Biographies Bo-Bz

 

John Bohan George W. Brown
William Bond John Bryant, M. D.
James Borrell John Buffington
Addison Boutelle Henry Burgland
Aaron Bowers Nels M. Burgland
John Bradburg James L. Burkhalter
William Bradley A. C. Burnett
John Brandt William Burnside

 

James Borrell - Farmer; Orange Township, born in England, July 31, 1842, educated in the common schools. His parents, Pattan and Roseanah (Johnson) Borrell, were English as were his paternal grandparents, James and Elizabeth (Pattan) Borrell and his maternal grandfather, Johnson.    March 27, 1867, Mr. Borrell was married to EVA N. ROBERTS, in Knoxville, Illinois. They have had four children: Mary I., Fannie E., Charlie P., and Lenna L. In politics, Mr. Borrell is a republican. He holds the office of school director.  (HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS AND KNOX COUNTY, Munsell Publishing Company, 1899, page 911, submitted by Janine Crandell)

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Aaron Bowers. Aaron Bowers is a retired farmer living with his sister, Miss Elizabeth Bowers, at No. 371 West North street in Galesburg. He was born in Highland county, Ohio, March 21, 1829, and is a son of Silas and Phoebe (Lewis)
Bowers, who were natives of Virginia or Pennsylvania. The maternal grandparents were Jonathan and Elizabeth (Feasel) Lewis, both of whom lived to old age and reared a family of several children, namely: Isaac, Phoebe, Aaron, John, Christina, Nancy and Barney. Silas Bowers, the father of our subject, became a farmer of Highland county, Ohio, and afterward, removing westward, was an early settler of Parke county, Indiana. He passed away in Vermilion county, Indiana, when about sixty years of age. His wife survived him and passed away in 1876 at the advanced age of eighty-two years and eight months. She was a consistent member of the Methodist church. In their family were ten children, namely: Mary Ann. who is the widow of John Wilson and resides in Sigourney, Iowa: Aaron, of this review: Elizabeth, living in Galesburg; Sarah, the wife of J. H. Griggs, of Wheaton, Illinois: Christina, the deceased wife of William Redford; Lucinda, the deceased wife of J. A. McCoy; and four who passed away in early life.
    Aaron Bowers spent a part of his youthful days in Ohio and also remained for a time in Indiana. He pursued his education in one of the old-time, log-cabin subscription schools. He was a particularly fine speller and knew the
old elementary spelling book by heart. In 1855 he came to Illinois, settling in Warren county, where he purchased a quarter section of land in Coldbrook, for which he paid twenty-five dollars per acre. Later he bought a farm in Floyd township, where he now owns four hundred and one and a half acres, in addition to his one hundred and sixty-acre tract in Coldbrook township and a farm of two hundred and forty acres in Iowa. He lived in Coldbrook and Floyd townships for forty-five years but has made his home in Galesburg for the past eleven years and in this city owns a fine home where he lives retired, he and his sister Elizabeth living together. While his life was devoted mainly to general agricultural pursuits, in which line of business he won substantial success, he has also done some public service, acting as road commissioner for twelve years and also as school director for one term.
    Elizabeth Bowers was born in Parke county, Indiana, October 31, 1833, and has always remained with her brother, acting as his housekeeper. She is a very devoted member of the Methodist church and takes a most helpful part in its work. Mr. Bowers was formerly a member of the Masonic fraternity and still holds his Masonic papers. He is yet a member of the Odd Fellows lodge at Cameron. He is now more than eighty-two years of age and his life has been that of a successful farmer and stockman. He began as a poor boy without money and has made all of his property himself, placing his dependence upon energy, industry and determination. He certainly well deserves the prosperity that came to him. He has been a resident of this part of the state for fifty-six years and its history is therefore largely familiar to him, while in the work of its agricultural development he has borne an important part. (History of Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, pages 385-386, submitted by Janine Crandell)

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William O'R. Bradley - The medical profession of Galesburg has a prominent and worthy representative in Dr. William O'R. Bradley, who in the practice of medicine and surgery has demonstrated his wide knowledge of the scientific principles that underlie his work and his ability to apply his knowledge in the arduous and difficult task of checking the ravages of disease. He opened an office in this city in 1891 and in the intervening period of twenty years has firmly established himself in the public regard not only as a capable physician but also as a man and citizen. He was born in Rochester, New York, October 14, 1861, his parents being Dr. Thomas and Anna G. (Maloney) Bradley, a former native of Belfast, Ireland, and the latter of Rochester, New York. The paternal grandfather, Dr. Hugh Bradley, was a successful physician of Belfast for many years, but eventually sought the opportunities of the new world and on coming to America established his home in Rochester, New York, where he practiced for a considerable period. His death there occurred in 1882, when he had reached the venerable age of eighty-nine years. His family numbered two sons, Patrick and Thomas, and a daughter who died in early girlhood.

Dr. Thomas Bradley, coming to America during his boyhood days, was graduated from the Geneva Medical College, of Geneva, New York. He afterward located for practice in Rochester and was well established in business when, in 1866, he passed away at the age of forty-six years. In early manhood he had wedded Anna G. Maloney, a daughter of Henry Maloney, and she passed away September 15, 1879, at the age of forty-two years. Both were members of the Catholic church. In addition to his private practice Dr. Bradley had served as surgeon of the New York state militia with the rank of major. In the family were two children who live to maturity, the daughter being Marie, who was a Sister of the Catholic Church in the order of the Sacred Heart. She was known as Madame Bradley and died in the old City of Mexico in 1901.

Dr. William O'R. Bradley was reared in Rochester and attended its public schools. Subsequently he became a pupil in the Canisius College of Buffalo and later attended St. Michael's College in Toronto, Canada. He then returned to Buffalo and was graduated from the medical department of the University of Buffalo with the class of 1883, having determined to make the practice of medicine his life work. Following his graduation he opened an office in Rochester, New York, where he remained for a year and a half, and then went to Washington, Kansas, where he resided until 1891. That year witnessed his arrival in Galesburg, where he has since practiced, and his pronounced ability has been the means of bringing him a large practice, in the conduct of which he has been very successful, reading and study keeping him in close touch with the advancement and medical science.

On the 22nd of July, 1884, Dr. Bradley was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Rivers, who was born in Rochester, New York. Dr. and Mrs. Bradley now have three children, William Rivers, Marie and Anna. Dr. Bradley gives his political allegiance to the democratic party and is a prominent worker in its ranks, because of his belief that its principles are most conducive to good government. He served as mayor of Galesburg for one term and gave to the city a business-like and progressive administration. His fraternal relations are with the Alpha Lodge, No. 155, A. F. & A. M., Galesburg Chapter, R. A. M. and Galesburg Commandery, K. T. He has also crossed the sands of the desert with the Nobles of Mohammed Temple of the Mystic Shrine and in his life he exemplifies the beneficent and benevolent spirit of the craft. In strictly professional lines his association is with the city, county and state medical societies and the American Medical Association. He holds to high ideals in his chosen life work and conforms strictly to a high standard of professional ethics. (History of Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, pages 71-72, submitted by Janine Crandell)

