Oliver Swanson
– Oliver Swanson was born on the 16th of February, 1853, at Solvesborg, a town in the
southern part of Sweden, his parents being Swan and Karma (Person) Olson. The
father, whose birth occurred in 1825, engaged in agricultural pursuits in Sweden until his
death, which occurred when his son Oliver was a child of but two years. Both mother
and father spent their entire lives in Sweden. Oliver Swanson received his
education in the common schools of his native land and at the age of eighteen years, after
having assisted on the home farm, came to America settling at Woodhull. For a time
he worked out by the month and then came to Ontario township where he settled on a farm in
1881. In 1893 he came to his present home. This property consists of eighty
acres and has been his residence ever since. Although he devotes his time and energy
principally to general farming, he also raises shorthorn cattle and feeds hogs and cattle
for the market. In these various branches he is meeting with the success which is
the reward of persistent and diligent labor. On the 12th of April, 1879, Mr. Swanson
was married to MARIE ANDERSON, a resident of Knox County, and a daughter of Anders and
Anna (Johnson) Anderson, both of whom are natives of Sweden, where they engaged in
farming. The father died in Sweden and the mother came to Henry county in
1875. They were the parents of five children. To Mr. and Mrs. Swanson three
children were born: Hattie S. who is the wife of William Sebastian, a resident framer of
Henry county; Hartwick, whose birth occurred in 1884 and who died in January 1905; and
Florence who is attending high school in Altona, Illinois.
In politics Mr. Swanson gives his support to the men and measures
of the Republican Party and has served as road commissioner and is assessor at the present
time. In religious faith he holds membership in the Lutheran church of Altona.
By his earnest work and diligent application to his agricultural pursuits and by
his interest and furthering of all measures pertaining to the higher social and moral
development of the community, Mr. Swanson has become recognized as a citizen of
substantial and honorable worth. (History of Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry,
page 495, submitted by J. Crandell)
John Van
Ness Standish - John Van
Ness Standish is a lineal descendant of Captain Miles Standish, of Pilgrim fame and was
born in Woodstock, Vt., February 26th, 1825. His father was John Winslow Standish, who was
born in Pembroke, Mass. July 19th, 1785. He was a man of many virtues. He was kind,
affectionate, trustful, and had a heart full of love for everyone. He possessed a good
natural powers of mind, and lived to his 90th year an exemplary and honorable life. His
mother was Caroline Williams Myrick, who was born in Woodstock, Vt., December 20, 1790.
She was a daughter of Lt. Samuel Myrick, who served his country through the Revolutionary
war. She was devoted to her family and friends, domestic in her home life, untiring in
industry, frugal, discreet, intelligent, and her whole life of sacrifice in duty is
stamped indelibly upon the memory of her children.
The ancestry of the Standish family reaches back to a very early
period in English history. In the 13th century, there were two branches to the family; one
was called The " Standishes of Standish ", and the other the
"Standishes of Duxbury Hall ". Their location was near the village of Chorley,
Lancashire. The first of the name was Thurston de Standish, who was living in 1222. He had
a son Ralph, who had a son Hugh. In 1306, on account of differences in religious views,
the state was divided; Jordan Standish becoming the proprietor of Standish, and Hugh, of
Duxbury Hall. In 1677, Sir Richard Standish occupied the possessions of Sir Frank
Standish. Titled nobility came into the family in the following manner: Froissart relates
in his chronicles that when Richard II and Wat Tyler met, the rebel was struck from his
horse by William Walworth, and then John Standish, the king's Squire, alighted, drew his
sword, and thrust it through Wat Tyler's body. For this act he was knighted. The
baronetcy, which was established in 1676, became extinct in 1812.
The history of the Standish family in America begins with Miles
Standish, the great Puritan Captain, who was descended from the Standishes of Duxbury
Hall. He was born about 1584 and died at Duxbury, Massachusetts, October 3rd, 1656. He
inherited in a preeminent degree the military qualities of his ancestors. He was the
Moses of his time and led the Pilgrim band into the "Promised Land " of liberty.
Without him, New England for a generation or two would have remained a wilderness and that
little Plymouth Colony would have become extinct.
Miles Standish's first wife was Rose, a most beautiful woman. She
died in about a month after landing at Plymouth. According to tradition, his second wife
was Barbara, a sister to Rose. By this second marriage there were seven children. The
eldest was Alexander, who built the cottage in 1666 now standing on the " Standish
farm " at Duxbury. For his first wife, Alexander married Sarah, daughter of John
Alden. His second wife was Desire (Sherman) Doty, by home he had four children. Their
eldest child was Thomas, who married Mary Carver. Thomas had six children, the third birth
been a son whose name was Thomas, the great grandfather of John Van Ness. The second
Thomas married Marta Bisbee and had two sons, one of whom was named Hadley. Hadley married
Abigail Gardner and became the father of 11 children. The third child was John Winslow,
who married Caroline Williams Myrick. They had six children, the fourth birth been John
Van Ness.
