton, on the 24th of June, 1801. John Holmes, the father of the above, was of Irish descent, and immigrated to New Jersey several years prior to the revolutionary war. He resided in New Jersey while the war was in operation, and managed a large distillery and brewery. His business was very successful, and the name of John Holmes was synonymous with honesty and integrity. The tax on distilled spirits was two dollars per gallon, but Mr. H. cheerfully paid the tax, believing it the duty of every citizen to support the government in its struggles to throw off the yoke that bound her fast, and to aid in every way the weak, but energetic colonies. His son, James T., attended the common schools of the county, which at that time were possessed of considerable merit. Even in 1801, they prepared the student for college or active business, and were, in fact, one of the strong arms of the national government. When quite a young man, Mr. Holmes went to Pennsylvania, and engaged in contracting on the well known Pennsylvania Canal, which extends from Pittsburg to Columbia, on the Susquehanna. He was engaged in this occupation about ten years. Upon the completion of the canal, in company with the engineer in charge, Mr. H. went to Kentucky, and managed the construction of a large portion of the Louisville & Lexington Railroad. Mr. H. was the first contractor that broke ground on this railroad, which was among the first, if not the first, road in the country to carry passengers and freight. The bed was constructed of rock, and the rails were of strap-iron; the friction of the wheels caused the rock to become pulverized, and it was soon found impracticable to keep the road in repair and use rock for a road-bed. After completing the road as far as Frankfort, Mr. H. came to Illinois, and purchased a large body of land situated in sections thirty-four and thirty-five, and located on the same in the latter part of 1836. In 1835, in company with Dr. Early, of Springfield, he took a trip on a steamboat to New Orleans, and here changed boats and ascended the Red river as far as Nachitoches, intending to go to Texas, and thence overland to Illinois. On account of the Indian troubles in Texas at that time, the trip was abandoned. They returned to New Orleans, and retraced their journey to Louisville, arriving in the latter city in the early part of the spring of 1836. Mr. H. was married in the neighborhood of Lexington, and moved to Morgan county, Illinois, as above stated, in the latter part of the spring of 1836.

In those days gave was very plenty. The deer roamed at large up and down the Mauvaisterre valleys; wolves, - especially the prairie wolves, - preyed upon the sheep, insomuch that the farmers were obliged to house them, in order to protect them from their cunning foe. The Indians had disappeared from the country, and the only inhabitants were the settlers who had arrived within a few years. The prairie was diversified by beautiful groves of timber. This portion of the Mauvaisterre country, with its strips of woodland, resembled the foot of a hen. Directly Mr. H. added to his former purchase of five hundred acres, several hundred acres more of choice land, making in all twelve hundred. The first portion being partially improved, cost three thousand dollars, and the remainder from one and a quarter to forty dollars per acre. The latter price was paid some five years ago for improved land.

As to Mr. Holmes's domestic relations, we would state that he has had five children, of whom one son and two daughters are yet living. Mr. H. is in his seventy-first year, and yet, at that advanced age, is able to undergo considerable fatigue. He preserves to a remarkable degree, the elasticity of his earlier years, owing, no doubt, to his temperate life and active habits. As an instance of his remarkable physical powers, we would remark, that in 1832 the Asiatic cholera broke out among the railroad employees, and among the sick was the subject of this sketch. For two days he remained nearly dead; even the celebrated Dr. Dudley, of Lexington, pronounced his case hopeless. The struggle between his constitution and that dreadful disease was terrible, but the former finally triumphed. In a few days he was able to be about and to attend to his duties. During the epidemic all operations on the road were discontinued, several contractors died, and the citizens felt that if Mr. Holmes was taken away, the road would be abandoned. Mr. H. performed more work than any other contractor, and it is due to him principally that the road was urged on to completion. We have conversed with many Kentuckians from that section of the state who were conversant with Mr. H.'s early career as a railroad contractor, and they all unite in praising his energy and surprising business management. Owing to the reluctance of Mr. H., we are unable to swell more at length upon his enterprise in connection with this railroad, but we feel assured in stating that Mr. H. was among the earliest and most successful contractors in the country. If he had continued in the same line of business, he would have taken rank with the most celebrated modern railroad pioneers.

Mr. H. has exhibited the same energy as a farmer and stock-raiser he displayed as a builder of railroads. His extensive farm, with all its improvements, indicates the master hand that guides and manages its cultivation. Situated, as it is, among the forks of the Mauvaisterre, affording a diversity of land for grain and stock purposes, he has had an ample field for all the experiments in the science of husbandry. His hospitality and generosity are well known, and the people would mourn his death as the loss of a kind benefactor and warm friend. Though not engaged in public affairs, he is deeply interested in the same, and ever keeps alive to the important questions which are engaging the attention of the people. As a public spirited citizen, he has aided many of the improvements which have taken place in Morgan county, and to him and his noble coadjutants we are indebted for many important enterprises which have placed this section, as regards railroad facilities, among the first in the state. As a friend of the church and her twin sister, education, his name will be associated with many of our leading institutions which make Morgan county unsurpassed for moral and intellectual privileges. A man of honor, his business career and private life are without a single transaction that would cast a blot or stain upon its fair reputation. When the complete record of the pioneers of Morgan county shall become known to the world, none will take a higher position than the subject of this article, who has been identified in so many ways with her weal and woe. The present generation, when they read his life, as a poor boy, a railroad and canal contractor, and a farmer, cannot but be encouraged to follow his noble example, that they, like him, may enjoy the fruits of industry, and the calm consciousness that they have done something to make the world wiser and better. We hope that Mr. H. will, for many years, remain among the people to whom he has been so kind a friends, and that "when the time shall come for him to draw the drapery of his couch about him, and lie down to pleasant dreams,: he will feel that he has been rewarded, in some degree, for his laborious and useful life.



LUMAS T. HOYT was born in Bennington county, Vermont, September 28, 1784. He resided in Vermont and Connecticut until September, 1838, when he came to Morgan county, and settled in Jacksonville, where he remained four years. He then removed to Waverly, where he now resides. He has worked on the bench, as a shoemaker, seventy-two years, and does good work still. He was married to Miss Lucy, daughter of Abel Allis, September 14, 1814. They have now living three children. His wife is still living, and able to do her own work. They are, in short, an extraordinary couple, having been active members of the Congregational church over fifty years. Mr. Hoyt is a man who has always abstained from all intoxicating drinks.



MICHAEL HUFFAKER. - This aged citizen was born on the 15th of June, 1800, in Wayne County, Kentucky. Wayne county, as regards soil, is one of the poorest in the state, and reminds the looker on of the most broken and rough portions of East Tennessee. The county joins Tennessee, and might easily be mistaken for a portion of the latter state. The grandfather of Mr. H. was of German extraction, and immigrated, with his people, to Virginia, when but a small lad. He married a girl of German birth, and had several children, among whom was Jacob, the father of the subject of this article. Jacob Huffaker was born in 1764. He married Margaret Bodkin. Miss Bodkin's family were of Irish extraction. She was born near King's Salt Works. About 1796, in company with two brothers, he came to Kentucky, and settled in Wayne county. The country was then a wilderness. Buffaloes, wolves, bears, and all manner of game, abounded. The distinguished pioneer, Daniel Boone, was then operating about one hundred miles north, and exploring that hitherto unknown country. The entire country was covered with a heavy growth of timber. The labors of the early settlers were extremely severe and wearisome. Trees were felled, hewed, and used in the construction of their houses and barns. Timber land was burned over in order to prepare for crops. These were only a portion of the troubles that perplexed the farmer. The soil was shallow and very poor in quality. Not being versed in agricultural chemistry, the land was soon rendered too poor for any crop. How little do we appreciate the struggles of those early farmers for the possession and maintenance of a home among those rugged hills. In spite of every obstacle they succeeded, at least, in populating the country, and adding to its wealth and influence.