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John Howard Bryant, M. D. - Prominent among the representatives of the medical profession in Galesburg is Dr. John Howard Bryant, who has wisely and conscientiously used the talents that have been given him in his preparation for the onerous duties that devolve upon him in connection with his chosen life work. His extensive practice is the best evidence of his ability and his success that underlie his work together with careful diagnosis. Dr. Bryant was born in Princeton, Illinois, May 27, 1876, a son of Elijah and Laura (Smith) Bryant, both of whom were natives of Bureau County, Illinois. The Bryant ancestry in this country can be traced back to Sir Guy Bryant, who came from England in 1632, his ancestry also runs back eight generations to John Alden and Priscilla Mullins of the Mayflower. Elijah Bryant was a son of John Howard Bryant, who was born in Cummington, Massachusetts, and was the brother of William Cullen Bryant, the distinguished American poet. In the year 1831 John Howard Bryant came to Jacksonville, Illinois, with one of his brothers by way of the Erie Canal and Ohio River, and in the spring of 1832 he rode horseback to Bureau County, settling on the present site of Princeton, where he took up a section of land which he improved, bringing the farm under a high state of cultivation. He was followed in a few years by two other brothers, all four of whom made Princeton their permanent home, William Cullen being the only brother remaining in the east. He acquired other property in that district, becoming one of the large landowners. There he spent his remaining days and not only took an active part in the promotion of agricultural interests but likewise became an active factor in the public life of the community. He was closely associated with those who were instrumental in the creation of Bureau county out of Putnam County and throughout all of the active period of his life did much toward shaping its formative policy and guiding its destiny. Under appointment of President Lincoln he filled the office of internal revenue collector and for three or four different terms represented his district in the general assembly, his active support of various measures proving a potent element in guiding a legislative enactment during that period. He took the greatest pride in his work in financing and establishing the Princeton Township High School, which was the first high school of that character in the state. His influence was always on the side of progress and advancement and he was justly accounted one of the most prominent citizens of Bureau county. He regarded it the duty as well as the privilege of every man to exercise his right of franchise and support the political principles which he believed the most conducive to good government. During the greater part of his life he was a staunch advocate of the Republican Party and at no time was his position regarding any vital question an equivocal one. He married a Miss Wiswall in 1834 and to them were born two sons, Henry who died at the age of nineteen and Elijah. J. H. Bryant reached the venerable age of ninety-five years, while his wife passed away at the age of eighty-one.

Elijah Bryant, the father of our subject, was born in Bureau County, Illinois during the pioneer epoch in the history of that district and was there reared and educated. As he grew to manhood he became his father's assistant and gradually more and more assumed the management of the estate, to which he devoted his entire life. He married Laura Smith, who was also born in Bureau County and was a daughter of Sydney P. Smith, who removed from New Hampshire to the state. He established his home just outside of Princeton, upon a farm which he carefully developed and improved. He married a Miss Doolittle, of Princeton, and both died in Bureau County when well advanced in years. The Smiths, like the Bryants, where of English descent. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney P. Smith were five children who reached mature Years: Lucy, now the wife of A. C. Cutler; Emily, the wife of James Smart, of Chicago; Elizabeth, who married H. H. Curtis, of Chicago; Sydney P., living in Athol, Massachusetts; and Laura, who became Mrs. Bryant. The death of Elijah Bryant occurred in 1892, when he was fifty-six years of age. He had held a number of local offices and in a more quiet but nonetheless effective way had carried on the work which his father instituted for the development and upbuilding of the county. His widow still survives him and is numbered among the faithful members of the Congregational Church, with which she has long been identified. Of their family of six children five are yet living: Frances, the wife of J. C. Bannister, of Kewanee, Illlinois; Kate, the wife of W. E. McVay, of Los Angeles, California; William C., living in Princeton; Sue, the wife of A. H. Ferris, also of Princeton, Illinois; and John H., of this review.

Dr. Bryant spent his youthful days in his native city and the public and high schools afforded him his early educational privileges, his course being continued there until his graduation from the high school with the class of 1897, and spent the following summer traveling in Europe. During the two succeeding years he lived in Los Angeles, California, where he was employed as a bookkeeper in a bank. In the summer of 1899 he returned to Illinois and took up the study of medicine at the Northwestern University Medical School of Chicago, therein completing a four-years' course by graduation in 1903. To his theoretical training he added the broad practical experience of hospital practice as an intern, being thus engaged until July, 1904. In the fall of that year he was married and on the 1st of January, 1905, established his home in Galesburg, where he has since remained, gradually building up a practice which has now assumed extensive proportions. He keeps in touch with the progress of the medical fraternity through his perusal of the latest and most valued contributions to medical literature and his sound judgment enables him to select that which is best and most valuable and use such for the benefit of his patients. He is now serving on the Galesburg hospital staff and is a member of the city, county and state medical societies and the American Medical Association.

On the 26th of October, 1904, Dr. Bryant was married to Miss Lillian R. Warfield, a native of Princeton and a daughter of Jacob H. and Mary (Clark) Warfield. Her father was born in Uniontown, Ohio, and her mother's birth occurred near Princeton. Mr. Warfield passed away in 1890 but his wife is still living. They were parents of six children: George C.; Andrew A.; Lydia, the wife of W. C. Bryant; Charles W.; Lillian, the wife of J. H. Bryant; and John J. To Mr. Bryant and his wife have been born two daughters, Frances Warfield and Grace Adele. The parents are members of the Central Congregational Church and Dr. Bryant gives his political allegiance to the republican party. He manifests unfaltering devotion to his chosen life work and his success is based not alone upon broad scientific attainments but also upon humanitarianism, which is one of the sAllent elements in his character. (History of Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, pages 78-80, submitted by Janine Crandell)

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A. C. Burnett, the owner and manager of the Aqua Vitae Mineral Springs of Maquon, Illinois, has been a resident of Haw Creek township, Knox county, since the date of his birth, February 18, 1839. His parents were Josiah and Elizabeth (Housh) Burnett, the former a native of the east, the latter of Indiana. Josiah Burnett became a resident of Haw Creek township in 1835, settling on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres on sections 29 and 30. He cleared and improved the land, of which a large part was timber, and devoted himself to the various departments of general farming and cattle raising. He lived there until 1848 when he bought the farm at present held in the family name and situated at no great distance from the former place. Adjacent to his farm was a mill in which he acquired one third interest by building a dam for the water power. Not long after that he bought out the other two thirds interest in the mill and became sole proprietor of it, running it in his own name for a brief period. He then gave his title to it to two of his sons who managed the mill for a while until they disposed of it for other interests. The father was a democrat in his political faith and held several township offices, and in his religious life followed the tenets of the Methodist Episcopal church to which he and his wife belonged. Living on the old homestead till the last, Josiah Burnett passed away at the age of seventy-seven and his wife at the age of sixty-four, both being buried in the cemetery at Maquon.
     In spite of the limited education received in the schools of Haw Creek township and Maquon, A. C. Burnett possesses a large fund of general knowledge being a well informed man. After his school days were over he assisted on the farm and later assumed charge of a share of the management of the mill which his father entrusted to the responsibility of his brother John in partnership with him. The occupation of milling he followed for some years during which time John Burnett disposed of his interest in the management of the mill to his brother Josiah, who thereupon became his partner. At length the two young men traded the mill and the right to the dam for western land. On the site, where these were once familiar landmarks the dam has disappeared, the mill race is dried up and only the frame of the old gristmill, vacant and fallen into neglect, stands like a grim monitor of time defying the ravages of the elements. As the next step in his life's career A. C. Burnett turned his attention to farming, buying for this purpose the land which he now owns, one hundred acres on section 34 and one hundred and sixty acres on section 35 in Haw Creek township. Here he tilled the fields for many years until one day he came, wholly by accident, upon a spring located in a hitherto unnoticed portion of a field in which he was digging. Upon chemical examination it was found that the spring contained minerals and was very valuable for medicinal purposes. Mr. Burnett, by no means slow to realize the immense financial possibilities growing out of the ownership and control of a natural resource so valuable as this, organized a company for bottling the water and shipping it for market use. The name under which the plant is operated is the Aqua Vitae Mineral Springs Company of Maquon, Illinois, and since the water was awarded second prize, a silver medal, at the St. Louis exposition, it has become widely known as one of the best brands of medicinal water on the market, good for stomach and intestinal troubles, for rheumatism, in short for cleansing the system of any poisonous accretions with which it may be clogged. The company ships extensively of its water from Maine to the coast of California and as far as the remote parts of Canada. On the land adjacent to the spring there is a sanitarium accommodating about twenty patients, who may come there and have a complete rest while availing themselves of the privilege of the unlimited use of the spring water. In season this is a favorite resort for week-end parties and for parties of dinner guests who come from the towns and country about. It is the owner's present plan to reorganize and form a corporation for developing the site on which the springs are located and ninety acres of the adjoining land. Such a company properly financed and under the efficient management of a man like A. C. Burnett will be of necessity a profitable undertaking. The farm is now being cultivated by a tenant.
     The marriage of Mr. Burnett and Miss Mary Elizabeth Barlow occurred October 11, 1866. Born in 1848, a native of Warren county, Illinois, she was a daughter of Samuel and Margaret (Kenton) Barlow, residents of Abingdon, where Mr. Barlow died. In the family of A. C. Burnett there were four children, of whom all are living but an infant son, who died at the age of four months. The names of the others are: Fred J., reared and educated in Knox county and Dixon, who is a telegraph operator and resides with his parents on the home farm; Margaret, the wife of G. M. Richey, who resides in Galesburg, Illinois, and is the mother of two children, Bernice and Madeline; and Samuel C., who is married to Miss Myrtle Garrett and has two children, Pauline and Elizabeth, residing on a farm adjacent to the father's property.
     Mr. and Mrs. Burnett are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the work of which they take an active and helpful interest. At elections Mr. Burnett votes with the democrats although he is no active politician. His absorbing passion is the development of the land surrounding the spring, to make of this a health resort of modern comfort and equipment that may rival any place of its kind in the state. He has laid out an orchard which is already bearing abundant fruit for the refreshment and edification of the many guests who come from far and near to seek the bounty of his board. (History of Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, pages 118-122, submitted by Janine Crandell)

