Pages 193-199

193

In closing my pioneer history of Fulton county, I thought that it would be proper and right for me to give a short biographical sketch of my own life and also of some of my ancestors, as some of my children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren might have the curiosity to know something about their genealogy, and where their ancestors came from, and I will therefore give such genealogy as far as I have been able to trace it back to the Ross and the Lee families.

My great-grandfather, Zebulon Ross, came from Scotland to America, and settled in Dutchess county, New York, in the year 1728, and died in the same county at the age of ninety years. He had a son, Joseph Ross, who was married to Abigail Lee, a daughter of Thomas Lee. Thomas Lee was a solider in the Revolutionary War, and it was after him that the Lee part of my name was given me, which is Harvey Lee Ross.

My grandmother, Abigail Lee Ross, came to Illinois in 1824, and died at my father’s house in Havana, Illinois, in 1834. I have often heard her tell of her father, Thomas Lee, being a soldier in

194

the Revolutionary War. Thomas Lee’s ancestors came from England to America about the middle of the seventeenth century. There were two branches of the Lee family, one of which branches settled in the state of New York and the other in the state of Virginia. Both Branches came from the same original stock. Their ancestors had held positions of honor and trust in the old country, and some of those who settled in New York and Virginia occupied prominent places in the colonial history of American, in the state legislatures, and in the councils of the nation. Joshua Lee, brother of Thomas Lee, was for many years a member of the New York State Senate. One of the Virginia branch, Richard Henry Lee, drew up and submitted to Congress the resolution of June 7^th, 1776, declaring that the United Colonies of America are and ought to be free and independent states; that they absolved themselves from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and Great Britain is and ought to be totally absolved, which resolution was adopted by the Continental Congress. Both Richard Henry Lee and his brother, Francis Lightfoot Lee, were members of the Continental Congress and signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Thomas Lee, the father of Abigail Lee, was born in Fishkill, New York, November 15^th, 1739, and died at Penn Yan, New York, January 22^nd, 1814. His wife, Mattie Sherman, was born in 1743, and died October 14^th, 1833.

Thomas Lee and Mattie Sherman were married in 1760, and had ten children. Their oldest daughter, Abigail Lee, was born in 1760, and married Joseph Ross.

Joseph Ross and Abigail Lee had born to them the following Children: Joseph, Ossian M., Matthias, Thomas L., John N., Eliza, Maria and Sallie.

Ossian M. Ross was born in Dutchess county, New York, August 16^th, 1790, and died at Havana, Illinois, in 1837. His wife, Mary Winans, was born in New Jersey, April 1^st, 1793, and died at Peoria, Illinois, in 1875. Ossian M. Ross and Mary Winans were married in Seneca county, New York, July 7^th,

195

1811. There was born to them the following children: Lewis W., Harriet M., Harvey Lee, Leonard F., Lucinda C. and Pike C. Ross.

The services of Thomas Lee in assisting in the establishment of American independence during the war of the Revolution were as follows: He was second lieutenant of Captain Jack Rosekrance’s company, Col. Jack Holmes, fourth regiment, New York Continental line, 28^th of June, 1775; promoted first lieutenant, August 3^rd, 1775. He was captain of the eighth company, fifth regiment, New York Continental line, commanded by Col. Louis Du Bois, November 21^st, 1776; resigned May 19^th, 1778. He was also captain in Col. Zepharriah Platt’s regiment of New York Associated Exempts, October 19^th, 1779. He was also captain in Col. Louis Du Bois’ regiment of New York militia, July 1^st, 1780. (References, pages 140, 231, 257, 285 and 529 of Vol. 1, "New York in the Revolution," or Vol. 15 of the published "Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New York," published by Reed, Parsons & Co., Albany, New York, 1887. Also page 261 of "Heitman’s Register of Officers of the Continental Army," published by H. B. Heitman at Washington, D. C.) Captain Thomas Lee’s services in the Continental army were equivalent to service in the regular army of to-day.

In regard to my own life, I will say that I was born in Seneca county, New York, October 10^th, 1817, and came with my parents to what is now known as Fulton county, Illinois, in 1821. We came down the Ohio river and up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers in a keel boat. The country at that time was a vast wilderness, inhabited only by Indians and abounding with wild animals. It was several years after we came to Illinois before the country became sufficiently settled to establish schools, and I had little opportunity in the years of my youth to obtain an education. What education I did get was obtained at the little log schoolhouses, though in 1836, when I was nineteen years of age, my father sent me to Illinois College, at Jacksonville, Illinois. I had attended college scarcely a year when my father died. He

196

had been engaged in extensive business enterprises, and in consequence of his death I was obliged to leave school and come home and take charge of my mother’s business, which put an end to my college life. When I entered Illinois College I took in with me a college chum, William H. Herndon, who for many years was the law partner of Abraham Lincoln, and who was the author of the book entitled "Life of Abraham Lincoln, by W. H. Herndon." I have had something to say of this book in my sketch of the early life of Lincoln.