Michael, at an early age, attended school in a little log house on the side of a steep hill. The school house was two miles distant. When the weather allowed farming he remained at home. In winter and foul days he attended to his learning. Brief was his scholastic career, and his absence from school so much prolonged that only a few principles were engrafted on his young mind. He labored for his father till after his twenty-first birthday, and then, inasmuch as he had had a desire to visit the prairies of the upper countries, he started on a grip through Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. He wished to purchase land and have a home of his own. The trip was a pleasant one, until he reached the vicinity of Springfield, Illinois. When within six miles of the city he was seized with a sudden illness, which caused his delay for some time. As soon as he was able to mount his horse, he returned home to recuperate his health. He remained at home until the next summer. During the next year (1822), at the age of twenty-two, he was married to Miss Jane Bartleston, daughter of William Bartleston, Esq., an old settler of the state, and among the men of mark, whom the pioneers of that date were wont to honor and respect. In 1823 he started on another tour to Illinois, and arrived in Springfield during the winter of that year. He remained in Springfield until the spring when he came to Morgan County, and located in Mauvaisterre precinct, arriving there in the spring of 1824. Land could be purchased for one dollar and a quarter an acre, the choicest pieces only bringing that amount, at private or public sale, and upon the arrival of the emigrants, they had the selection of the finest prairie and timber land in the state. Jacksonville had no existence, and the hunter roamed over the present site of the city for deer and other game. Wolves prowled around the sheep fold, and greatly disturbed the new comer by preying upon his stock, and rendering the night hideous with their barking. Here and there upon the prairie huge piles of buffalo bones cold be perceived. Now and then a black bear would make his appearance, and the hunters would gather together and have a long and jolly hunt for Bruin. The hunting stories of those days cause the modern tales of the hunt to sink into insignificance. We delight to dilate upon those good old days, as they are represented to us by Mr. Huffaker. Now as to prices of their produce, wheat, the very best, brought only twenty-five cents, corn from eight to ten cents per bushel, and pork one dollar per hundred. Even at those low prices little or no sale could be obtained. There was a very limited amount of gold in the country, and this was controlled, for purposes of circulation by a very few men. Had it not been for the venison and other wild meat the settlers would have starved. Mr. H.'s wife died in 1833, leaving seven children to be cared for by the bereaved father. He was again married, at Springfield, in 1834, to Miss Frances J. Smith, daughter of Edwin Smith, Esq., of Xenia, Ohio. Ten children were born, of whom six are yet living to cheer their aged parents. Mr. H. remembers the passage of the Mormons on their way from Missouri to Nauvoo. Troops were raised in the neighborhood for the ward with Black Hawk, and other Indian chieftains. The details of the early location of Jacksonville are very amusing. Comfort, rather than fashion, was looked after, and the buildings were constructed with regard to substantiability rather than elegance. The first hotel was built of logs, was eighteen feet square,, and contained two rooms. It was kept by Mrs. Carson, who presided over her hostlery to the satisfaction of all. The city was the point to which all new arrivals came, and the hotel was generally filled with immigrants. Upon the founding of Illinois College, the city became noted for its educational facilities. This institution exerted a beneficial influence upon the heterogeneous mass of humanity which formed society at that time. When Mr. H. first came to Morgan county, not a cabin could be seen where now Jacksonville is situated. About two years afterwards, the state commissioners located the town. Springfield then was a small village, where they kept the land office. Vandalia was the capital, and the chief commercial point in the state. The scenes of the "deep snow" are yet fresh in his mind. Mr. H. fully corroborates the testimony of the other settlers, as given in the personal sketches. Truly, those were strange times, when the deer would not run at the sight of man. Thousands of deer, turkeys, etc., perished for the want of food. This was a great loss to the country, as the citizens depended upon them for food. Mr. H. is in his seventy-third years, and though afflicted with rheumatism at the present, yet his general health is good. For nearly fifty years he has exercised a great influence upon the surrounding country. Mr. H. is a true type of those sterling characters of the past generation. Through weal and woe he has kept the "even tenor" of his way, and won a solid reputation for honesty, industry, and public spirit. From a glance at the view of Mr. H.'s residence, among our illustrations, the reader can form some idea of the remarkable changes which have been wrought since his arrival in the county. The tall prairie grass has given place to the timothy and the blue grass; the wild Indian has been succeeded by the energetic farmer; and the rude log cabin by the elegant and palatial mansion. Everywhere the evidence of civilization presents itself and denotes the wondrous changes that have transpired since that important era in "Old Settler" history - "the Deep Snow." When Mr. Huffaker came to the state, his property consisted of two hundred dollars and twenty-five cents, and what household goods could be packed upon the back of a horse. He rode one horse and his wife another. The money, with the exception of the twenty-five cents, was invested in land, and the remainder was depended upon for food and other necessities. This incident indicates the poverty of our early fathers, and is a touching contrast t the wealth, refinement, and luxuries of the present age.



JOHN A. HUGHES was born on the 17th of April, 1803, in Fleming county, Kentucky. Allen B. Hughes, the father of the above, emigrated from Virginia, and came to Kentucky, with his parents, when the people were forced to live in stations, on account of attacks from the Indians. At that time Kentucky was a frontier state, and the journey thither was called going west. He was only nine years of age when he arrived in the state. After the death of his father, which took place a short time after their arrival, the support of the family depended upon him. He, young as he was, well and nobly sustained the part of protector for his mother and five sisters. When twenty-three years of age, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Kieton, daughter of Richard Kieton, a Methodist Episcopal clergyman, and an old settler of great repute, among the pioneers. Previous to, and shortly after, his own marriage, all of his sisters were married. He relinquished the homestead to one of his brothers-in-law, one of the conditions of the article of agreement being that he, 'the said brother-in-law" should well and faithfully look after the interests and support Mrs. H., the widowed mother of the subject of this record. About 1812, Mr. Hughes, with his wife and four children, emigrated to Ohio, and settled in Clermont county. The part of the county in which he lived was afterwards separated from Clermont and called Brown. While living here he was drafted for the war of 1812, then raging at its highest point. He hired a substitute for eighty dollars. The substitute, whose name was Theophilus Case, was only gone six months, never having been in any engagement. Mr. H. himself would have enlisted, but the large family depending upon him for support would not allow of his leaving home at that time. While in Ohio he managed a merchant mill and dealt in land. In both of these lines of business he was very successful for a while, but afterwards lost almost his entire property. He traded, by means of flat boats, with New Orleans, settling in that city flour, horses, lumber, &c. Twice on horseback he rode from New Orleans to his home in Ohio. One trip lasted over five months, and extended into the interior of the gulf states. Remained in Ohio nine years, and then removed to Illinois, locating in White county. Stayed here three years, and then removed to the vicinity of Jacksonville. Rented a farm for about two years, and devoted himself to farming and stock raising. He then leased a portion of the sixteenth section for ten years, and immediately commenced to improve the same. After living on this place five years, he sold his lease and purchased some land on Indian Creek, when he built a house and made other improvements. After living on this property five or six years, he sold out the farm and removed to the northern portion of the state, and staked out a claim on Rock river, in what is now known as Whiteside county. The land was not then in market, and he was forced to wait in order to complete the purchase of his claim. While making preparations to remove on to his farm, he died. However, his wife and children removed to the county and occupied the claim, which they afterwards purchased, improved the same, and made it one of the best farms in the county. Mrs. Hughes, about this time, removed back to Morgan county, and died very suddenly.

The subject of this article was married in White county, Illinois, on the 20th of February, 1827, to Miss Elizabeth Webb, daughter of the early pioneers of Illinois. The subject of this article, at the same time as his father, leased a portion of section sixteen, and commenced farming thereon. He sold at the same time as his father, and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in section thirteen, near what is now known as Murrayville. This land he still retains as a homestead. In all, Mr. H. has purchased over a thousand acres of land, and deeded most of the same to his children. Mrs. H. died on the 11th of June, 1861, after a sudden and short illness. Mr. Hughes is in his 70th year, and preserves in a great degree the strength of his earlier years. His mind seems active, and all his faculties are alive, and his health seems to indicate a good old age.



ROBERT R. JAMES was born in Prince Edward county, Va., August 12, 1793. He emigrated to St. Clair county, Illinois, in company with James Deaton and family, and there settled October 19, 1819. He remained twelve miles east of Bellville until the next year, when he, with his uncle James Deaton, and family settled on section 12, township 15, range 11, where he still resides, being a continuous resident for fifty-two years. There were not a hundred souls in the present limits of Morgan county when Mr. James first came into it. To get samp the settlers were obliged to go to Greene county, seven miles east of Carrollton; and for groceries, salt, or cooking utensils, to Alton village. Mr. James was married June 19, 1822, to Miss Eleanor Pease, of Ohio. By this union he had thirteen children, twelve of whom became of age; viz.: William, now a citizen of this county; John Wesley, who died in Kansas, in 1870; Samuel, a citizen of Cato, Crawford county, Kansas (where J. W. died); Francis, who is residing with his father; Lewis, residing near his parents; Elizabeth, former wife of Wm. Sheff (died in 1852); Martha, present wife of G. W. Sawyers, a citizen of Scott county; Mary, former wife of Samuel Colwell (died on the plains, in 1852); Susan, wife of C. A. Higold, of Arcadia (died in 1858 - and her mother in February, the same year); Harriet, second wife of C. A. Higold; and Emily, wife of T. J. Carney, residing with her aged father. Mr. James is highly respected by a large circle of friends and acquaintances.