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Captain James L. Burkhalter, the subject of this sketch was born in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pa., April 15, 1835. He was the son of David and Marian Burkhalter and was the oldest of eleven children.  His father was a prominent farmer near Allentown.  When James was five years of age his parents moved to Meadville, Pa.  Here he worked on the farm, obtaining his education in the district schools and at the Sagertown Academy.  Leaving school at the age of seventeen he learned the carpenters trade.  In 1856 he came to Galesburg and has lived in this count ever since.  His experiences during his early residence here were many and varied.  For a short time he was a carpenter and contractor in Maquon, then he went to Memphis, Tenn. and spent a few months.  Returning he took a position as bridge builder on the Wabash road.  Then he became bridge boss on the Peoria & Oquawka road, since then the Peoria Branch of the C. B., & Q .  After holding this position for a year, he returned to his carpenter business, which he followed until the fall of 1858, when he resumed his place on the Peoria & Oquawka.  In the fall of 1858 he was married to Miss Martha Adle, of Maquon.  Eight children blessed this union.  They were, Charles F., now on the railroad; H. L. of Maquon, J. W. , killed in the yards in 1887; Mrs. Allen, with whom he now lives; John, killed in a wreck in Hindsdale;, Mrs. Nellie Boutelle; Robert, practicing law in Memphis, Tenn., and Alvin, now in Springfield.  Mrs. Burkhalter died in 1893.  After his marriage Mr. Burkhalter resumed his trade as carpenter in Maquon.  In 1862 he was given a commission as recruiting officer, raised two companies and was elected captain of one of them - Company F of the Eighty-sixth Illinois.  He went with this company through the battles of Chickamauga, Stone River and others, was with Sherman on his march to the sea and later in his march across the Carolinas.  Most of the time he was on detail duty as provost marshal, adjutant general and general inspector. 
     Returning from the army, Captain Burkhalter resumed his contracting business and remained at Maquon until 1882 when he moved to Galesburg and became president of the Farmers and Mechanics Bank, a position he has held ever since.  Captain Burkhalter's public trusts have been numerous.  In 1866 he was elected police magistrate of Maquon, and continued in office until his removal to Galesburg sixteen years later.  In 1875 he was elected county treasurer and served for eleven years.  He has served seven years on the board of supervisors and his record has been a splendid one.  He is an Odd Fellow and a Mason, in his own words "as far as the way has been blessed."  Captain Burkhalter is a candidate for re-election as supervisor and it is a pleasure to commend him to the party as a most worthy and experienced officer.

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From History of Knox County

Capt. James L. Burkhalter, President of the Farmer's Bank of Galesburg, and Treasurer of Knox County, is the son of David and Mary A. (Marks) Burkhalter.  He was born in Allentown, PA, April 15, 1835, and was the eldest in a family of seven sons and four daughters.  His parents were of German descent and in their home spoke only the language of their ancestry, so their children learned no English until they were old enough to attend school.  The names of the brothers and sisters were  Henry P., Savina, David F., Susan E., William, Mary A., Wayne, John, Anna E., and Charles M.  Henry P and Wayne are deceased; Susan E. became the wife of William Smythe and they have one son, William B.; William married Miss Clara Beard, and they are the parents of three children; John married Miss Anna Carkhuff.  The balance of the children reside on the old homestead.
James L. Burkhalter was educated at the Saegerstown Academy, taught school a short time and studied law with a view to professional life.  From some cause, however, he abandoned this idea and went to Meadville, Pa., and there worked at the carpenter's trade until he was 21 years of age.  He landed at Galesburg in April, 1856, where he prosecuted his trade until the outbreak of the Civil War.  After visiting various places he settled down at Maquon, and July 18, 1862, he received a commission from Gov. Yates, authorizing him to raise a company of volunteers.  As recruiting officer, he raised Co. F, for the 86th Ill. Vol. Inf. and Co. G for the 83rd Ill. Vol. Inf.  In camp at Peoria, Aug. 27, 1862, he was placed in command of Co. F, 86th Reg., and served his country faithfully and well until June, 1865.  He was on the staff of Gen. Dan. McCook at the time that officer was killed, and was subsequently on the staffs of Gens. Davis and Morgan, discharging in the meantime the various duties of Provost Marshal, Adjutant-General, Inspector-General, etc.  During his whole connection with the army he was never absent from the post of duty. 
At the siege of Atlanta, while on the staff of Gen. Morgan, and acting as one of the topographical engineers, he was captured by a guerrilla, but his Orderly, observing the situation , rushed upon the "reb" with a force that changed his victory into defeat, and in less than two minutes the wiley captor was being led captive into the lines of the Union Army.  While acting as staff officer on the staff of Gen. Morgan, at Bentonville, N.C., the Captain, while carrying dispatches, was compelled to cross a swamp, wading in water up to his waist, under the fire of both armies, and , strange to say, he almost miraculously escaped unharmed. 
Captain Burkhalter left the army with the commission of Major, but , failing to muster as such, he feels that he is scarcely entitled to that rank.  At the close of the war he returned to Maquon, where he was for several years engaged in the lumber business, carrying on in the meantime the work of contractor and builder, and accumulating from various sources quite a sum of money.  He became a stockholder and Director in the Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank in 1882, and in January following was chosen President of that concern.  While a citizen of Maquon he held the office of Police Magistrate for 16 years.  He has long been recognized as an able Republican worker, and has represented that party as a member of the County Central Committee for 12 years.  He moved into Galesburg in 1884, where he has since resided.  Capt. Burkhalter is a member of the I.O.O.F. and A.F.&A.M., Eminent Commander of Galesburg Commandery, No. 8, and member of Peoria Consistory.  He was married at Maquon, Dec. 2, 1858, to Martha E. Adle, native of Genesee County, N. Y., and of German descent.  Mr. and Mrs. Burkhalter have become the parents of eight children, namely:  Charles F., Henry L., James, Dessie, John, Nellie, Robert, and Alvin P.  Charles F. married Miss Osa Hoffman, daughter of James D. and Sarah Hoffman.  They have one child, named James.

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History of Knox County - 1899
Masons - Galesburg Commandery No. 8, Knights Templar, organized in November 1861; present membership includes Treasurer, J. L. Burkhalter.

The Farmers and Mechanics Bank was established in 1870, with  $100,000 capital, which has since been increased to $200,000.  It has been a very prosperous and popular institution.  The present officers (1899) are: J. L. Burkhalter, President; G.D. Crocker, Vice-President; Leon A. Townsend, Cashier.  Its surplus is $30,000; deposits, $350,000; loans, $400,000 capital.