John Van Ness Standish belongs to the sixth generation from the
Pilgrim captain. He was not born in affluence, and consequently, has been obliged to
depend upon his own exertions in the great contest of life.
He received the rudiments of his education in the common schools of his native town. From
these, he passed into private schools, in which he spent several terms. He next became a
student for several years, in an Academy at Lebanon, New Hampshire, which would vie in
thoroughness and scholarship with many of the colleges of today. Having finished here the
entire course of mathematics save the calculus, and been thoroughly prepared, he
matriculated in Norwich University in 1844, and graduated as salutatorian of his class
July 7, 1847. While in college, he was regarded as a most excellent scholar, and in
mathematics, the leader of his class. To meet his expenses during these years of
study, he taught school winters, commencing at the age of 16, and worked on the farm
summers. He made study a business, squandered no time, and had but little leisure for
recreation or games.
After leaving college, he taught a select School in Perkinsille,
Vermont, and when this was closed, he became principal of a graded school in the same
village. Not satisfied with the prospects in his native state, he resolved to seek his
fortunes in the west. In the fall of 1850, he went to western New York and taught in the
graded schools of Farmington, Bergen, Macedon, and Victor, until he was called to the
professorship of mathematics and astronomy in Lombard University. Rev. P. R. Kandall, a
classmate, was its president, and a letter of invitation sent by him to Dr. Standish
contained the following: "You and I are to build a college. I want you to take charge
while I collect money ". And it may be said that Lombard university owes its
existence to the labors of these two men.
On October 22, 1854, Dr. Standish arrived in Galesburg, and on
the following day he entered upon his duty as acting president, and Professor of
mathematics and astronomy. He was acting president for three years, and the institution
prospered greatly under his management. From 1854 to 1892, a period of 38 years, he held
his professorship. Nor was he confined to his own department. For seven or eight years, he
taught the natural sciences, and if any new branch of study was introduced, Dr. Standish
was elected as the teacher. A professor said to him, "You have taught the whole
college curriculum ". Dr. Standish replied, "Not quite ".
Counting geometry, calculus, logic, Cicero, Virgil, and Livy, as distinct studies, he has
taught over 70--more perhaps than any other professor in Galesburg.
In 1892, he was elected president of Lombard University,
resigning in June, 1895. For the first seven months, he canvassed for funds, and raised by
subscription forty-one thousand, five hundred dollars--a larger amount than was ever
raised in so short a time by any other man working in the interest of the university. The
catalogs will show that during his administration, the patronage gradually increased.
Dr. Standish performed signal service for the college outside of his professorship. He
planned the cabinet cases and, with the aid of Mrs. Standish, raised the money to pay for
them. He raised the money and purchased the cabinet of corals. He obtained the Cowan
collection. He secured the means to build the bookcases. He arranged and planned the
shrubbery on the college campus. As another has said, "There is scarcely a place but
that you see his hand".
As a teacher, Dr. Standish had but few equals. He was original
and his illustrations and methods, and cared little for the opinions of man as written in
books. He was a law unto himself, and his teaching was neither by book nor by rote. He was
clear, incisive, and never allowed the dullest student to pass from him without a full
comprehension of the subject. Many of his pupils used to say,
"I can carry away more
of his instruction than that of any other teacher". Dr. Hansen L. Clarke, a graduate
of Lombard University in 1858, a professor and president of Bennett Medical College in
Chicago for more than a quarter of a century, and a member of the state board of health
for as long a period, pays him the following tribute: "As a teacher, Professor
Standish had few equals, no superiors. With the subject so completely in hand himself, it
was always a wonder, how for the benefit of some dull pupil he could go over a
mathematical demonstration again, again, and again, without the slightest appearance of
impatience. And to those observing this conflict between light and darkness, it was
especially pleasing to note that the kindly light of interest and satisfaction which would
pass over his countenance when at last he saw that he had won, and that the problem was
comprehended. He made such victories a life-work acknowledged no defeat".
Rev. John R. Carpenter, whose pastorate is at Rockland, Ohio, and
who graduated at the University in 1887, says: "Dr. Standish was an ideal instructor.
He was a man of leading characteristics, original, positive and his convictions,
clear-sighted, and always worked with a definite and good object before him. He was a
growing teacher, always bringing forth some new view of the truth. Those who have been
students of Doctor Standish are always grateful for the privilege of sitting at the feet
of one of the best instructors that this country ever produced. He would carry his pupils
up to the heights, and give them a view of the promised land just beyond. On the heights,
no true student ever came down to his old position."