(Note: do not know what "samp" is, but that is what is written in the above bio.)



ALEXANDER JOHNSON was born in Barren county, Kentucky, October 24, 1819. He was the third son of Reuben Johnson, who settled about two miles north of the present village of Concord. He made the first entry of land in township 16, range 12. John W., his son, is now a citizen of Jefferson county, Iowa, and Harvey W. is one of the prominent citizens of Tennessee township, McDonough county. Reuben Johnson was one of the early settlers, who was esteemed highly for his many sterling and manly virtues. He died in February, 1856. Alexander was married February 24, 1842, to Miss Ann, second daughter of Henry Long, one of the old settlers, who is still living in the county. He had by this union children in the following order: Thomas W., born March 27, 1843; Finas M., born March 26, 1845; Elbert H., born August 6, 1847; William A., born December 24, 1859. Thomas and Elbert are residing near their father. Rev. F. M. is pastor of the Cumberland Presbyterian church at Newbern, and is doing other work in Jersey county, Ill. His youngest son, William A., is residing at home with his parents. Mr. Johnson is one of the moral men of the county, and is surrounded by a large circle of friends and acquaintances, who esteem and respect him for his inherent and acquired good qualities.



FLORENTINE E. KELLOGG was the son of Elisha Kellogg, a native of Massachusetts. He moved, about 1810, to Genesee county, New York. In 1818 he moved to White county, Illinois, where he remained but a short time, moving next to Morgan county, Illinois, arriving there in October, 1818, and settling nine miles east of the present site of Jacksonville, on Mauvaisterre creek, and there built the first house (a log cabin) erected in Morgan county. The nearest white neighbors were thirty miles distant, where Springfield is now situated. At this time, the shoes for covering the feet of the children were squirrel skins drawn over the feet, and corn was converted into meal by being pounded.

Florence E. Kellogg, the subject of this sketch, was born in Batavia, Genesee county, New York, on the first day of January, 1816 - on the first day of the year, first day of the week, and first hour of the day. He settled in Morgan county at the same time his father did, living with him one year, when he moved three miles northwest of Jacksonville, where he lived seven years. He and his father moved to Rushville in 1827, and built the second house in that place. They lived there one year, when they returned to Morgan county. In 1832 they moved to Galena, where Florence married Miss Rebecca Jane Williams in 1837. In 1846 he moved to California, two years previous to the discovery of gold in that country. He lived in California twenty-five years, during which time his business was raising fruit, grain, and stock; he also carried on a machine shop. Mr. Kellogg has four children and nine grandchildren living. He returned to Morgan county in August, 1871, where he now resides. Few men have seen as romantic a life as Mr. Kellogg, and, although he has endured many hardships, is yet hale and hearty, and appears as though he could yet stand many more such campaigns.



ALONZO L. KIMBER, M.D., was born in Harrison county, Ohio, November 10, 1825. He was educated at the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio, and graduated at the Rush Medical College, Chicago, Ill., in the spring of 1857. He established practice in Prairie City, McDonough county, Ill., in the spring of 1856, where he continued about three years, when he removed to Waverly, Ill., where he now resides. Dr. Kimber was connected with the 101st regiment Illinois volunteers, being engaged in the service about two years as surgeon. He resigned this position, on account of poor health, November 7th, 1864. In this position he won the love and esteem of his comrades in arms, who regretted the loss of his society as well as medical counsel. The Doctor was married December 16, 1856, to his present wife, Miss Mary C., daughter of John Evans, an old citizen of Carrollton, Greene county, Ill. He has, by this union, six sons and one daughter. Alonzo Lincoln, George L., Harry, and Anna E., are residing with their parents. Few of the citizens of Morgan county have a larger circle of friends than Dr. Kimber, who is esteemed for his many Christian virtues. In his profession he is highly useful, and an honor to the county and community, in which, as a citizen, he is duly appreciated.



JOSEPH W. KING is a native of Hartford, Connecticut. He was born September 10, 1808. He is the oldest child of John and Mary Otis King, who had a family of three children, all deceased except the subject of this sketch. John King was largely engaged in the grocery business, in which he was quite successful. He and his wife were both descended from the old Puritan stock. He died on shipboard in his passage from Charleston, South Carolina, to New York, April 1, 1814. His remains were reserved for interment on land, and were finally removed to Hartford, soon after, and buried. Mrs. King died at Westfield, Massachusetts, November 6, 1831. Joseph W. King was educated at Westfield, Massachusetts, where he received a good substantial business education. He learned the jewelry business. Manufacturing silver ware, particularly silver spoons, was with him a prominent feature of his business in after life. He was married in Westfield, Massachusetts, in October, 1833, to Miss Abbie E. Hamilton, daughter of Eli B. and Minerva Hamilton, of that town. Mrs. King was a native of Blanford, Massachusetts. Her parents' ancestors were English and Scotch. Mr. King and his wife have had two children, of whom John W., only, is living. He was among the first in the state to enlist at the breaking out of the late war, being enrolled in the 10th Illinois infantry. Early partaking of the hardships and privations, he was worthy the honors, of our citizen soldiers. The commission of colonel was conferred upon him during the service.

Joseph W. King, the subject of this biography, arrived in Jacksonville in November, 1838, where he established himself as jeweler and silversmith, continuing the occupation till 1866, when he finally retired from the business. Mr. King began business in Jacksonville with limited capital, but, by his energy, perseverance, and good financial management, he has acquired a competence. In 1852 Mr. King and Governor Yates became partners in some real estate transactions, principally in and around Decatur, Illinois. They laid out an addition to that city soon after their purchase, known as the "Yates & King Addition." This transaction was financially very successful. The parties are still interested in company in real estate. During the official term of Governor Oglesby Mr. King was appointed by him one of the trustees of the soldiers' orphans' home, and he held the position of treasurer of the board until the administration of Governor Palmer. Politically, Mr. King was originally a whig, but became a republican in 1856. He was a member of the state convention which adopted the first platform of the republican party, at Bloomington, Illinois. That convention put in nomination Dr. Bissel and John Wood, for the state ticket, which was triumphantly elected. He has since been devoted to the interests of that party. He was a personal friend and warm supporter of Abraham Lincoln, for whose election he was an official worker. He was a staunch supporter of the government during the rebellion. As an old and prominent citizen of Morgan county, Mr. King is well known, and highly respected for his many excellent traits of character.



EDWARD P. KIRBY is a native of Putnam county, Illinois, born October 28, 1834. He is the eldest son of the Rev. William Kirby, an old settler of Morgan county, who was one of the original founders of Illinois College, and, in the early days of that institution, one of the professors. His health failing, he removed, with his family, to Putnam county, and was there engaged in the ministry. His death occurred in December, 1852, in Scott county, Illinois, whither he had previously moved.

Edward P. Kirby received his literary education at Illinois College, Jacksonville, graduating therefrom in 1854; after which he went to St. Louis, where his time was employed as a teacher for three years. He then returned to Jacksonville, and succeeded the Hon. Newton Bateman as superintendent of public instruction, having charge of the west district high school, and continued in that capacity for five years. In 1862 he was married to Miss Julia S. Duncan, youngest daughter of the late Gov. Duncan. Mr. Kirby commenced reading law in 1863, in the office of Morrison & Epler, and was admitted to the bar in the spring of 1864, and commenced practice in Jacksonville. Mr. Kirby is a gentleman of fine classical attainments.