The building of the present Methodist Church occurred after Rev. Charles Swartz was appointed to take charge of services in Maquon and Summit in 1875.  Swartz was successful in getting a subscription of $1600 for the project with more promised.  The site for the building was bought from Thomas Benson, and the church was built by Capt. James Burkhalter and his brother William at a cost of $4500.
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From the Encyclopedia of Illinois &  Knox County  1899

Captain Burkhalter's life is full of incident and interest.  Both his patriotism and his manhood have made him a man of mark.  The "War Governor", Richard Yates, appointed him recruiting officer under the call of President LIncoln for 300,000 volunteers.  He recruited Company "G" of the Eighty-third and Company "F" of the Eighty-sixth Illinois Volunteers.  He then enlisted as a private in Company "F" and was elected Captain.  As Provost Marshall and later as Inspector General by appointment of General George H. Thomas, he served on staff duty under Generals McCook, Fearing, Morgan, Davis, and Slocum.  He campaigned in  many different states - Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, - and was one of "Sherman's Bummers" in that famous march through Georgia to the Sea.  At the close of the war he took part in the grand review of the armies at Washington.
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Sources:
  Illinois: Roster of Officers and Enlisted Men. (ILRoster) Published in 1900
Residence: Maquon, Illinois Occupation:  
  Service Record:
  Enlisted as a Captain on 27 August 1862
Commission in Company F, 86th Infantry Regiment Illinois on 27 August 1862
Mustered out on 06 June 1865 in Washington, DC

[All of the above biographical sketches of James Burkhalter was graciously submitted by Micky Dawson]