D. L Braucher, a civil engineer and surveyor, and one of the best
mathematicians ever connected with the university, gives his impressions in the following
words: "Professor Standish was always thoughtful, dignified in his bearing, and
anxious to make his pupil see the truth as viewed from foundation principles. He seemed
more like a sympathetic companion than teacher, while we were delving for the hidden
truths of higher mathematics.
The more knotty the problem, the more persistent the labor, till victory perched on our
banner, as she always did. Time has tented those memories as delicately as the sunshine
has painted the rainbow".
As a scholar, Dr. Standish stands preeminent. He is really an all-around man. Not only is
he well versed in the lore of books and the teachings of the schools, but he has been a
great student of the broad fields of the world. He is well posted in almost every
department of science, literature, and art. In criticism, he has but a few equals. He
excels in rhetoric and in grammatical construction in the use of words, and has been
called by some scholars a dictionary man. At the ministers' institutes, held in Chicago
and other places, he was selected above all others as the critic for the entire sessions.
In his labors and zeal for the advancement and improvement of the
common schools, he has hardly been excelled by anyone. He has held teachers' institutes,
and lectured all over the state--from Jackson
and Macoupin counties on the north. He was chairman of the first meeting to establish
graded schools in Galesburg, and attended other meetings held in their interest. From 1854
to 1880, he was a constant attendance at the Knox County Institute of teachers, and was a
leading member of the State Teachers' Association. The latter body, in 1859, elected him
president.
Dr. Standish has been a great traveler. In company with Mrs.
Standish, he has visited the old world three times--in 1879, 1882-3, and in 1891-2. With
the exception of Denmark and Portugal, he has visited every country of Europe, Egypt and
the Holy Land, and Asia Minor, went to the North Cape within 19 degrees of the North Pole,
saw the midnight sun seven nights, and took a trip of a hundred miles out on the Sahara
desert.
Both Dr. and Mrs. Standish have gone abroad for study, as well as pleasure. In his own
country, he has visited every state in the union excepting the Carolinas.
Both Dr. and Mrs. Standish are lovers of art. They have visited
every large picture gallery in the world, and many small ones. They are conversant with
the museums of Europe and have studied cathedrals and parks, wherever they have traveled.
Egypt and Assyria, Greece and Rome, have been laid under contribution, and their treasures
have been spread out before them.
As a public-spirited man, Dr. Standish holds a conspicuous place
among his fellow citizens. He has done much to improve the city, and has given more hours
of labor without compensation than any other man in it. For more than 30 years, he has
made his own grounds the most attractive in the city. Another said to him, "Your
handiwork is seen all for Galesburg." He has an aesthetic nature, and is fond
of mountain scenery, and beauty of landscape. He is a horticulturalist, and for nearly 10
years, was president of Knox County Agricultural Society. He was once elected a member of
the Board of Education, and for many years, has been a director of the Second National
Bank.
As the man, Dr. Standish is kind, benevolent, and charitable, and
will make sacrifices for the public good. He is open-hearted, and believes and honesty of
purpose and intention. He has no use for double-minded men. In religion he is a
Universalist. In politics, he is a Republican.
Dr. Standish was married March 24, 1859, to Harriet Augusta Kendall, daughter of Francis
and Rebecca (Stowe) Kendall. She was a teacher of painting, French and Italian in Lombard
University for twelve years. (History of Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry,
pages 10-16, submitted by J. Crandell)
William H. Spinner was only seven and one-half years of age when brought by his uncle Eb and John Lass, to the new world and then on to Galesburg, to the home of William S. Lass, his foster father. He attended the public schools here and began earning his own living by working for the Burlington Railroad Company in the telegraph office as messenger. Gradually he worked his way upward, his capability and fidelity winning him promotion, until he became chief clerk. He then had charge of the Western Union wires and was wire chief. He afterward became chief clerk for the division superintendent and later in the general superintendent's office and in September 1888, was appointed to the responsible position of ticket agent at Galesburg, which position he filled until the 16th of February, 1904. Mr. Spinner for many years held the sole agency of all Atlantic steamship lines and many European tourists and emigrants bear tribute to his efficiency and his painstaking work and carefully planning their trips over the ocean. In 1904 he became general agent for the New York Life Insurance Company, having full control of all of its business and interests in this part of the state. This is still his connection and he has made for himself an honored name and position in the field in which he is now operating. Mr. Spinner is also known as a chalk talker and cartoonist, in which connection he has given many entertainments in which amusement and instruction are well-balanced features. He draws rapidly with charcoal and colored chalks, illustrating his speech, and in the twinkling of an eye can change a gay face to one of great seriousness or supplement an expression of sorrow with one of joy. He has received many favorable press notices and his work on the platform has been highly commended.