DR. CYRUS H. KNIGHT is a native of Cumberland county, Maine, and was born October 9, 1806. He is the third child of Samuel and Elizabeth Knight. He received his literary education at Hebron Academy, and left New England in 1833, and settled in Missouri for a short time, and the next four years he spent on the frontier. In March, 1837, he settled in Morgan county, Ill., where for about four years his time was employed in teaching school. On the 14th of June, 1839, he was married to Miss Julia Smith, daughter of Thomas Smith, now a resident of McDonough county, Ill. They have had two children, both of whom are deceased. Their only daughter, Mrs. Turner, died October 16, 1870, leaving a son. In 1837 Dr. Knight commenced the study of medicine with Dr. Prosser, of Jacksonville. He attended lectures at Louisville Medical Institute, graduating in the winter of 1844-5, when he commenced the practice of medicine at Arcadia, remaining there till 1860, enjoying in the meantime, a lucrative practice. In 1861 he moved to Jacksonville, and soon after became the physician for the Illinois Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, and still retains that position. In 1850 Dr. Knight became a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. Knight is a member of the Congregational Church of Jacksonville. Dr. Knight is among the older residents of Morgan county, and is highly respected.



JAMES LANGLEY was born in Nelson county, Kentucky, Jan. 11, 1786. He settled in Morgan county, five miles east of Jacksonville, in the spring of 1829. He made a trip through Illinois in the summer of 1824, by way of Springfield, Peoria, and thence overland to Galena. He was offered eighty acres of land by James Latham, in what is now the business part of the city of Peoria, for three hundred dollars; he was also offered ten acres near the North Market House, St. Louis, for ten dollars per acre. In his trip from Peoria to Galena he came in contact with only one cabin, where today are flourishing towns and villages, beautiful farm residences, and almost an unbroken chain of cultivated fields. He was married in his native town to Miss Catherine, daughter of Bryant O'Neal. His wife came to Morgan county in September, 1829. By this union he had three children; two died in infancy; Josephine was the former of Wycoff Poling, of the mercantile firm of Langley, Poling, & Wright of Franklin, Ill. He was married to his present wife, Mrs. Mildred (relict of Abner Wright), in September, 1856. Mr. Langley is one of the few old settlers living today in Morgan county; he is the oldest man in the township. He has witnessed great changes in the county and state in the last forty five years. As a citizen, he is respected by a large circle of acquaintances and friends in the community where, for so many years, he has been an active citizen and business man.



THOMAS J. LARIMORE was born in Bourbon county, Ky., October 11, 1797. He was the second child of Hugh and Elizabeth Larimore, who were natives of Maryland, and early settled in Kentucky, and through life followed farming. Thomas J. Larimore had only the advantages of the common schools of his state, in those early times; but by persevering industry, he acquired a fair, practical business education in after life. He was married on December 20, 1828, to Miss Priscilla Broadwell, the daughter of Samuel and Nancy Broadwell, who were also citizens of Harrison county, Kentucky. Mrs. Larimore was born January 14, 1806. Mr. Larimore, a few years before his marriage, engaged in merchandising, which he followed till 1830, when with his family, he removed to Jacksonville, in April of that year, and there opened a store, which was one of the first in the place. He followed merchandising three years. He purchased a farm in the fall of 1833, about five miles northeast of the village, on which he then moved. The farm was known as the "Locust Grove Farm", containing, at that time, about six hundred acres. He resided on his farm til 1853, when he returned to Jacksonville, and retired from active labors, except superintending his farm, and other minor business. Mr. Larimore and his wife have had a family of nine children, six of whom are now living. Five of their children are married and well settled in life; viz: Mary L., present wife of Asbury M. Foster, is at this time residing with Mrs. Larimore, on east State street; Samuel H. is also residing with his family, in the city of Jacksonville; Lydia J. is the wife of Dr. James P. Willard, one of the practicing physicians of Jacksonville; William H. and Wilson H. are residing in Girard, Kansas, now engaged in farming; and John W. is also a farmer, residing near Fairfield, Iowa. Politically, Mr. Larimore was a whig, and a firm supporter of the principles which became the foundation of the republican party. He and his wife became members of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1836, and their precepts and examples, through the Divine blessing, have given them their children also as members of the same church. After a protracted illness, Mr. Larimore was called to his final home, and his labors on earth closed at his residence, April 9, 1865. He left a large circle of friends and acquaintances to mourn his loss, but not as those without hope. His example as a Christian man still lives in the memory of his children and acquaintances.

Holy acts are all immortal,
Ne'er can lose their saving power;
Greatest boon our friends bequeath us,
Welcome in a dying hour.




GEORGE LA RUE. - His family were, originally, of German descent, but emigrated early to Pennsylvania, settling in Adams county. George La Rue, Sr., was born in the county above mentioned, and his son, the subject of this article, was also born in the same county on the 12th of March 1822. His parents dying when he was quite young, his opportunities for obtaining an education were extremely limited, yet the boy was accustomed to study, and by dint of industry and severe application, gathered considerable knowledge. He remained in Pennsylvania several years, and then removed to Champlain county, Ohio. For seven years he worked for various farmers, closely applying himself to the study as well as the labor of agricultural affairs. On the 5th of September, 1851, Mr. La Rue was married to Miss Lydia Ann Marker, daughter of Samuel Marker, Esq., formerly of Pennsylvania, but at the date of marriage a resident of Champlain county, having lived there over two years. Son after the marriage of Mr. La Rue he removed to Illinois and settled in Morgan county, within the limits of the Mauvaisterre precinct. He arrived in the county on the 4th of October, 1851, and immediately commenced farming. He continued in this occupation till the time of his death, which took place on the fourth day of November, 1862. He was only forty years of age when that direful disease, hereditary consumption, hurried him to an untimely grave. This disease had prevailed to a great extent in the family, both in Pennsylvania and Ohio, and may be termed the great scourge of the eastern states. A few years previous to his death he opened to the citizens a public house at Alexander, which he called the "Alexander Hotel." His estimable widow, Mrs. La Rue, attends to the management of the house, and has the reputation of keeping a first class hotel in every respect. Though Mr. La Rue has been dead several years, yet his memory is green in the hearts of the old citizens of that section of the county. He is remembered as a man of honor and an enterprising and successful farmer. If Providence had permitted him to live longer, he would have accomplished much improvement in the science of agriculture, and achieved some considerable note as a skillful tiller of the prairie. In his case, at least, "the good that he has done lives after him," and is not interred with his remains. As we conclude this short article in regard to the history of Mr. La Rue, we would say, as the generality of the correct business habits, and his regularity was only surpassed by his generosity and liberality toward all with whom he came in contact.



ABRAHAM LITER was born in Bourbon county, Kentucky, November 30, 1798. He is the oldest child of Jacob and Catherine Liter, who were formerly natives of Maryland, though both having settled in Kentucky when quite young, previous to their marriage, in 1839. He removed to Morgan county, Illinois, and located on a farm in Jersey Prairie, and there Mr. Liter and wife spent the remainder of their lives. Abraham Liter spent his boyhood on his father's farm, and when he arrived at the age of twenty-two he was married to Miss Sarah Miller, by whom he had three children. About six years after their union she died, and he remained a widower eight years. He them married Miss Elizabeth Liter, by whom he had nine children, two of whom are deceased. In 1839 Mr. Liter moved to Morgan county, and settled on the farm where he resides. His avocation has substantially been that of stock dealer and farmer. While residing in Kentucky he employed a portion of his time in driving horses and mules to Milledgeville, Georgia, and other southern cities. A portion of Mr. Liter's farm is situated within the corporation of Jacksonville. Mr. Liter is now at the advanced age of seventy-four years, and is enjoying good health. He and his wife are members of the Christian Church.



JAMES H. LURTON was born in Scott county, Kentucky, March 21, 1813. He was the fourth child of Dr. Wm. Lurton, who had a family of nine children, six of whom are now living. Dr. Lurton was a prominent physician of Kentucky. He removed to Morgan county in 1833, here he resided till his death, in 1839. James H. came to Morgan county in October, 1831, and located on what is known as Jersey Prairie. He was deputy sheriff for three years, under Alexander Dunlap. In 1833, he was appointed by the county court collector of Morgan county, which position he filled about four years. He was then elected assessor and collector, which office he filled for several consecutive terms. One fact worthy of record is that Mr. Lurton was never defeated for any office in the county; i.e. when he had the vote of the county for a county office. He resigned his office in 1850, and engaged in merchandising in Jacksonville, which business he continued till 1862. He was elected, in 1861, collector and treasurer of the county, which position he filled with ability till 1869. He was married at the age of thirty-nine, to Miss Mary Strebling, daughter of Rev. W. C. Strebling. By this union they have had a family of nine children, eight of whom are still living. His oldest daughter is the wife of Dr. G. B. Sarchette, a gentleman of French origin, who is now residing at Terre Haute, Indiana. His oldest son, Wm. S., is married, and residing near his father.