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George W. Brown. We know of no better biography of the late Hon. George W. Brown of Galesburg, the inventor of the corn planter, than the following address delivered by Hon. Clark E. Carr at the formal opening of Mr. Brown's great shops in Galesburg on September 22, 1875.
     The address is copied from the Illinois Prairie Farmer in which it appeared in full.
     "Fellow Citizens: I have prepared this paper at the request of some business men of this city, who deemed it proper that during the inaugural ceremonies now being celebrated, a brief history should be given of the invention of the corn planter and the founder of these great shops, Mr. George W. Brown. If Mr. Brown had his own way tonight, nothing would be said about him; but his friends have now the entire control of the buildings, and can say just what they please.
    "Like most men who have conferred lasting benefits upon humanity, Mr. Brown commenced life poor. He was born in Clifton Park township, Saratoga county, New York, on the 29th of October, 1815, and is sixty years old. He remained upon the farm where he was born until he was fourteen, when he learned the carpenter's trade, in which he worked many years. He remembers distinctly the first boat which came through the Erie canal, with Dewitt Clinton and other distinguished persons on board, with band playing and flags flying. He worked at his trade on the railroad, built from Albany to Schenectady, sixteen miles long, which, when completed, was regarded as one of the triumphs of the age. This was then the only railroad in the United States, except a line of about the same length, running out of Baltimore. He remembers the first trip made over the road, by a distinguished party in cars a little larger than our hacks. Of those ex­cursionists, Thurlow Weed is the only survivor. The company owned one wheezy little engine, named the 'John Bull.' Mr. Brown had the honor of being appointed roadmaster or trackmaster of this celebrated railroad, a position which he did not find to be lucrative. He was married before he was of age, to Maria Turpening, with whom he has lived happily all of these years, and to whom he is largely indebted for his success. They were both members of the Methodist church, and have continued their membership for over forty years. The old church which they joined on the banks of the Mohawk, in their halcyon days is still in existence.
     "Some near relatives of the young couple had gone to Illinois, who sent back glowing accounts of the prairie and of the possibilities of the future. There was room for the young mechanic—a chance to own a farm, make a home, establish a hearth-stone; an opportunity to become independent. Besides, was there not an opportunity to build up that church and help plant the seeds of that religion to which they had consecrated their lives? They did not hesitate, but bought a team and wagon, loaded all their available property, and started upon their long journey. It rained nearly all the way, and the roads were dreadful. Still the white covered wagon kept on; but the driver had as much work as had the horses, lifting and prying wheels when stuck fast in swamps and sloughs. Worn and weary they reached their destination, and located in July, 1836, before many who hear me were born, upon a farm near what was afterwards Tylerville, in Warren county, nine miles northwest of here. At that time there was not a house on this prairie. He traded his team for an eighty of land and went to work. He had a log house to build for himself, and the neighbors needed the services of a carpenter. For a long time he went out to work at his trade, and his wife conducted the farm. There was no pine lumber here, nothing but the hard woods of our groves, and it was no child's play to work them. Carpenters thoroughly appreciate the difference between pine and the oak and walnut of our forests.
     "Money was hard to get when ten cents a bushel was a good price for corn, and three dollars a hundred a good price for pork. But where there was a will there was a way, and Mr. Brown, with plow and hoe, and saw and chisel, managed to make a living, although he laid by scarcely anything. There are many houses in the neighborhoods of Shanghai and Tylerville upon which he worked. He built the Alfred Brown house on this side of Henderson Grove. He also worked considerably in Galesburg and Knoxville. He built the house on the corner opposite the Universalist and Episcopal churches, owned and occupied by Mrs. Wells. He worked a winter in Knoxville, for Hon. James Knox, and built, among others, the building occupied by the First National Bank of that city.
     "Mr. John S. Winter, county clerk, remembers being at his house in 1846, near Tylerville, a small log building. He found Mr. Brown barefooted, his only clothing a straw hat, hickory shirt and jean pants, literally in a brown study upon farm implements. Among other implements used were cultivators, and in 1848 Mr. Brown conceived the idea of turning a cultivator into a corn planter. His first idea was to drop three rows at once, placing the shovels of the cultivator as wide apart as he wished to have the corn rows, and boxes of corn on the beam's back of the shovel, so fixed that the center of each box would be over the middle of the furrows made by the shovels. A slide was so adjusted that by moving it there would be an aperture at the center of the bottom of each box large enough for from three to five kernels of corn to slip through, which would of course fall into the middle of each furrow behind the shovels. This slide was to be operated by a man walking behind the machine. He attached heavy wheels to the cultivator back of the boxes, which were made of sections sawed off from logs, and which would roll the ground after the corn was dropped in, filling and leveling the furrow.
     "How simple all these contrivances seem now! We naturally exclaim, 'Why, anybody can do that!' That is true, almost anybody can do it—after he is shown how. You remember the story of Columbus. When he was told that many men had sailed to America, he called for an egg and asked any of those present to set it upon the small end and make it stand. None could do it, when he took it and tapping it on the table until slightly broken in, let go and it stood upright. Several voices shouted, 'Why, anybody can do that.' 'Yes,' answered the great discoverer, 'after he is shown the way.'
     "Out of these simple experiments upon a cultivator came the perfected corn planter, with which two men and a team can plant from sixteen to twenty acres of corn in a day.
     "In the spring of 1851, Mr. Brown made the first complete corn planter of the present style, and planted corn with it the following May. Prior to that he was experimenting, but it was his corn planter drop attached to a cultivator already described. In 1852 he planted with his improved machine sixteen acres for himself, and eight acres for Alfred Brown. That same spring he commenced the manufacture of ten machines, but, on account of poverty and embarrassments, only one was completed. About this time he determined to stake all he possessed upon the success of his invention. He had already sold everything about the place, including his last horse, to furnish means to secure his patents. He then sold his little farm for what he could get, went deeply into debt for more money, and took the chances of success. Times were hard and the facilities for manufacturing poor. He had no such machinery as you have seen here tonight; but everything had to be done by hand. Very soon he was so much involved that, had he been called upon to pay, he would not have been worth a dollar. But he was an upright man; had a good name; was full of enthusiasm for his new invention; and his largest creditors were willing to give him a fair trial. But he was frequently obliged to pay exorbitant rates of interest—sometimes from one to two per cent a month, and once three per cent for one month, and a short month at that. He commenced manufacturing at Shanghai, and in 1853 completed twelve machines, one of which that season planted three hundred acres of corn. In 1854 he made a hundred machines, and in 1855 he made three hundred machines, after which he removed to Galesburg. In 1856 he made six hundred machines, and in 1857 he made a thousand machines. It is not necessary for me to give in detail the number of machines in detail manufactured since that time. It is enough to say that last year Mr. Brown manufactured six thousand machines, and had orders which came too late been a little less tardy, he would have manufactured and sold many hundreds more.
     "Everyone knew that corn could be planted with a hoe and would come up, but would it grow when run through the hopper of this newfangled machine? All could see that the machine would run very prettily through a field, but did it leave the corn in the right places in the proper quantities? Was it well covered, and would it grow? It was a serious matter for the manufacturers to answer these I questions.
     "It is not necessary to go through the years of long wearisome lawsuits. Shakespeare in Hamlet's soliloquy makes the 'law's delay' an excuse for suicide, and Dickens vividly portrays the miseries produced by the slow court of chancery in the imaginary case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce. It is enough for our purpose to state that in May, 1874, after hearing all the evidence and arguments, the supreme court of the United States, the highest judicial tribunal on this continent, declared that George W. Brown was the inventor of the corn planter. Soon after this decision was announced, most of those who had been engaged in the manufacture of planters came forward and paid Mr. Brown a royalty upon the machines they had made.
    "The completion of these magnificent shops, with their monstrous capacity for turning out corn planters, marks an era in the history of Galesburg well worthy of inaugural ceremonies. The buildings comprise foundry, polishing rooms, blacksmith shops, wheel building (they do not use logs for wheels now) and office, besides this immense building. There are in these buildings thirty thousand square feet of floors. This building with some other improvements made this summer, cost sixty thousand dollars. With the present facilities, Mr. Brown can manufacture twenty thousand planters a year.
     "I have thus as briefly as possible given a history of inventor and invention. Concerning Mr. Brown, I would be glad to say all that is in my heart. These great shops, Brown's Hotel, the Methodist Church edifice, proclaim his enterprise and public spirit more eloquently than any mere words can do. He has little of the learning of schools, and no mere accomplishments; yet there are very few more competent mechanics, and he is always a gentleman. He will not be ranked as either statesman or philosopher; yet there are no purer patriots, nor more practical common-sense men. He never preaches morality, but always practices it. He never wrangles upon doctrine, but is always a Christian. Would that we had more such men! Who can estimate their influence upon humanity? Give me the name, if you can, of a statesman whose whole life of lofty endeavor has given him a claim to gratitude equal to that of Johan Gutenberg, the inventor of printing. Call to mind, if you please, a military hero whose memory humanity has so much reason to bless, as that of George Stephenson. The mighty deeds of Alexander and Hannibal, of Caesar and Napoleon—what are they compared with the triumphs of Galileo and Milton, of Stephenson, Fulton and Morse!
     "How many men during the war represented in the army McCormick's reapers and Brown's corn planters; or what would have been the difference in the muster rolls if wheat had been cut by cradles and the corn planted with hoes, when the interest of our great armies depended upon wheat and corn? We in Galesburg can see how many families are fed and clothed by the seventy-five thousand dollars paid out annually in wages by Mr. Brown and how this money finds its way into and stimulates every branch of business; but who can estimate the comforts and advantages derived from this one machine in the Mississippi valley?"
     The above glowing tribute is the history of George W. Brown to 1875, paid to him by one of the closest observers of the economic conditions of the state of Illinois and of the nation. From 1875 until 1892 Mr. Brown had active man­agement of the shops. The business increased and flourished and was incorporated under the name of George W. Brown & Company. Mr. I. S. Perkins was general manager for a number of years. Loren Stevens was secretary, A. O. Peterson was master mechanic, and James E. Brown, son of George W. Brown, was treasurer. The shop buildings were enlarged to more than double their original size and a great deal of other machinery besides corn planters was manufactured there, such as corn shellers, rakes, cultivators, discs, and other farming implements. During the year 1886 Mr. Brown purchased a ranch at Riverside, California, and spent a great deal of the winter months in his western home. He had one of the most beautiful orange ranches in the Santa Ana valley and spared neither time nor expense in putting it in shape.
     Mr. Brown was always an active participant in public affairs and even in his declining years did not cease to take a helpful interest in matters relative to the general good. He served for one term as mayor of Galesburg and during his administration the first attempts were made to establish hard-road streets.
     In 1891 Mrs. Brown, who had by her loving example and industrious life and her worthy counsel, assisted Mr. Brown in his brightest as well as his darkest days, expired at Galesburg, surrounded by her family, consisting of Mrs. Elizabeth Perrin, Mrs. Jennie S. Cowan and James E. Brown. Her death was a sad blow to Mr. Brown and apparently he never recovered from the effects. In the winter time he would go, first with one daughter and then with the other, to California, there to spend his winters, his health being very much impaired. In the spring of 1895 he returned to Galesburg earlier than usual. Anxious to see the old place of his early struggles in Illinois and his old friends who were living near Tylerville, he took his team and buggy and drove to Tylerville. The day was fair enough when he started, but before night it developed into a roaring, blustering storm. Not being acclimated to such weather Mr. Brown contracted a severe cold which developed into pneumonia and he died at the home of his daugh­ter, Mrs. Cowan, on the 2d of June, 1895. He left surviving him an only son, James E. Brown, who was manager of the Brown & Company Planter Works from the withdrawal of I. S. Perkins until the death of his father, George W. Brown. Immediately afterward the son went to Riverside, California, to take care of the large financial interests which his father had acquired there. He purchased the shares of the other heirs in the property there and added three or four other ranches to the holdings which his father had acquired. The surviving daughters are Mrs. M. T. Perrin, and Mrs. Jennie S. Cowan. Both live in Galesburg, surrounded by their children.
     Mr. James E. Brown is residing in California now. He is a director of one of the banks and a director of the La Mesa Fruit Packing Company. His wife died at Galesburg in November, 1910, while they were visiting his daughter, Mrs. M. J. Daugherty. Mr. Brown has two daughters living, Mrs. M. J. Daugherty and Mrs. A. L. Woodill. The latter lives near her father in Riverside, California. Mr. James E. Brown was for many years a director in the Galesburg National Bank of Galesburg. He was a public-spirited man and although of a retiring nature was admittedly one of Galesburg's financiers. Mrs. Cowan and Mrs. Perrin have spent their lives in Galesburg and can enjoy the many incidents that George W. Brown's life left in the history of the city.
     George W. Brown was a free giver to every enterprise that came to Galesburg. He was one of the donors to the Santa Fe railroad and he liberally contributed toward other public enterprises of all kinds. He owned two farms two miles east of Galesburg and on each of them he constructed a lake. The first was a small one, which he called Lake Washington, and then he constructed another lake partly in Galesburg township and partly in Knox township, just north of Main street, which he called Lake George. This lake he offered several times to the city of Galesburg, together with the property surrounding it, for less than what it cost him, the intention being to establish a public park there with water supply for the city. The offer was refused. Finally the heirs sold the property to the Burlington road for their water supply and they changed the name to Lake Rice. It is not denied or questioned that the most public-spirited man that Galesburg ever had was George W. Brown. It is further not denied or questioned that George W. Brown made many valuable donations to public enterprises, especially to religious and educational institutions, and yet, singular to say, with all that, no place has been dedicated to his name, no effort made to assist the citizens of Galesburg in preserving the memory of a man whose works for thirty years contributed the largest revenues the city ever had, with the exception of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. The great achievements of George W. Brown in a business way will long survive his memory as a great and good citizen. In the past Galesburg has failed to realize what she has lost but his name and good works will be a monument to his memory for years to come. (In connection with the Inventions project at Illinois Trails... History of Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, pages 1115-1120, submitted on July 16, 2004. Since this person is such an important part of Galesburg's history, here are the actual images from the book I have here at home.)