Mr. Spinner is pleasantly situated in his home life, having been married on the 4th of December, 1883, to Miss Florence B. Rice, a daughter of Augustus and Susan (Grant) Rice, of Lewiston, Illinois. Her father, a druggist of Fulton County, Illinois, and a son of Dr. E. D. Rice, was of New England ancestry. Her mother was a daughter of Professor Innes Grant, of Scotch descent, who at one time was professor of languages of the faculty of Knox College. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Banner have been borne three children: Harold R., born December 3, 1885; Delia Grant, February 7, 1889; and Mary, May 22, 1895.
In his political views Mr. Spinner is a republican but the honors and emoluments of office have had no attractions for him. He can find ample opportunity to use his time in different directions and is especially well known as an active member of the Central Congregational Church, having for twenty years served as superintendent of its Sunday school. He belongs also to the Young Men's Christian Association of Galesburg, of which he was director until a few years ago. He likewise belongs to the Masonic Lodge and the Galesburg Club. Throughout his life he has always been the same genial, courteous gentleman, whose ways are those of refinement and whose worth no man can question.
(History of Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, pages 72-73, submitted by J. Crandell)
General F. C. Smith.
General F. C. Smith, whose title came in
recognition of the valiant services which he rendered to his country in the
Civil war, made an equally creditable record in private life and, although all
days were not equally bright when viewed from the financial standpoint, he ever
maintained a high position in the honor and regard of his fellowmen, and in
fostering railroad building and other business enterprises contributed much to
the substantial development of the districts in which he lived. He was born in
Portageville, New York, July 14, 1824. His father, Cyrus Smith, was a soldier of
the war of 1812 and his example of military service and valor inspired the son,
who later gave equal proof of his patriotism and loyalty to his country. General
Smith spent his youthful days in Portageville and pursued his early education
there. He also studied for a year in Hamilton University and afterward engaged
in teaching school for a number of terms in his native town. He also added to
his own knowledge by reading and study and therein laid the foundation of that
broad general fund of information which always characterized him and which was
ever ready at his command. He was only fourteen years of age when he lost his
father so that from that time he was largely dependent upon his own resources. From the work of the schoolroom he turned his attention to contracting
and gained prominence in that line in the state of New York. He was interested
in the construction of the Geneseo canal and did extensive work on the Erie
canal besides executing other large contracts. For this work he was splendidly
qualified, possessing much natural mechanical ingenuity and talent in the line
of civil engineering. He also studied law while a resident of New York and
although he did not at that time enter upon active practice, he later depended
upon his knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence and the success which he
obtained in practice showed that he was well grounded in the fundamentals of the
law.
In February, 1856, General Smith was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Gilbert,
of Batavia, New York, and after residing for three years in the Empire state
they came to the middle west in 1859, settling in Oneida, Knox county, Illinois.
Some of the members of his family had preceded him and by reason of this he was
induced to establish his home in the Mississippi valley. He was residing in
Oneida when the Civil war broke out and his patriotic spirit was fired by the
attempt of the south to overthrow the Union. He was among the first of this
district to respond to the call to arms and he was connected with some of the
most brilliant achievements of the war. He took an active part in organizing
Companies A, B, D, F, H and I, of the One Hundred and Second Illinois Regiment,
all of which were raised in this county while the other companies of the
regiment were raised in Mercer, Warren and Rock Island counties. The One Hundred
and Second Illinois was mustered into service, September 2, 1862, with F. C.
Smith as lieutenant colonel, and it is said that this command was never known to
retreat. He was promoted to the rank of colonel, October 24, 1862, following the
resignation of Colonel William McMurtry, and remained in command of his regiment
until the close of the war. It was successively connected with Gordon's Reserve
Corps, the Eleventh Army Corps and the Twentieth Army Corps, and during the
Atlanta campaign was a part of General Sherman's army. On the
16th of March,
1864, an order came attaching the regiment to the First Brigade of the Third
Division of the Twentieth Corps and in consequence thereof General Smith
participated in the campaign against Atlanta, followed by the celebrated march
under Sheridan to the sea. In this campaign he and his regiment made a record of
which his country may well be proud. They participated in the battle of Resaca,
May 15, 1864, and took part in the daring charge made across a ravine against a
rebel fort which they captured, Colonel Smith being one of the first to enter
the fort. Subsequently the One Hundred and Second Illinois was in the engagement
of New Hope Church and at Golgotha Church, and, on the 16th of June, 1864, at
Pine Mountain, Georgia, their commander was severely wounded in the left leg
above the knee. As soon as he was able to walk he returned to the command of his
regiment, which was on the 10th of August, 1864. When General Benjamin Harrison
was granted a furlough and returned home the command of the brigade fell upon
General Smith and he led it on the great march through the wilderness to
Savannah. After that he was granted a furlough and visited his family and home,
but rejoined his regiment on the I3th of April, 1865, near Raleigh, and with the
brigade under General Harrison marched on to Washington, participating in the
grand review on the 24th
of May, 1865, his regiment leading the brigade. They were mustered out in June
and Colonel Smith was breveted brigadier general on account of his long and
efficient service. The president treated him with great respect and paid him a
high compliment because of the valorous aid which he had rendered his country.