Mr. Lurton has been, and is still, giving his children the advantages of a good education. He became early in life identified with the democratic party, but is now a liberal republican, with the venerable sage and statesman, Horace Greeley, as standard bearer. Mr. Lurton, when he became a citizen of Morgan county, had but little capital, but by persevering energy, and strict adherence to business has amassed sufficient to make him comfortable. He is one of the early citizens of the county whom the people have thoroughly tested, and as an advocate of their interests, he has never been found wanting. He has done much, by his energy and capital, to develop and improve the county, in which for over forty years he has been an active public man, and a respected and useful citizen. The people have reposed in him the utmost confidence, by conferring him many posts of honor and trust.



JOHN N. MARSH is a native of Sullivan county, New York, and was born November 20, 1823. He is the youngest child of S. N. March, who was a lumber dealer. The subject of our sketch received his early education in the schools of Monticello, New York. After leaving school he taught for a period of three years. He then engaged in mercantile pursuits at Bridgeville, New York. He continued in that business at that place for three years. In the fall of 1846 he was married to Miss Thirza N. Ketchum, daughter of Dr. Alex, Ketchum, of Bridgeville, N.Y. Mr. and Mrs. Marsh have had a family of eight children, three boys and five girls. In the spring of 1855 Mr. Marsh removed to Lanesborough, Pa., where he resided five years, and in the fall of 1860 settled in Jacksonville, Illinois, where, for five years, he was engaged in the boot and shoe business. He was then appointed assistant assessor of internal revenue, under Johnson's administration, and held that office nearly two years. In April, 1872, he was elected city clerk of Jacksonville as the people's candidate. Mr. Marsh is giving his children the advantages of a good education.



HORATIO H. MASSEY was born October 17, 1811, in St. Lawrence county, New York. His father, Silas Massey, a native of Salem, New Hampshire, was born April 1, 1786. He was married at Windsor, Vermont, to Miss Frances Farnsworth, in 1806, and moved to St. Lawrence county, New York, in the summer of 1811, where he resided till 1819, when, with his family, he emigrated west and settled in St. Charles, Missouri. In is worthy of note that his trip from Olean Point to Shawneetown, owing to low water, occupied the flat boat on which he made it fourteen weeks. He remained in St. Charles until the spring of 1828, when he removed to Wisconsin, where he remained till the fall of 1829, when he came to Morgan county, and settled on section 25, township 15, range 11, two miles southwest of Jacksonville (having made the improvements three years before), where he now resides. His wife died in August, 1871. He had four children, three of whom are now living, and are widely known in this vicinity. They are Lydia, Stephen S., and Horatio H.

Mr. Horatio H. Massey was married to Margaret Officer, April 17, 1834. He had six children, viz.: Fanny, wife of Henry W. Very; Laura L., wife of G. W. Breen; William S., residing with his father; Lydia M., wife of Major C. C. Cox, of Paola, Kansas; Mary E., relict of the late William Sibert, now residing with her father; and Horatio H., Jr., also at home with his parents. Mr. Massey, by an active, industrious life, has contributed to increase the wealth of Morgan county, and is surrounded by an intelligent family, who are ornaments to the society in which they move.



CAPT. CYRUS MATHEWS was a native of Kentucky, born Jan. 5, 1806. He was the son of Richard and Sarah Mathews, who emigrated to Morgan county about the time of its earliest settlement. He bought land, - or, rather, entered a tract, - eight miles east of Jacksonville, where his time was devoted to agricultural pursuits. He was one of the prominent citizens of that day, and, with many others, he became a victim of cholera, and died in August, 1833. His widow survived him until April, 1853.

Cyrus Mathews received his education in the common schools of his native state, and came to Morgan county with his parents. He was married November 3, 1831, to Miss Frances Readman, daughter of Thomas Readman, of Cass county, by which union they had one daughter, Frances L., present wife of J. B. Retter, who is residing two miles south of Jacksonville. Soon after his marriage he made a trip to the lead mines of Galena. He served in the Black Hawk war, with the rank of captain. His first business in Morgan County after his marriage was merchandising in Jacksonville; and he was also acting as deputy sheriff. His next business was at Exeter, having bought the Exeter Mill, which at that time was one of the best flouring mills in that section of country. This business he followed successfully until 1853, when he sold his mill and returned to Morgan county. He bought a farm of about five hundred acres, which he cultivated successfully, but was soon called, by the popular vote, to serve the people as sheriff of Morgan county, a position which he filled to the entire satisfaction of his fellow-citizens. He resided in Jacksonville until 1860, when he again moved on to his farm, where he resided until March, 1871, when he sold his farm and bought a residence in the city of Jacksonville, in which he spent the remainder of his life. He died February 5, 1872. His first wife died August 4, 1831.

Mr. Mathews was married three times. He was a man who possessed many sterling qualities; was a good business man, and possessed those qualities that made him the especial favorite of his political friends, being, undoubtedly, the strongest candidate his party (Whig) could bring forward in the canvass. He was twice a candidate for the state legislature, as well as a successful one for the office of sheriff. He was a strong supporter of the Union cause during the rebellion, and always an advocate of popular education. An active benevolence, was among his many virtues. He devoted nearly fifty years of an active life to the development of Morgan county.



COL. SAMUEL T. MATTHEWS was born in Greene county, Kentucky, on the 21st of January, 1799. His father, Richard Mathews, was among the first settlers of that county, having emigrated from Tennessee a short time before the birth of Col. M. The Mathews originally were Virginians. The Taylors, of which family Mrs. Matthews was a member, were Pennsylvanians, but had immigrated to Greenbriar county, Virginia, prior to the removal of the Matthews to Tennessee. Col. Matthews' father was a farmer, and Samuel, as a boy, was accustomed to the toil and labor of that occupation. He never attended school while at home. He, however, boarded out among the neighboring farmers, and was enabled to gather some rudiments of the common English branches. Twelve months, however, would include the entire time devoted to the acquisition of knowledge in the schoolroom. When twenty years of age, he was engaged to teach school for a term of nine months. Owing to sickness in his family, he was forced to discontinue the school at the expiration of six weeks. This brief experience as an instructor in the schoolroom, he considered invaluable, fixing, as it did, the knowledge already acquired, and giving him a more adequate idea of the great field of learning.

In February, 1821, Col. M. was married to Miss Sarah Ann Adams, daughter of Elijah Adams, of Greene county. Mr. A. came into the county about the same time as the Matthews and Taylors. He afterwards moved into Illinois, just before the "deep snow." He died at the residence of Col. M., having lived to the extreme age of eighty years and over. Col. Matthews was quite a military character before coming to this state. Being popular with the people, he was elected a captain in the militia, and received a commission from the governor. H served in this capacity with great eclat for several years. He had long desired to make a trip to the famous prairie country of Illinois. So in 1821, with his own and his father's family, he started, and arrived in the Mauvaisterre precinct in the fall of that year. The country was sparsely settled. Game roamed at will over the vast extent of prairie and woodland. The hunter rejoiced at the sight of deer and bear, while the farmer was pleased at the remarkable excellence of the soil, its easy cultivation, its water privileges, and the abundant supply of nearly all varieties of timber. After completing their cabin, the men worked at the plow, the women at the wheel, and soon the people felt that they possessed a home, and waited for more emigrants to arrive in order to have school houses and churches. They were happy, as all the industrious are wont to be. Often the mind of the pioneer reverts to those halcyon days, when their meat was venison, and their clothes were manufactured by their good wives' handiwork. New settlers came in. Family after family arrived, till the country was inhabited to some considerable extent. All was quiet on the Mauvaisterre. When the Winnebago war broke out on the northern frontier, Col. Matthews was foremost in raising men for the conflict. Troops were raised in Morgan and Sangamon counties. As Colonel of the battalion thus formed, Col. Matthews started for the scene of conflict. The Winnebago Indians had long been threatening, and the people expected a prolonged and bloody war, with the massacres and cruelties characteristic of the Aborigines. The troops were led to Galena, and awaited orders. Happily there was no blood shed. The trouble was quelled without resort to arms, and all difficulties, for the time being, settled in an amicable manner. In 1831 the Black Hawk war again disturbed the usual serenity of the Mauvaisterre neighborhood. The citizens once more were called to arms, to protect their northern brethren from the incursions of Black Hawk. During this period, Col. Matthews acted as captain. They proceeded as far as Rock Island. When the difficulties were over they returned home. Jealous of the increasing strength of the whites, the Indians, in 1832, again started their war whoop, and preyed upon the remote settlements. This time Col. M. acted as captain in the onset, but during the war was promoted to Colonel, on account of his bravery and complete knowledge of military affairs. At the battle of Bad-Axe Black Hawk was captured, and the Indians, after the seizure of their chief, soon relapsed into humbleness and inactivity. For some time Col. M.'s regiment was detailed as guard on the frontier, but were glad, in a short time, to receive orders to return home. This was the last of his military career in active service. Col. Matthews was sheriff of Morgan county from 1828 to 1832. He was a popular officer, and performed the duties of his office to the satisfaction of all law-abiding citizens. Col. Matthews was also elected representative to Vandalia (the capital at that time), in 1833 and 1834, and held the same honorable position at Springfield, in 1843 and 1844. As a member of the legislature he gained considerable reputation as a wise, prudent, and far-sighted member of the lower house. Few men in this portion of central Illinois have accomplished the work that Col. M. has achieved for the security and improvement of this section. A brave soldier, a wise legislator, and an honest executive, he has served the people for many years, gaining their confidence and esteem. Col. Matthews resides on the old homestead, where he dispenses hospitality with no stinted hand, and is every ready to assist the people, as of old, in all matters of internal improvement.