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Addison Josiah Boutelle. Addison Josiah Boutelle, states attorney for Galesburg since 1900, his twelve years' connection with the office standing as incontrovertible evidence of his ability in the field of his chosen profession, was born November 9, 1869, on a farm near Rutland, La Salle county, Illinois. His father, Josiah Boutelle, died in 1872 but the mother, Mrs. Ellen (Hastie) Boutelle, is still living. She is a daughter of James H. Hastie, one of the early settlers of Sparta township, Knox county. In her girlhood she heard the Lincoln and Douglas debate held in Galesburg and has written an interesting account of that historic event and the incidents that occurred on that memorable day.
     During the boyhood of Addison Josiah Boutelle the family removed to Knox county and he pursued his education in the Galesburg schools, being graduated from the high school with the class of 1887. He afterward entered Knox College, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in the class of 1891. He was a member of the Gnothautii Literary Society in Knox and was honored with its presidency. In debate he won the Colton prize for oratory. Nature endowed him with gifts that constituted an excellent foundation upon which to build his success at the bar for which he early made preparation by reading law in the office of the late J. J. Tunnicliff, former states attorney of Knox county. He was admitted to practice in 1893 and has since been continuously engaged in the work of his profession in this city. His constantly developing ability brought to him a growing clientage, his work increasing in volume and in importance as the years passed by. In 1897 he was elected city attorney of Galesburg and was reelected in 1899, serving continuously for four years. In 1900 he was chosen states attorney, which office he has held to the present time, carefully safeguarding the interests of the district in the faithful and prompt discharge of his duties in that position.
     Mr. Boutelle has always given his support to the republican party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise, and has done considerable campaign work under the direction of the state central committee in various cities of the state. Fraternally he is a Knight Templar and in his life exemplifies many of the high principles of Masonry. He is also connected with the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Pythias, and he belongs to the Galesburg Business Men's Club.
     On the 17th of October, 1899, in Galesburg, Mr. Boutelle was married to Miss Elizabeth Lee Switzer, a daughter of Charles E. and Mary B. Switzer. They have one child, Mary Elizabeth. Mr. and Mrs. Boutelle are well known socially in this city where they have long resided and where he has so directed his efforts that he is today classed with the leading lawyers, representative men and progressive and respected citizens. (History of Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, pages 170 & 173, submitted by Janine Crandell)

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John A. Buffington, Planted by Space Aliens?
By Sharon Glaser Hillis



     I first started working on the Buffington family genealogy seriously in the 1980’s while living in a logging camp in Whale Pass, Alaska. There were no roads to drive to a town, and all research was done the old fashioned way by writing a letter, and sending it in the U.S. Mail. With the help of a researcher I had hired in Knox County, Illinois, I was able to connect with another Buffington descendent named Celia Olson. She was also interested in genealogy and we exchanged information and some photos of the Buffington family. Celia had even written a manuscript about the Buffingtons, which she graciously shared with me.

John A. Buffington has been a brick wall (hard to research) for some time.

 



 John’s Mother?

     I had believed that he was the son of Hannah Buffington until John E. Buffington pointed out to me that Hannah who was born in 1785 would have been 52 years old if she had given birth to John A. in 1833, possible, but not probable. Perhaps she was his grandmother. On the other hand, she lived to an advanced age, so maybe she also passed through menopause late in her life. Whatever relationship they had, it was close.
     Hannah was born March 23, 1785 in Hanover, Green Brier Co., Virginia (now part of West Virginia). Hannah was about a month shy of 105 years old when she died February 21,1890 in Orange Township, Knox Co., Illinois. One of the arrangements at her funeral was a bouquet of calla lilies and hyacinth. Her death notice refers to her as “Mother Buffington” and states that she had been a faithful member of the M. E. church for 60 years, and in all probability the oldest person in Knox Co. She is buried in Haynes Cemetery in Knox County, Illinois. I tried to get records from the Orange Chapel church, but all they could find were references from the Gilson Circuit Book stating she (a widow) was accepted as a probationary member on April 2, 1865. Hannah Buffington has not been found in the 1850 census, nor have I been able to locate any marriage record or maiden name for her.
     On December 9 of that same year, John’s wife, Cintha nee Lewis Buffington, died and was buried next to Hannah. The gravestones are also very similar in style perhaps indicating that the same person chose them. We have a photo of funerary arrangements for Cintha’s burial made of unthrashed stalks of wheat in a fan shape, and a cross made of flowers.

John’s Sister

     John apparently had one sister, Mary Jane, who married first Samuel Myrick December 3, 1846 in Dearborn County, Indiana (Other source records say Francis Myrick, and I don’t know if this is the same person.). There is a boy named George Myrick who may have been her son. Samuel died September 13, 1869, and is buried in Haynes Cemetery. Mary Jane remarried two months later to Daniel Miller on November 11, 1869. Daniel had secured a legal separation from his first wife, Mary Humphrey. Mary Jane was 41 years old and her new husband was 25 years of age. One has to wonder at this arrangement. Did Mary Jane receive an inheritance or was she just attracted to a younger man? They lived together for 19 years, then divorced about 1888. Daniel graduated from Law school a year later in 1889, and then opened a law office in Knoxville. Daniel remarried a third time in 1890 to Mrs. Nancy (Adkins) Tucker. In the book, “Knox County History” the biography about Daniel Miller states he married “Mary Jane Myrick, sister of John Buffington.”
     Mary Jane died December 13, 1901, and is buried in Haynes Cemetery alongside Cintha and Hannah Buffington. She went back to her first married name, or perhaps George didn’t want to be reminded of the Miller part of his life, and her tombstone reads Mary Jane Myrick, although the 1900 census names her Jane Miller. Census records are renown for inconsistencies and errors. The census information recorded about the Buffingtons is no exception. In 1850 Jane is living with Samuel Myrick in Dearborn Co., Indiana, by 1860 she had moved to Knox Co., Illinois and is listed with Francis Merrick, George, who is 2 years old, and Hannah, age 67. 1870 shows her in the household of Daniel Miller, as well as Daniel’s son Andrew, Hannah Buffington, and George W. Myrick. In 1880 the census listed the relationship of the people living in the household to the head of the house. Daniel is recorded as head, Mary J. is listed as wife, Andrew as son, Hannah Buffington as Mother-in-law, and George Myrick as “other”. The 1890 census was destroyed by fire. The 1900 census shows George Myrick, widowed, with daughters Jennie and Ollie, and Jane Miller listed as stepmother. The census also says she had given birth to 0 children. This is confusing. I wonder if Francis Myrick is George’s father? Mary Jane may have been living with Francis, but she may not have been the natural mother of George. Since Samuel died in 1869 Mary Jane would have still been married to Samuel while living with Francis if they are different men. We have not found a Francis in other census records to indicate he is a different man from Samuel.

 John

     Now, to get back to the subject of this story. Our John A. Buffington was born on August 12, 1833, in Indiana, probably Dearborn County, where there were lots of other Buffingtons.
     We have a sepia-toned photograph of him, unsmiling, perhaps taken about the 1880’s, that shows him clean shaven except for a bushy beard about four inches long that covers all the area below his mouth. His dark brown hair is 3-4 inches long on the top and sides above the sideburns and is parted on the left side and combed upward and backward which may have made him appear a little taller than he actually was. His hair and beard are streaked with gray, and his hair is wavy. He has a thin straight nose, and thin lips, down-turned at the edges. His eyes are light colored, perhaps blue, green, or hazel. He is wearing a shirt that was white or light colored with a dark check pattern similar to gingham under his jacket.
     It looks like there is a vertical scar on his left earlobe, and that his ear lobe attaches directly to his head without the usual projection down then up. (His great-grandson, Don Hillis, also has this type of ear lobe, including a scar on his left ear, a memento of a car accident.)

     The first record of John is in the 1850 Indiana census where he is listed in Laughery Township, Dearborn County living with the family of Elisha Huffman and his wife, Rachel. John is listed as 18 years old and a farmer. Rachel was the daughter of John Buffington from Pennsylvania and his wife Nancy Cheek Buffington. It would sure be nice to know how John and Rachel were related. Although Rachel came from a large family there is no information to suggest they are siblings. There were three Buffington brothers (John, Jeheil, and Jonathan) who moved to Dearborn Co. from Pennsylvania in the late 1790’s with their widowed mother, Mahala, who had married David Butler, and their lineage has been fairly well documented with no known connection to our John.