When the war was over General Smith returned to his home in Oneida and became
prominently connected with the building of the Fort Scott & Western Railway.
The failure of this road embarrassed him financially, for he had spent much of
his private means to pay the men. About 1874 he removed to Galesburg. While
living in New York he had studied law and was admitted to practice in the courts
of Illinois about 1883. For ten or twelve years he occupied the same office as
the Hon. J. C. Stewart and during 1877 and 1878, when Mr. Stewart was mayor of
the city, General Smith served as city attorney. He followed his profession
continuously for a number of years and his opinions upon law matters were
regarded as models of clearness and perspicuity. General Smith also became one
of the builders of the Central Illinois Railroad. During President Cleveland's
administration he was connected with the revenue office at Peoria and from 1883
until 1885 served as superintendent of streets in Galesburg. He was ever loyal
to the public trusts reposed in him and was equally faithful in the discharge of
every private duty.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Smith there were born two children, but the younger, a
daughter, Anna, is now deceased. The son, William, still resides in Galesburg
as does his widowed mother, Mrs. Sarah Smith. The death of General Smith
occurred in 1891. He belonged to Vester Lodge, No. 584, A. F. & A. M., and to
the Royal Arch chapter, and his religious faith was indicated by his membership
in the First Baptist church. His was an upright and honorable life, in
consistent harmony with his professions, and at all times he was actuated by the
spirit of progress that prompted his hearty cooperation in many movements for
the material, intellectual, political and moral progress of his community.
(History of Knox County,
Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, pages 145-147, submitted by J. Crandell)
Lafayette Swegle,
farmer, was born in Sussex Co., N.J., Sept. 24, 1824; his parents were natives
of that State; his opportunities for attending the district schools were very
limited; his early years were spent on a farm; came to Knox Co., in 1850. He
married Amelia Morgan Feb 7, 1850; they had 4 children. He married Mary Ann
McElrea in 1861 by whom he has had 6 children, 4 living. Republican. Residence,
St. Augustine.
(History of Knox County,
Illinois (1878), page 709, submitted by Karen Holt)
[Additional bio information from my records on Lafayette and his wives:
Lafayette SWEGLE died 17 Jun 1889 in St Augustine, Knox Co. IL. Amelia MORGAN
was She was born 12 Mar 1832 in NY daughter of Albert and Annis MORGAN. She died
1860 in Knox Co IL. Lafayette married Mary Ann McELREA 06 Jun 1861 in Knox Co.
IL. She was born 1841, and died 1907.]
Marriage records from:
Galesburg Knox Co IL and/or Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763 - 1900
| SWEGLE, GENERAL M
SWEGLE, GENERAL M (SMEGLE) BRADBURY, WILLIAM L BROWN, GEORGE RICHMON, GEORGE W HALE, WILLIAM WALTERS, JAMES SWEGLE, Charles A |
RANDLESON, ELLA 02/03/1881 FISHER, MARY 09/11/1884 SWEGLE, ALICE 09/13/1871 SWEGLE, PHEBY [Phoebe] 06/05/1879 SWEGLE, FLORA E 02/15/1885 SWEGLE, IDA 02/26/1888 SWEGLE, EMMA 11/04/1896 HICKS, Hattie 02/22/1908 |
Job Swift, retired farmer, is the son of Erastus and Louisa (Everest); was born in Addison County, Vt., May 9, 1811; he was educated in Shoreham Academy, Vermont. His early life was passed on a farm, and he devoted his attention to farming chiefly; spent some time in the milling business. He came from Vermont to Galesburg in 1836; has held the office of alderman of the city for years. He married Amanda M. Sumner, February 14, 1854, in Granville, New York. They have 2 daughters. Republican. Residence, Galesburg. (History of Knox County, Illinois (1878), page 709, submitted by Karen Holt)
William Symons, tailor, Yates City, is the son of William and Sarah Symons; was born in England, December 16, 1830; had no school education; came to Illinois in 1869; served 5 years as a soldier in England. Married Elib Conroy in 1853; 6 children living, 4 dead. Republican. (History of Knox County, Illinois (1878), page 709, submitted by Karen Holt)
Miles Smith, deceased. One of the representative citizens of Knoxville, and pioneer of the same city, being among the earlier settlers, is the gentleman whose personal history is herein recorded. He departed this life at the close of a well-spent and nobly-directed manhood, in which he had accomplished much good, both to himself and to all with whom he came in contact.