MATTHEW S. KENNEDY was the son of Samuel and Frances Kennedy, who had a family of fourteen children. Five sons and one daughter are still living; all, save two daughters, have been citizens of Morgan county. They settled in Hamilton county, Ind., in the fall of 1831, where Mr. K. died, in 1838. His family settled in Morgan county in the fall of 1839, and were on the farm of ex-Governor Duncan, west of Jacksonville, about one year.

Mathew S. was born in Washington county, East Tennessee, oct. 20, 1824. He removed in 1840, southeast of Jacksonville about five miles, where he remained until 1845, when he came to Waverly, where he now resides. A fine view of his farm residence appears elsewhere in this work. He was married in November, 1848, to Miss Mary, daughter of James Burnett. They have had two children; one only - Sophronia - is now living. Mrs. Kennedy died in June, 1851. His present wife is Elizabeth, daughter of Johnathan Rohrer, by whom he has three children now living - William L., John F., and Edward R. Mr. K. is one of the citizens who holds a high place in the affections of all his numerous acquaintances.



SHELTON J. MATTINGLY was the son of William and Nancy Mattingly, of Washington county, Kentucky, where Shelton was born, June 22, 1817. His father died when Shelton was an infant, leaving two children. Mrs. Mattingly was again married to Reuben Bird, and in the fall of 1824, they moved to Morgan county, Illinois, settling about nine miles north of Jacksonville, on a piece of government land. Here Mr. Bird died in the fall of 1826, leaving four children, with their mother, in poor circumstances. Mrs. Bird immediately set to work at her loom to lay up money enough, aside from supporting her family, to pay the government for the land on which she lived. Many of the old settlers can testify to her fleetness in weaving, for in less than a year she had seventy dollars in cash stored away in an old tea pot on a high shelf in the cabin. Nearly all the land at this time was entered, but Mrs. Bird was so well respected that she was allowed to hold a squatter's claim; but in the fall of 1827, parties prospecting for lands to enter, informed her that they wished to enter her claim. After failing to come to some terms for the improvements, and her many entreaties not to disturb her, as she informed them she had only thirty dollars yet to raise, they gave her one more day to get it. It then being late in the evening, and it being very difficult to raise, in those times, that amount of money in so short a space of time, and take it thirty-five miles to Springfield, yet she was not discouraged, and although a dark cloud was overhead, she set about her task with her characteristic will and determination. She told Shelton, who was then only ten years of age, to get "Old Black", a noble old animal she was too, as many of the old settlers will testify (she being nearly 18 hands high, and very muscular). After the darkness of the night set in, Widow Bird, on her faithful "Old Black," started for the head of Indian Creek, a distance of twelve miles, to borrow the required thirty dollars. She made the trip and borrowed the money, although it rained during the whole trip. Early next morning she started for Springfield, on trusty "Old Black". The roads were very heavy, but noon found her at Spring Creek, three miles west of Springfield. The storm of the previous evening had swollen the stream and washed away the bridge, leaving but one stringer. This could not stop Mrs. Bird in her undertaking. She took the bridle rein, intending herself to walk on the only remaining piece of timber, and let "Old Black" swim, but instead of swimming "Old Black" walked on the same piece of timber as did Mrs. Bird, both making the feat in safety, and soon arrived at the land office. On counting over the money the receiver (Mr. Enois) found a one dollar counterfeit bill. Mrs. B. borrowed the one dollar from the receiver, partook of his hospitality (which was very limited, as the whole family cooked, ate, and slept in the same room), and at three o'clock started for home, with her difficult task accomplished, and a heavy weight off her mind. Mrs. Bird lived to see her children grown and comfortably situated, and to do many acts of kindness and benevolence, not only to her family, but to neighbors. She was a pioneer member of the Methodist church, and was always zealous in the cause of Christ, her Saviour. She died, universally beloved, in 1856, at the age of seventy-three.

Shelton J. Mattingly, her son, and the subject of this sketch, still lives on the same old farm, and is one of the few old settlers who has lived on the same farm forty-eight years. He is a sincere Christian, a good neighbor, and is universally respected and esteemed by all who have the pleasure of his acquaintance.



GEORGE M. MCCONNEL was born in Jacksonville, December 23, 1833. He is the sixth child of General Murray McConnel. He received his academic or preparatory education in Jacksonville, and then went to Union College, Schenectady, New York, whence he graduated in 1852. He commenced reading law in the office of his brother, Captain John L. McConnel, and completed his legal education in the law school of Harvard University, in 1854. The next year he commenced the practice of his profession in Jacksonville. He was married in June, 1857, to Miss Maria Gillette, daughter of Dr. B. Gillette, one of the oldest resident physicians of Morgan county. They have had seven children, four of whom are still living.

In the spring of 1858, he removed to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he engaged in commercial pursuits. Removing from St. Paul the next year, he went to St. Louis, and remained there till the breaking out of the rebellion, in 1861, when he returned to Jacksonville, and resumed the practice of his profession. He continued in the same till the latter part of 1863, when he was appointed a paymaster in the army, with the rank of major of cavalry. He remained in this position till July 31, 1865, since which time he has been engaged in manufacturing and banking interests. He is one of the stockholders of the jacksonville National Bank, an interest to which he devotes a large share of his attention. He was elected mayor of Jacksonville, in April, 1872, as the regular nominee of the republican party, with which he has acted since 1858. Previous to his election to the mayoralty, he had served three years as an efficient alderman. Mr. McConnel is a man of good business capacity, a public speaker, a man of refined tastes and culture, and sometimes exercises his literary gifts, both in prose and poetry, by writing for the popular magazines of the day.



GENERAL MURRAY MCCONNEL was a native of Orange county, New York, where he was born September 5, 1798. His father was a farmer, and followed that occupation through life. The early education of General McConnel was limited to the advantages afforded by the common schools of his native state. Leaving New York in 1812, he set out to seek his fortune in the Great West. He spent about a year in Louisville, Kentucky, then a small village; after which he led rather a wandering life for several years, traveling over portions of the territories of Arkansas, Texas, Kansas, and Missouri, and penetrating the great western plains nearly as far as the present site of the city of Denver. In all these travels his business was flat-boating, trading, and hunting. He then settled at farming in Herculaneum, Missouri, where he became acquainted with Miss Mary C. Mapes, a native of New Jersey, who was born near the central part of the state, in 1800, whom he married soon after. Her parents, in her childhood, moved to Ohio, and, in 1816, to Missouri.

After the passage of the "Missouri Compromise," which admitted Missouri as a slave state, Mr. McConnel almost immediately took his young family and removed to Illinois, locating in what was then Morgan county (now Scott), where he remained till the town of Jacksonville was laid out, when he moved there, and commenced the practice of law. The qualifications of General McConnel for the profession in which he afterwards gained such distinction, consisted in his rare natural abilities, coupled with his close observation of men, and his remarkable penetration of mind. He was also, like many of his colleagues of the bar in Illinois, a close student, possessing naturally a quick, clear, and logical mind; and he improved his natural qualifications by using his leisure time for study while a farmer of Missouri and Illinois. In Jacksonville he continued the practice of his profession till 1852. As an attorney, Mr. McConnel stood high in his profession, being an ornament to the bar of Jacksonville, and comparing favorably with his noted compeers with whom he was contemporary, such as Lincoln, Douglas, Walker, Williams, and Browning, who have added a lustre and a dignity to the bar of Illinois, almost unequaled in the history of American jurisprudence.