     John was married to his first wife, Cintha Lewis, daughter of Samuel and Nancy (maiden name unknown) Lewis on October 23, 1853, in Knox County, Illinois, by Peter Godfrey, Justice of the Peace. Cintha is listed as Catherine in the marriage index, but the record clearly shows her name as Cynthia. They had eleven children of whom all reached maturity:

1. George W. Buffington b: September 15, 1854 in Knox Co., IL
d: June 28, 1926 Knoxville, Knox Co., IL, Burial: 1926 Haynes Cemetery, Delong, Knox Co, IL ,+Jennie Jane Lanigar Linegar, b: March 01, 1870 m: March 11, 1888 in Knoxville, Knox Co., IL d: April 22, 1892 IL Burial: April 1892 Haynes Cemetery, Knox Co, IL

*2nd Wife of George W. Buffington: +Lucinda J. Wills b: June 1846 in OH m: December 14, 1893 in Fulton Co., IL, d: July 21, 1918 Steuben Twp., Marshall Co., IL

2. Noah Uriah Buffington b: March 22, 1856 in Knoxville, Knox Co., IL,
d: December 28, 1943 Buelah, Pueblo Co., CO, Burial: January 05, 1944 Mt. View Cemetery, Pueblo, CO,
+May Mary Manley b: July 17, 1866 in Knoxville, Knox Co., IL m: April 08, 1898 in Knoxville, Knox Co., IL Burial: September 1953 Pueblo, CO. d: September 25, 1953 Buelah, Pueblo Co., CO

3. Rachael Ann Buffington b: July 06, 1857 in Abingdon, Orange Twp., Knox Co., IL d: March 01, 1950 Galesburg, Knox Co., IL, Burial: March 03, 1950 Knoxville City Cemetery, Knox Co., IL
+Charles Brewer Swigert b: February 19, 1849 in Tiffin, Seneca Co., OH m: February 08, 1883 in Knoxville, Knox Co., IL d: February 17, 1932, Abingdon, Knox Co., IL, Burial: 1932 Knoxville City Cemetery, Knox Co., IL

4. Sarah S. Buffington b: January 16, 1859 in IL d: June 26, 1902 WA
Burial: June 28, 1902 Old Sunnyside Cemetery, Sunnyside, Yakima Co., WA
+Marion T. Wyman b: Abt. 1859 in IL m: March 08, 1885 in Knox Co., IL
d: Bef. 1895
*2nd Husband of Sarah S. Buffington: +William Cooper Kennedy b: October 29, 1866 in New London, Henry Co., IA m: Abt. 1895 d: March 14, 1943 Sunnyside, Yakima Co., WA, Burial: March 17, 1943 Old Sunnyside Cemetery, Sunnyside, Yakima Co., WA

5. David Buffington b: March 30, 1861 in IL d: January 02, 1942 KS, Burial: January 04, 1942 Park Cemetery, Sunnydale, Kansas.
+Jennie F. Virginia? Fernaugh b: Abt. 1872 in IL, m: February 21, 1893 in McDonough Co., IL

6. Cornelia Jane Jennie Buffington b: August 07, 1862 in Knox Co., IL,
d: May 30, 1929 Alta Johnson's home near Mullen, NE, Burial: 1929 Fairfield Cemetery, Clay Co., NE
+John G. White b: May 28, 1860 in OH m: Aft. 1880 Burial: 1931 Fairfield Cemetery, Clay Co., NE d: March 28, 1931

7. Hannah Wilhimina Buffington b: February 06, 1866 in Abingdon, Knox Co., IL,
d: September 19, 1937 Pendleton, Umatilla, OR, Burial: September 22, 1937 Olney Cemetery, Pendleton, Umatilla Co., OR,
+Robert Eldon Fletcher b: January 1860 in Boston, Suffolk, MA m: Abt. 1901 in Pueblo, Pueblo Co., CO d: November 06, 1937 Pendleton, Umat Co., OR, Burial: 1937 Olney Cemetery, Pendleton, Umatilla Co., OR,

8. Elizabeth F. Lizzie Buffington b: July 31, 1869 in Abingdon, Orange Twp., Knox Co., IL , d: February 19, 1905 Knox Co., IL, Burial: February 1905 Haynes Cemetery, Knox Co., IL
+John Andrew Schideman b: March 05, 1865 in Fulton Co., PA m: July 03, 1889 in Knox Co., IL, d: May 21, 1926 Knox Co., IL, Burial: May 24, 1926 Haynes Cemetery, Knox Co., IL

9. John A. Buffington, Jr. b: October 31, 1871 in DeLong, IL d: August 30, 1916 near Smith Center, KS in a cave in, Burial: 1916 Smith Center, KS
+Mary Lee m: March 1895 in Knox Co., IL
*2nd Wife of John A. Buffington, Jr. +Mattie Ethel Kendall b: August 28, 1889 in McCook, NE m: March 20, 1906 in LaJunta, CO d: July 11, 1962

10. May Synthia Buffington b: May 26, 1874 in Galesburg, Knox Co. IL d: April 17, 1935 Cedaredge, Delta Co. Colorado, Burial: 1935 Cedaredge Cemetery, Cedaredge, CO
+Mat Royal Hillis b: August 29, 1875 in Howard, Elk Co. KS m: March 02, 1902 in Cory, Delta Co., CO d: June 02, 1950 in Delta, Delta Co. Colorado, Burial: 1950 Cedaredge Cemetery, Cedaredge, CO

11. Ernest Everet Buffington b: July 22, 1877 in Galesburg, Knox Co., IL
d: August 31, 1935 Portland, Multnomah Co. OR, Burial: September 04, 1935 Rose City Cemetery, Portland, OR.
+ Ethel M. b: Abt. 1887 in IL m: Abt. 1910 d: Aft. August 31, 1935