Isaiah Smelser was born about
1801 in Tennessee. It's believed his father is Jacob Smelser. Jacob first
appears on the Barren County, Kentucky tax list in 1815 and was only taxed for
horses. He is found in Barren Co, until Hart Co, Kentucky was formed in 1819.
Being that Jacob's son, David Clark Smelser was listed on some census as a
blacksmith when an adult and the surname SCHMELZER means smelter, it's a
possibility that David learned the trade from his father.
Isaiah married Nancy Green Huston/Hughston (HOUSTON) on 11 April 1819 in Barren
County, Kentucky. Nancy's mother Margaret gave permission for her marriage and
Jacob Smelser was a witness. Males weren't considered of age until 21 years old.
Being that there isn't a permission note in the marriage license files, Jacob
was probably present and gave permission.
Isaiah and Nancy had their first child, Margaret B. on 23 March 1820 and are
found on the 1820 census for Hart County, KY. However by the 1821 tax, Isaiah
was not listed.
On 12 October 1822, they had their second daughter, Elizabeth in Tennessee.
Next Came Mahala Jane about 1825 in Tennessee also. Followed by George
Washington about 1826, also in Tennessee.
They then moved to Crawford County, Indiana where Andrew J. was born about 1827.
Francis Marion was born in June 1832 there also.
Again the family moved locating near Joseph Rowe in Knox County, Illinois in
1832. Isaiah bought his first parcel of land the fall of 1834, in which year
Eliza was born. Isaiah became and remained a farmer for the rest of his life.
Eliza was followed by Julia about 1837, William Jasper 22 April 1841 and Nancy
Green in July 1845.
In their oldest daughter Margaret's obituary, it states she is the eldest of 16
children. One of those children was a male born about 1838 and was not listed
with the family on the 1850 census.
Margaret married John Marlin of Warren County on 13 August 1840 in Knox County
and moved with his family to Washington County, Iowa in 1841. This same year
David Clark Smelser also moved there, settling in the same township.
Daughter Elizabeth married James Taylor 12 November 1843 in Knox County, Mahala
Jane married Essalum Monroe Hall 21 November 1844 in Knox county, and George
Washington married Essalum's sister Nancy Ann Hall 3 July 1845 in Knox County.
Sadly, George's marriage was short, as Nancy died on 2 October 1849. He returned
to his parents home bringing his two daughters: Eliza Jane and Nancy with him.
After the 1850 census Andrew J. moved to Washington County, Iowa also where he
met and married Martha Jane Elliott 16 January 1851. This marriage ended in her
death a little more than a year later on 6 February 1852. After the 1852 census
nothing more is presently known of Andrew. The family also put to rest George's
daughter Nancy.
The allure of free land and open space in Oregon resulted in another move in
1852. This resulted in daughter Margaret being left behind, along with Francis
Marion who joined the family in 1854.
From diaries that had been kept by women in 1852 and 1853 traveling the Oregon
trail, it is known that these years were very wet. Often clothing was worn wet
and the day ended in sleeping in wet, musty bedding. It was hard to build a
fire. However, in one diary of a woman who traveled late in the season, rain is
only mentioned for a few days at the beginning and just before reaching the
Columbia River. She states as the weather became warmer that illness and death
due to cholera and measles became increasingly worse. Many deaths and graves
were mentioned. Cattle were also mentioned dying along the way.
Isaiah's son-in-law, James Taylor kept a diary, which became the possession of
his grandson Bryon K. Taylor who wrote a Taylor family history. In the Baker
County history, this book was referred to and the families travel from Illinois
to Oregon is summarized:
"They arrived late fall at the Dalles. Although the trip was hard, they didn't
lose life to Indians but stock was stolen, some died and James and Elizabeth
were broke."
Julia Smelser would have been 15 that year. Either she stayed behind or didn't
survive the trip, as a marriage has not been located for her in Oregon, nor is
she found with the family in Oregon.
On 14 March 1853, Eliza married William Peterson in Linn County where her
parents had settled.
Isaiah and Nancy secured their claim 1 June 1853. The Taylor's and Hall's had
settled nearby. However, they weren't to have Mahala Jane with them much longer,
as she died on the claim 12 June 1853. It appears Isaiah and Nancy raised their
Hall grandchildren: Isaiah, Lurana, Francis and George, along with son George's
daughter: Eliza.
In the spring of 1860, Margaret was missing her parents. They had not met her
two youngest children, both daughters. John was ill with pneumonia and she
considered leaving secretly with a wagon train to take them to Oregon to visit
her parents. However, the morning she considered doing so, she found that John
had died. She married again and had a daughter about 1863 in Iowa. By 1870 her
two youngest were living in Missouri with their father's parents.
Nancy Green married James Thomas McCallister 23 October 1861, William Jasper
married Electa Lane 12 December 1862 and Francis Marion married Cerilda Carter
on 29 January 1864. All these marriages took place in Linn County, Oregon.