General McConnell, like many of our distinguished statesmen who have passed away, assisted in the formation of many of those political and social institutions of which the Prairie State may justly be proud. He was one of that class of upright, public-spirited men whose influence was felt in giving strength and tone to the great political issues of his time. He lived in the perilous times of the late rebellion, and, with Stephen A. Douglas, believed in the "vigorous prosecution of the war." He was, in short, a consistent, active war democrat from the first, and exerted a strong and powerful influence in sustaining the flag of our country, undivided and unstained by traitors. In 1864 he was elected senator, to represent Sangamon and Morgan counties in the state legislature. He was one of those noble men who recorded their votes in favor of the protection to all American people. Posterity will justly appreciate such acts when the faithful historian shall have transmitted them to the future, accompanied by the surrounding influences and prejudices which these men had to encounter, and in spite of which they dared to do their duty.

Mr. McConnel was commissioned by Governor French a major general of Illinois State Militia and served with distinction during the Black Hawk war. After his return, he was elected to the state legislature, as the regular candidate of the democratic party. He was afterward appointed by the governor of Illinois, State commissioner of Internal improvements, which was the last office he held till 1855, when President Pierce appointed him Fifth Auditor of the United States Treasury. He continued in this position till 1858, when, in consequence of some difference of opinion between himself and President Buchanan, he resigned his office.

Such is briefly the political record of General Murray McConnel. As an attorney, he was distinguished; as a politician and office holder, honest and patriotic; and as a citizen energetic and public spirited.

Mr. and Mrs. McConnel had a family of eight children, three of whom died in infancy. His son, John L. McConnel, was one of the leading lawyers of the state, and an author of some celebrity. He was also commissioned captain, and served with distinction in the Mexican War. He died in January, 1862. His son, Major Edward McConnel, served through the rebellion in the regular army. He was breveted major, for gallantry on the field at the battle of Jonesborough. He has two daughters living, one of whom is the widow of the late Senator McDougal, of California.

General Murray McConnel was assassinated in his own private office, about nine o'clock a.m. on the 9th of February, 1869. Thus fell one whose active life had been contemporaneous with the most eventful period of our history. He had witnessed stupendous changes in all that region over which he had been an early traveler. Sixty years ago he first became acquainted with the villages and settlements along the Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri rivers, which have grown into populous cities, such as Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Louisville, and St. Louis; and others, like Chicago, Davenport, Quincy, St. Joseph, and Leavenworth, have sprang up as by magic, and attained a commercial importance and significance almost unequaled in the annals of the world. He lived to see the turbid western streams which he had navigated with the flatboat in his early career, become the avenues of a commerce, by steam power, so extensive as to almost bid defiance to mathematical calculation, as to its extent and value. The introduction of overland communication by railroad, and the lines of telegraphic connection between the east and the Pacific coast, were the creatures of his day. And the wild, sparsely settled territories over which he roamed have become developed and cultivated states, adorned with rich farms, commercial cities, and pleasant homes. If we consider the great physical and commercial changes that have taken place in the northwest within the period with which the subject of this history has been contemporaneous, we shall be able to form some idea of the progress, in all these respects, which he, in his career as a tourist and citizen, was permitted to witness, during those eventful sixty years of his active life.

Mrs. McConnel is still living, and is highly respected by a large circle of friends and acquaintances. She is a member of the Episcopal church, and is a woman of excellent social and Christian virtues.



EZEKIEL MCCURLEY, son of Joseph McCurley, who was one of the pioneer settlers of Morgan county, was a native of Kentucky, and was born March 12, 1808. He went, with his father, from Kentucky to Tennessee, and from there to Alabama, where he remained till April, 1828, when he (Ezekiel) became a citizen of Morgan county, But finding it was not good to remain alone, he was married to Miss Jane Criswell, of township 14, range 9, in November of the same year. He remained about one year three miles south of Jacksonville, and soon after his marriage, entered the west half of north-east quarter of section 19, township 13, range 9, where he has resided over forty-two years. He owns, at this time, one of the best stock farms in the township. He has had a family of eleven children - four sons and seven daughters. Two of his children are deceased, and eight are now citizens of Morgan county. Of these, Samuel, James T., Julia Ann, wife of John E. Spires, and Margaret M., wife of David Henry, are citizens of their native township; William Mairon is five miles east of Jacksonville; Eveline, wife of Jerret Seymour, two miles east of Jacksonville; Susan Catherine resides with her sister Eveline, and Mary Elizabeth with her parents. Mr. McCurley is highly esteemed by all with whom he is acquainted. He is one of the honest self-made farmers of Morgan County.



HENRY MCDONNELL, house and sign painter, and glazier, also, dealer in wall paper, floor and oil cloths, window shades, paints, oils, and glass, is located on west State street, in Masonic Temple (Gallaher's Block), near the public Square. Mr. McDonnell is one of the reliable, energetic business men of Morgan county. His mechanical skill has shown by his work on many of the prominent buildings in the city of Jacksonville, among which are the Centenary Church, Catholic Church, and First National Bank of Jacksonville. In wall paper he keeps a large stock, and sells at such prices that his numerous patrons are satisfied that he is filling an important place in the mercantile and mechanical interests of Morgan county.



ANDREW MCFARLAND, A.M., M.D., LL.D., was born in Concord, New Hampshire, July 14, 1817. He is the son of Rev. Asa McFarland, who was a distinguished clergyman of New Hampshire. Dr. A. McFarland was educated at Dartmouth College, graduating in 1840. He pursued his medical course under Prof. D. Crosby, and received his diploma from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, in 1843. He was appointed superintendent of the New Hampshire Asylum for Insane in 1845. Dr. McF. Has made the study of mental diseases a specialty. In 1850 he made a tour of visitation to the leading insane hospitals of Great Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland Italy. He resigned his position in New Hampshire in June, 1854, and was afterwards appointed superintendent of the Illinois Hospital for the Insane. He was reappointed, in 1864, for another term, but resigned in 1870, a position which he had filled for many years. Dr. McFarland was married in 1842 to Miss Anne H. Peaslee, of Gilmanton, N.H. They have had two sons and two daughters. His eldest son is a practicing physician in Lexington, Ky., and his youngest is residing in the city. Dr. McFarland is now engaged in founding a private retreat at his commodious residence, Oak Lawn, which is being enlarged, for the reception of patients who may desire his counsel and treatment in mental diseases. Illinois College, in 1869, conferred upon Dr. McFarland the title which his great experience and erudition entitled him to receive, viz.: that of LL.D. Dr. McFarland and family worship at the First Presbyterian Church.



CAPTAIN JOHN W. MEACHAM was born in Christian county, Kentucky, August 10, 1816. He was a son of Joseph Meacham, of Sangamon county, Ill. Capt. Meacham settled in Springfield, Ill., in 1838, where for several years he followed his trade, that of carpenter, when he engaged in the grocery and confectionery business till 1848. He then removed to Waverly, where he followed the same business for five years, when he engaged in the livery business. In the meantime he became a close student, fitting himself for the practice of law, and was admitted to the bar January 9, 1861. In enlisted in 1861 for three years, and was commissioned captain of company I, 14th regiment Illinois volunteers. He was actively engaged (receiving a wound in the head at the battle of Shiloh) till December, 1862, when he was honorably discharged, having the affection of the company with which he had shared the perils and privations of camp life and active service. He has the confidence of his fellow citizens, whom, as acting justice of the peace, as notary public, and as attorney, he has served, being esteemed for his sound judgment and correct counsel. He was married to Miss Ann Young, August 6, 1839, and has had six children, all of whom, except one, are now deceased. His only son, Robert, as a teacher, is well known in this and adjoining counties. Capt. M. and his wife are professing Christians. They have been called upon to pass through many afflictions, all of which they have borne with Christian trust and resignation.