My father was engaged for many years in farming, and in the mercantile business, and in trading with the Indians, and the early part of my life was spent on the farm, in the store, and in trading with the Indians. I would often take long trips into the country, far away from any white neighbors, in company with Indian traders, whom my father kept employed, and I then learned to speak the Indian language quite well. I at a very early age learned the use of firearms, and was very often out hunting and trapping, as the country in those times abounded in wild game. Great droves of deer and large flocks of wild turkeys could be found everywhere. I have shot wild turkeys when but seven years of age, and have killed deer when twelve years old. I can remember catching eight wolves in steel traps set around the carcass of one dead horse, when I was but twelve years of age. In 1832, when I was fifteen years of age, I carried the mail on horseback, once a week, from Springfield to Monmouth, Illinois, the distance being about 135 miles. I frequently had to swim my horse over streams of water three or four times a day, there being no bridges, with the mailbag strapped across my shoulders to keep the mail from getting wet. I will mention one of my adventures. I was traveling from Monmouth to Knoxville, the distance being twenty miles, and not a house was there between the two villages. A dark and rainy night came on, when I was ten miles from Knoxville, and when I had reached the place where the city of Galesburg now stands the grass was very high in the road, and all of a sudden I heard a hungry pack of wolves set up a tremendous howling right behind my horse, and from the

197

noise they made I supposed that the whole country was alive with wolves, so I applied the whip to my horse, and was not long in getting to Knoxville, and I probably made as good time on horseback as the railroad trains are making at the present time. In the year 1833, when I was sixteen years of age, I took a trip from Havana, in Mason county, Illinois, to what was called the "Lead Mine Country" in the northwestern part of Illinois, a distance of about 225 miles. The greater part of the road ran through an unbroken wilderness. In many places the white settlers were from fifteen to twenty-five miles apart. There were many deep and dangerous streams of water to cross, and it was certainly a long and dangerous trip for a boy to take alone and on horseback. I found many Indians on the road, and sometimes stayed with them over night, and always found them kind and friendly. The cause of my taking the trip at that time was this: My uncle, Joseph Ross, had some three years before gone to the lead mines, taking with him his only child, my cousin Ossian, a boy about five years of age. My uncle was taken sick and died, leaving this boy with strangers, and no one to look after him, and so I went there and brought him home with me. He at the time of this trip was only eight years of age. I was some twenty days in making the trip, and we got home all in good shape. One of the first business enterprises I engaged in after I became of age was to purchase an interest in a steamboat, called the Navigator, which ran from St. Louis, Missouri, to La Salle on the Illinois river. I held the position on her of steamboat clerk. After running on her for a year, I sold out my interest and then took a wife. I was married on the 1^st day of January, 1840, to Jane R. Kirkpatrick at Canton, Illinois. Upon our marriage we went to Havana, Illinois, and there kept the Havana Hotel, and also the ferry across the Illinois river, and we engaged in farming and stockraising. I was later appointed postmaster at Havana, Illinois, by President Martin Van Buren. In 1844 I removed to and settled on a farm of forty acres adjoining the town of Vermont in Fulton county, Illinois, and as I had never learned a

198

trade, nor studied for any profession, I had to rely on my hands and head for a living in the world. I settled down on my little farm and went to work, and planted out a fine orchard, which in after years yielded me from eight to ten thousand bushels of fruit a year. I added to my little farm from time to time, until I had a farm of 400 acres, all well improved. I also engaged in buying lands and improving them, and selling them to such emigrants as came to the country and wished to purchase improved farms. I continued in that business until I had became the purchaser and had disposed of six farms in Fulton county and fourteen farms in McDonough county, Illinois, and those farms are at the present time among the very best in those two counties. I have good reason to believe that I have had a greater number of acres of land broken up and put in cultivation than any other man that has ever lived in McDonough county. I only mention these facts to show that I have not been an idler or drone in the great hive of human progress, but have taken some part in helping to develop the great resources of the country.

My principal occupation through life had been that of a farmer, although I engaged in the mercantile business in connection with my farming operations for about ten years. I have never been an office seeker, and have had but little desire to hold office, although I have held a few small offices. I have held the office of town councilman, town treasurer, supervisor, justice of the peace and postmaster. I was twice elected treasurer and director of a railroad. I have usually voted the Democratic ticket, but when I came to California in 1881, I attended the Democratic State Convention, and found that a large majority of the delegates to the convention were saloonkeepers and wholesale liquor dealers, and that the prominent questions which came before the convention were the repeal of the Sunday law, which was then the law of the state of California, and the enactment of laws in the interests of liquor dealers, so I left the Democratic party and joined the Prohibition party. And at the State Prohibition Convention, in 1884, I was selected as a delegate to

199

the National Prohibition Convention, that was held in the city of Pittsburgh in 1884, at which convention the Hon. John P. St. John was nominated for president. At that convention twenty-eight states and three territories were represented by 465 delegates. It was at this convention that I first had the opportunity and the pleasure of seeing and hearing that grand and noble lady, Miss Frances E. Willard. She placed in nomination for president, John P. St. John, and on that occasion she made one of the most eloquent and powerful speeches that was heard during the convention. I felt a little honored in being chosen with her on the committee that drafted the platform and resolutions which were unanimously adopted by the convention. I have been a member of some temperance organization for over half a century. I have never indulged in the use of liquor nor tobacco in any form, and during the more than eight years of my life I do not think that I ever had to exceed more than five days of sickness, and I attribute my good health and length of years very materially to abstaining from the use of liquor and tobacco. My wife and I lived together lacking but three days of fifty-eight years. There were born to us six children, four sons and two daughters. Our first child, Ossian, died when eighteen months old. All my other children married and have families. They are Harriet S. Hall, Frank W. Ross, Mary F. Childs, George C. Ross and Joseph L. Ross. I have twelve grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. I have been a member of the Presbyterian church for sixty years. I was converted under the preaching of the Rev. Dr. David Nelson at a Presbyterian campmeeting held near the town of Canton, Illinois, in 1838. I first joined the Presbyterian church, at Canton, Illinois, in 1838. I have been a member of the Presbyterian church at Vermont, Illinois, and also of the Presbyterian church at Macomb, Illinois. I held the office of presiding elder in each of those churches, and have represented each of them in presbytery. I am at the present time a member of the First Presbyterian church of Oakland, California, which has a membership of over thirteen hundred.