On 23 March 1865, Eliza passed away, joining two of her five children, William
Jasper, who died 16 Dec 1863 and Electa who died 26 December 1863.
Jasper's marriage also was short, as he died 25 April 1868 just before the birth
of his second daughter Anna M. who was born 10 May 1868. She joined her father
16 April 1870.
By the 1870 census, Isaiah and Nancy had moved to Lane County, Oregon as did the
Taylors and son Francis Marion, who lived next door.
Margaret eventually joined her parents in Oregon. Whether she is a widow or
divorcee is not known, but she married James H. Loveall 20 November 1873 in Linn
County, Oregon.
This same year the Taylors decided to leave farming and take up ranching. They
sold their farm and moved along Willow Creek near Ione, in Morrow County.
With the assistance of neighbors: Elijah Mays, Milton Shannon and John B.
Ferguson, Isaiah wrote a will. Within the court records, his death is listed as
23 January 1875. His wife Nancy, five children and many grandchildren are known
to have survived him. His wife passed by 1880, Elizabeth 28 March 1888 in Baker
County, Francis 24 October 1904 in Marion County, George 17 August 1906 in Baker
County, daughter Nancy 20 May 1907 in Crook County and Margaret 23 November 1911
in Kent County, Washington. (Biography written and submitted by Kathleen Minion)
LOREN STEVENS. Loren Stevens had for seven years
occupied the responsible position of cashier in the First National Bank when he
retired to private life to enjoy the fruits of his labor. He now gives his
supervision only to his investments which include loans and real-estate
interests. He was born in Chittenden county, Vermont, May 25, 1845, the younger
of the two sons of Cassius P. and Clamentia (Smith) Stevens, both of whom were
natives of Vermont. He comes of ancestry represented in the Revolutionary war,
his great-grandfather having been Abram Stevens, who was born in Killingsworth,
Connecticut, and at the age of sixteen years joined the Continental army under
the valorous leader of the Vermont troops, General Seth Warner. He afterward
became colonel under Montgomery and for many years lived to enjoy the fruits of
liberty, his death occurring in 1830. He was a native of England and had come to
the new world with two brothers. His son, Alonzo Stevens, was born in Vermont
and served his country as a soldier in the war of 1812, while later he became
colonel in the state militia. He devoted his life to farming and died at the age
of seventy years, having long survived his wife. They were the parents of two
sons and six daughters, Cassius P., Alonzo J., Lucia, Mary, Almira, Louisa,
Cornelia and Rosamond. The maternal grandfather of Loren Stevens was Thomas
Smith, who was born on November 10, 1765. He spent his entire life in the Green
Mountain state, devoting his time and energies to farming. His death occurred
May 17, 1837, and his wife, Mrs. Mollie Smith, who was born July 24, 1768, died
on the 13th of January, 1834. Their family numbered ten sons and a daughter,
Repline, Hiram, Philemon, Loren, Orrin, Roswell, Sidney, Ceylon, Loyal, Loudon
and Clamentia.
Like others of the family Cassius P. Stevens devoted
his life to farm work, owning and cultivating a tract of land in Chittenden
county, Vermont, where his worth as a business man and citizen was widely
acknowledged. Both he and his wife were consistent and faithful members of the
Methodist church, closely following its teachings. His death occurred in 1892,
when he was seventy-seven years of age and his wife passed away in 1876 when
sixty-one years of age. Their eldest son, Byron A., died in 1895, leaving Loren
Stevens the only surviving member of the family.
During the first twenty years of his life Loren Stevens
remained a resident of Vermont, residing on his father's farm until seventeen
years of age. During that period he attended the district school and for a short
time pursued an academical course. After leaving home he engaged in driving a
team for one summer and during the following fall entered the employ of the
Central Vermont Railroad Company but gave up that position to attend business
college when eighteen years of age, recognizing how necessary is educational
training for success in life. After completing his course he was offered and
accepted the position of teacher in the same institution, there remaining for a
year and a half, but thinking that the west offered better and broader
opportunities he made his way to Ohio, where he spent the fall and winter of
1865. In the spring of 1866 he came to Galesburg, where he has now lived for
more than forty-five years. Here he entered the office of the Brown Cornplanter
Works with which he was connected for a year and later spent two years in the
office of Benjamin Lombard, Jr., as bookkeeper. The head man of the Brown Works
died in the meantime and Mr. Stevens was then offered the vacant position,
remaining there as secretary of the company for seventeen years, or until 1886.
He then turned his attention to buying and selling real estate and making loans
and that business together with traveling occupied his time for ten years. He
next entered the First National Bank as cashier, continuing in the position for
seven years, when he retired from active business save that he still makes
loans, his keen discrimination and sound judgment largely preventing the
possibility of loss in that direction. He also owns a large orange orchard at
Riverside, California.