EBENEZER T. MILLER was born in Fayette county, Kentucky, February 26, 1801. He came to Edwards (now Lawrence) county, Ill. (near Lawrenceville), in the year 1817, where he remained ten years. On the first day of June, 1827, Mr. Miller became a citizen of Jacksonville, where he still resides. He was married to Miss Lucinda Davis, daughter of Joshua Davis (a prominent citizen of the county), September 23, 1830. They have had a family of five children, in the following order of birth (being, by birth, all citizens of Morgan county), viz: Cicero D., still a citizen of Jacksonville, born July 29, 1832; Charles T., born February 22, 1835, at present engaged in farming on a large scale in the vicinity of St. Paul, Minn., where he has been a citizen since he left Morgan county in 1858; Frances L., former wife of Charles King, who was recently a prominent dealer in dry goods in Jacksonville - (Mrs. King died May 8, 1860); Joseph H., born March 29, 1841 - left the city of his nativity in 1858, and is now residing in Magnolia, Pike county, Miss., being largely engaged in mercantile business. His youngest son, William K., was born February 23, 1851, and is now residing with his older brother, Joseph H. We would remark that all of Mr. Miller's family had those advantages of an education in their early life which the city of their nativity could so amply furnish. The aged parents can, with feelings of pride, claim the assurance of having acted well their part towards those committed to their charge, who are today prominent business men and ornaments of the communities in which they respectively reside. On the 1st of July, 1827, Mr. Miller established the first carding machine in Morgan county, on the present site of Prof. Turner's residence. He was engaged with his brother-in-law, James Parkinson, now residing at Virden, Ill., and continued the business one year, when he sold out to his partner, and worked at his trade, as a carpenter and builder, until 1842. Since that time he has followed farming for several years. He was postmaster for four years under Presidents Taylor and Fillmore. He was one of the trustees of the Presbyterian Female Academy, and took a very efficient and active part in its erection. He is now (except Judge Lockwood) the only one of the original board living. He has for the last ten years been retired from all active business except such labor as he is able to do in the way of improving his beautiful city, lot and residence, where, with the wife of his early years, he still lives, enjoying comparative health, and respected by a large circle of friends and acquaintances in the city where they have spent forty-five years of active, busy life.



HENRY M. MILLER, the only son of Ebenezer Miller, was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, January 23, 1826. He came to Morgan county with his father in the fall of 1840, and settled, the next year, on the farm where he now resides. His father was well known, for years, to most of the citizens of the county on account of his prominent position which he in early assumed as an opponent of slavery. As a member of the Congregational church, he lived a consistent Christian life, and died in the full triumphs of a living faith, February 17th, 1865. He lived to see, at least, the twilight of the glorious day which was soon to beam with universal splendor over an enslaved and distracted country. His wife, Permelia, daughter of Joseph H. Hopkins, of Litchfield, is still living with her son on the old homestead.

Mr. Miller is among the prominent fruit growers of the county and conspicuous in the nursery business, especially in the growing of Osage hedge plants. He has, for the spring trade of 1873, over 3,000,000 plants. He introduced the first plants into this part of the country, and, with Prof. Turner, was emphatically one of the pioneers in this important interest, which, in fencing, is so far superior and which is so rapidly taking the place of all others in the northwest. Mr. Miller is highly esteemed for his upright business habits, honesty in his dealings, and for his many virtues as a Christian and citizen. A view of his beautiful Nursery and Fruit Farm, with his residence and out-buildings, is shown in this work.



ISAAC L. MORRISON was a native of Barren county, Kentucky. He was born January 20th, 1826. He is the son of John C. Morrison, who was a native of Virginia. His father, after his marriage to his first wife, settled in Garrett county, Kentucky, in 1793. He figured in the Indian wars of his time, and was with Buckner and Metcalf (afterwards governor), and with Warren, and was engaged in the battle on the Miami, in the state of Ohio. His occupation was farming. He moved to near Glascow, in Barren county, in 1809, where his first wife died. He was afterward married to Elizabeth Welborn, daughter of James Welborn, of North Carolina. She was the mother of the subject of this sketch. Mr. Morrison died in 1841, and his widow survived him till 1863, when she died, also, at the old homestead, in Kentucky.

Mr. Isaac L. Morrison received his literary education at the Masonic Seminary, in Lagrange, Kentucky. He afterwards read law in that town, under Addison M. Gazlay, and in September, 1849, he was admitted to the bar, and commenced the practice of his profession. He came to Jacksonville in June, 1851, where he established himself in the practice of the law, which he has successfully followed since that time. To say that Mr. Morrison stands high in his profession in Morgan county and this portion of the State, is simply reiterating a fact known to most of our citizens. Politically Mr. Morrison is a member of the republican party, and was a delegate to the State convention which first established the platform of that party in Illinois. He has since been a firm and efficient supporter and advocate of those principles. He has ever been an opponent of slavery and its extension. He was a member of the convention in 1864, that nominated Abraham Lincoln.

Mr. Morrison was married, in July, 1853, to Miss Anna B. Raple, daughter of Jonathan Tucker, deceased, of New York City. Mrs. Morrison is a native of New York City, and is a lady of high culture and accomplishments. Mr. Morrison and his wife have two children, a son and a daughter, who are both living. He and his family are members of the Episcopal church. Mr. Morrison is esteemed for his intrinsic value as a citizen, as well as for his correct counsel and sound judgment as an attorney.



COL. JOSEPH MORTON was born August 1, 1891. He is the fifth child of Robert and Elizabeth Morton, who, with their family, moved to North Carolina in 1806. He there engaged in shoe manufacturing and farming. His father's ancestors were English and his mother's German. Her maiden name was Elizabeth Sorrels. In 1811, Mr. Morton, with his family, moved to Bledsoe county, Tennessee, where Mr. Morton died, in March, of that year. Mrs. Morton, about four years after, married Mr. Wily Kirby. They soon after moved to Adair county, Kentucky, where in 1825, Mr. Kirby died. Mrs. Kirby, with her two children, which she had by Mr. Kirby, came, with her son, William Morton, to Morgan county, in 1828, where, after a few years, she died.

Col. Joseph Morton received most of his education in Madison county, Kentucky, having located, in March, 1819, four miles from Alton, on Ratin's Prairie. In the fall of 1820, in company with John Bradshaw, he came and built a cabin on land east of the present site of Jacksonville. That was a short time previous to the government survey, and twelve or fifteen families, scattered promiscuously over the present limits of Morgan county, was about the extent of settlement at that time. Col. Morton was married April 27, 1823, to Miss Mary, daughter of Daniel Odell, a native of Kentucky. His wife, when three years of age, came to Illinois, and was raised by her grandmother, in Madison county. After his marriage Col. M. settled on land about a mile and a half east of Jacksonville, where he followed farming and stock growing successfully for many years.

Col. Morton, when he first came to Morgan county, worked by the month. His capital was a good constitution, an active mind, and a willing hand. He is one of the few pioneers now living who was familiar with the site of the flourishing city of Jacksonville when it was unimproved by the hand of man, save the stake or flag stuck at intervals, to mark the path from the cabin of one pioneer to that of his neighbor, several miles away, in the edge of some distant timber. He assisted in erecting many of the first log cabins in the county. Col. Morton is a man of such energy and perseverance as we continually needed and brought into requisition by the pioneers of fifty years ago. He removed difficulties by labor, instead of being discouraged by their existence. Col. Morton and his wife have had a family of thirteen children, all of whom save three, have passed off the stage of life. Those living are, in the order of their birth: Minerva, present wife of Jas. S. Rector; Clarinda M., wife of Samuel T. Crawley, of Kirksville, Missouri; and Francis Marion, the youngest and only son living, residing on the homestead with his aged parents. He has a wife and two children. Politically Col. Morton has acted with the democratic party. He and his wife have been members of the Christian church nearly forty years. Several years ago Mrs. M. had the misfortune to lose her sight, by an attack of erysipelas.

In the fall of 1836 Col. M. was elected to the state legislature. At that time the capital was at Vandalia. In 1846 he was again elected for one term in the house, and in 1854 he was elected to the state senate, which position he filled with honor to himself and satisfaction to his constituents. He was elected, in 1861, to the state convention, which held a session to revise the state constitution. In 1830 he took the census for the county of Morgan, which then included the present counties of Scott and Cass. The population of the whole (three counties) was little over 9,000. In 1835 he took the state enumeration for the census, including the same counties, which showed an increase of over fifty percent. Col. Morton is one of the pioneer citizens of the county, whom the people have, at various times, honored with important political trusts, all of which he has filled with credit. The life of Hon. Joseph Morton is a bright example of what can be accomplished by perseverance and energy, when its possessor loses sight of self, and labors for the good of those around him. With all his brilliant successes, Col. M. has had trials and losses; but in the midst of them all he has preserved those manly and Christian virtues which endear him to a large circle of friends.


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