Mr. Stevens was married, May 25, 1870, on his
twenty-fifth birthday and exactly four years after his arrival in Galesburg, to
Miss Lizzie C. Simmons, who died on the 26th of March, 1911, when nearly
sixty-three years of age. She was a member of the Universalist church. Mr.
Stevens has traveled quite extensively, visiting every state in the Union, as
well as the West Indies, old Mexico and the Hawaiian islands, besides various
parts of Canada from Vancouver to Quebec. He was a charter member of the
Galesburg Club and is also a member of the Country Club. His political
allegiance has ever been given to the republican party and for two years he
served as mayor of the city, having been elected in the spring of 1889. He has
ever been recognized as a public-spirited citizen whose aid and cooperation can
be counted upon to further progressive public measures. A review of his life
indicates that he has made wise use of his time and opportunities, has utilized
the chances for careful and remunerative investment and now as a result of his
labors, intelligently directed, he stands among the prosperous residents of his
adopted city.
(History of
Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, pages 320-322, submitted by Janine
Crandell)
John
William Smith resides at No. 1688 North Broad street, where he has a well
developed and highly cultivated tract of land of six acres. He was born in Wythe
township, Hancock county, Illinois, November 19, 1863, his parents being John W.
and Eliza (Yenawine) Smith, both of whom were natives of Kentucky, as were the
paternal grandparents, Denton and Rebecca (Landers) Smith, born in 1800 and 1801
respectively. Mr. Smith died in 1884, while his wife had preceded him in death
in 1882. The maternal grandparents, also natives of Kentucky, were Jacob and Ann
Maria (Bence) Yenawine. Mr. Yenawine's birth occurred in 1795 and his demise
took place in 1863, while his wife had been born in 1803 and died in 1859. John
W. Smith, Sr., made farming his life work and at an early day became a resident
of Hancock county, Illinois, where he lived for many years, his time and
energies being devoted to general-agricultural pursuits. He died in Keokuk,
Iowa, in July, 1906, at the age of seventy-one years, and is still survived by
his wife, who is making her home in Keokuk, at the age of seventy-four. For many
years they were devoted and loyal members of the Christian church and Mr. Smith
held various township offices, the duties of which he discharged with credit to
himself and satisfaction to his constituents. Unto him and his wife were born
twelve children, of whom nine are now living: George W. and Benjamin F., both
of whom are residents of Keokuk; Sadie, who is married and lives in Andover,
Kansas; Charles H., of Galesburg; John W.; James E., also of this city; Lou, the
wife of Will Dooley, of Keokuk, Iowa; Homer D., also of Keokuk; and Maude, the
wife of Burt Clark, of that city.
John W. Smith spent his boyhood in the usual manner of farm lads, remaining
through the period of his youth upon his father's farm in Hancock county, during
which time he attended the district schools in the winter months and in the
summer seasons aided in the work of the fields. He lived at home until he had
attained his majority and then rented land, after which he engaged in
cultivating the soil in this manner for several years in Hancock county. In 1900
he came to Galesburg, where he was engaged in the grocery business for a little
more than seven years. On the expiration of that period he sold out and returned
to farming. He now has six acres of land in his home place, rents other land and
likewise owns some town property.
Mr. Smith was married November 1, 1887, to Miss Ella
McCracken, a daughter of Benjamin and Jane (Hendricks) McCracken. Mrs. Smith
died eight years later and on the 7th of December, 1898, Mr. Smith wedded Miss
Cora Ethel Dodge, who was born in Hamilton, Hancock county, Illinois, a daughter
of Thomas and Caroline (Atwater) Dodge, who were natives of Fulton county,
Illinois. The father was a son of Henry and Lorana (Jolly) Dodge and her mother
was a daughter of Charles and Jane (Dawson) Atwater. The death of Thomas Dodge
occurred at Ouincy, Illinois, in 1891, when he was fifty-one years of age, but
his widow, who still survives, makes her home in Hamilton. They were the parents
of thirteen children, of whom eleven are now living: Laura, who is the wife of
William Kirkpatrick: Sherman Dodge: Charles: Howard; Ola, the wife of John
Miller; Jefferson; Bert; Cora E.; Daisy, the wife of John Curtis Taylor; Julian;
and Gertrude. The two who died in early childhood were Edward and Winona.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith have become the parents of two children, Lucile and Edwin.
The parents are members of the Christian church and Mr. Smith gives his
political support to the democratic party. He has worked hard and his life of
industry and perseverance has brought him a substantial measure of success. At
all es he has commanded the respect and good-will of his fellowmen because in
every relation he has been honorable and straightforward. (History of
Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, pages 338-339, submitted by Janine Crandell)
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