     The 1860 census finds John living in Cedar Township in Knox Co., Illinois, along with his wife Synthia, Go. (George), Noe, and Sarah. In 1865 he is listed on the Cedar Township Tax list as having an assessed valuation of $115. A listing of the 1870 property owners of Cedar Township shows John A. Buffington. A plat map of an unknown date shows that John A. owned 180 acres in Section 25 along the border with Orange Township. The majority of the land was open, with a little forest along the property line. In 1875 his evaluation increased to $465. Either he owned more land, or the land was reevaluated at a much higher rate. The 1885 tax list in Orange Twp. shows John having an assessed valuation of $825, plus one dog. He must have sold some of the land before 1890, because his valuation at that time is only $573.
     Another plat map (unknown date) shows John owns 240 adjacent acres in Sections 21 and 22 of Orange Township.
     The 1850 census states that John had attended school within the year, and other census records are divided about whether he could read and write. As of this date, I have not located a document with his signature, only a mark. There are still land records to obtain, and perhaps they might shed light on the matter.
     There are several John Buffington’s listed in an index who enlisted in the Civil War, but without obtaining the actual record, one can not be sure which one might be our John. A cursory glance at the list does not indicate that any of them are our John.
     As stated earlier John’s wife died in 1890. Sometime before 1900 he must have sold his farm and moved into town and bought a house and several other lots on Conger Street. The 1900 census, enumerated on June 1st, shows him, at age 69, living in Galesburg, Illinois, occupation retired farmer. Also living in his household is Dora White, age 32, whose occupation is servant.
     A month later on July 11th, John and Dora traveled west about 90 miles to Quincy, which is in Adams County, and were married by a Justice of the Peace. The witnesses were Jos. C. Veihl and his wife, Gertrude Veihl. Joseph is listed as a bartender in the 1910 census. It is interesting to speculate about this occurrence. Was Dora originally from Adams County, or did John and Dora elope, stop at a bar, and ask the first person they talked with to witness their marriage? In 1900 a 90-mile trip was quite an undertaking for a 69 year old man. I was delighted to discover a second marriage record for John, because the application had a lengthy questionnaire for the prospective bride and groom. I guess the county hired a lazy clerk, because not one of the questions was answered on John and Dora’s application. Maybe the clerk thought at his age it didn’t matter. Both Dora and John gave their addresses as Quincy, Illinois, even though they lived in Knox County before and after the marriage.
At any rate, John must have been quite infatuated with Dora and did his best to please her. It appears that John’s children were less than satisfied with the match because his son, Noah Buffington, filed a suit in the county court a year later in July 1901, stating that John “is insane and incapable of managing and caring for his own estate and is a spendthrift who is alleged as to spend, waste, or lesson his estate as to expose himself or his family to want or suffering or want will become a charge on the county.” The trial went on for two days with many people called to testify. I was able to get copies of the court documents. Unfortunately, no transcript of the actual testimony exists. The end result was that the jury found in favor of John Buffington. If they had found him insane, he would have been committed to the state sanitarium for the duration of his life.
     Della Evans gave me a copy of a newspaper article her mother had in a scrapbook that summarized the trial:
     "Victory for Buffington -- John Buffington will continue to have charge of his own business and property and to dispose of it as he sees fit. This was the decision of the jury, reached after being over six hours. At first the jury were not all agreed that Buffington was a fit man to have charge of property. One man on the jury felt that a conservator should be appointed but he finally gave in.
     The verdict was expected even by the attorneys for the petitioners, on the witness stand Buffington showed that his memory is not so poor and that he is not so intellectually affected as represented. Until he went upon the stand himself this case against him appeared strong. The jury evidently did not feel called to pass upon the indications of Mr. Buffington, but simply upon the question of his capacity to manage his own affairs. It is now believed that he will proceed to secure the interest of his present wife in the property."
     It was this article that lead to the discovery that John A. had married a second time. Dora disappears and no further record can be found for her. John died April 30, 1908, in Abingdon, and his death certificate lists him as a widower. No death record or divorce record has been found for Dora. There is an interesting tidbit which Della found while researching John’s daughter, Sarah. Sarah married 2nd William Cooper Kennedy, then she died at the age of 41 years. William remarried a woman named Dora B. (surname unknown). The 1910 census records state she is 52 years old, but the 1930 census says she is 54 years old. In 20 years she only aged 2 years—amazing. There is no proof that confirms that this Dora is the same Dora that married John A. Buffington. The ages on the census records are too unreliable to be of use in this instance. I don’t think that John’s children ever mentioned Dora. Celia Olson, who had done a lot of research didn’t know about her. (Celia who passed away in Nov. 2003, was a great-granddaughter of John A., and grew up in the area.)
     John suffered a stroke in March 1908, and lingered for over a month before finally succumbing to death on April 30th in Abingdon. He was buried in Haynes Cemetery, but there is no marker for his grave. He went from a total worth in 1870 of about $4400, to a value of $1500 real estate, and $50 personal estate when he died in 1908. John owned 5 lots in L. E. Conger’s subdivision. Some must have had houses and tenants because he received rent money as income.
     His horse and harness were sold to son, George Buffington, for a price of $35.00. His stove, dresser, etc. sold for a total of $18.00. He had many creditors, and by the time his lots were auctioned at a price of $1210, and outstanding debts paid, each of his eleven children received the amount of $16.45 as inheritance. The People’s Trust and Savings Bank were the administrators of John’s estate.
     Some of the children had spread far and wide, and didn’t keep in touch very much. John’s daughter, Hannah Fletcher, finally contacted the Knox County Court in 1929 to claim her share of the estate, 21 years after the death of her father.
     Della Evans, a descendant of John, did extensive research on the descendents of John A. Buffington in 2003 by studying census records, marriage records, other records, and traveling to cemeteries. She is quite proficient with the Internet and her computer, plus she had access to on-line subscriptions like Ancestry.com. But even this didn’t shed any light on the ancestry of John A. Buffington. She did find a web page about the children of John A. Buffington, but the woman had connected them to the wrong Buffington line. Della has hopefully convinced her to change her web page before the disinformation is further propagated by some unknowing soul.
     One theory of the ancestry of John A. is that he is a descendent of David Buffington who received the Buffington Island Land grant. Buffington Island is located in the Ohio River between the states of Ohio and West Virginia, about halfway between Parkersburg and Huntington. Celia Olson (a granddaughter of Rachel (Buffington) Swigert through Maude (Swigert) Anderson) stated in one of her letters to me that she had obtained a copy of this land grant from the state of West Virginia through a department in Charleston. However, I don’t find a copy in my Buffington file. Rachel Buffington Bonnel’s obituary stated she was a granddaughter of the David Buffington of Buffington Island. Her death certificate states she was the daughter of David Buffington and Hannah Morrow. But I have not been able to tie her in with our unknown Hannah.
     A biography for William Buffington (born 1773 in Hampshire Co., Virginia, son of Joel Buffington and Elizabeth Logan) states “In 1784 Joel Buffington inherited lands in Virginia along the Ohio River from his father, William, and in 1787 he purchased and settled on Buffington Island in Meigs County. Meigs County is in Ohio along the river where the Buffington Island State Monument is located. More research is needed about Buffington Island to verify which Buffington actually owned it.
     Another possibility is that Hannah never married and Buffington is her maiden name. But I have yet to find a Buffington family with an unaccounted Hannah that fits into her time frame.
     We have some unidentified photos that were originally the possessions of May Hillis that are probably of Buffington kin. Della Evans (a granddaughter of May (Buffington) Hillis through Alma Marie (Hillis) Cuthbert) and I have been able to identify several former “unknowns” through contact with various descendents.
     John A. may not be smiling in his photograph, but I am sure that he is looking down at me right now and laughing about how well he has covered his tracks. In this day and age of DNA testing, maybe we should look into an exhumation.
     I am still searching for information that will lead to the discovery of who John A. Buffington’s parents were. Surely there is a record somewhere. But for now it seems that he just appeared out of thin air--hence the title. (© December 2003 by Sharon Hillis northendcabins at starband.net, 2nd Revision)

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HENRY P. BURGLAND. In a history of the successful men of Galesburg mention should be made of Henry P. Burgland, who is now living retired. Industry, unfaltering and persistent, has been the basis of his success, enabling him to work his way gradually upward. He was born in Sweden, April 20, 1834, and was reared and educated there, after which he entered business circles as a dealer in live stock and sold meat from a market place, as was the custom at that time. He came to America in 1854, then a young man of twenty years, hoping that he would here find better business opportunities than could be secured in the old world. He did not tarry on the Atlantic coast but made his way at once into the interior of the country with Galesburg as his destination. Afterward he resided for a time in Bishop Hill, Avon and Monmouth but returned to this city where he has since made his home, living here for more than half a century, during which period he has witnessed much of its growth and development and to a considerable extent, in a quiet way, has aided in its progress. Embarking in business here, he opened a meat market which he conducted for many years, carrying always a good line, which in combination with his straight­forward and honorable dealing, brought to him constantly growing success. He likewise bought and shipped live stock and both branches of his business proved profitable. He early recognized the fact that energy and determination are the basis of advancement, and by reason of these qualities he has worked his way steadily upward. On account of illness years ago he retired from business for a time and made two trips to Sweden for the benefit of his health, there visiting the friends of his youth and the scenes among which his boyhood days had been passed. For a quarter of a century he has lived retired, enjoying the fruit of his former toil. After ceasing to carry on the meat market, he continued to buy stock for some time but ultimately withdrew from all trade
connections.
     December 23, 1856, Henry P. Burgland was united in marriage to Miss Matilda Nelson and they became the parents of six children, of whom three are now living: Jennie B., who is the widow of Charles A. Peterson, who for many years conducted a shoe store; Amanda, at home; and Edward O. The parents are both members of the First Swedish Evangelical Lutheran church and for a long period Mr. Burgland was regarded as one of its leading representatives, serving for many years as a trustee and taking an active and helpful interest in all of the church work. His religious belief has fostered those principles which constitute the basis of honorable manhood and citizenship, and while he has never sought to figure prominently in public affairs, his life, ever straightforward in all its relations, has commended him to the respect and goodwill of those with whom he has come in contact. In looking back over his past he can experience no great feeling of regret that he left his native land. He found a welcome on the free soil of America and in her avenues of commerce he found a field for his abilities that the old country might not have afforded.
     He was succeeded by the firm of Burgland & Johnson, Edward O. Burgland, who has been associated in the conduct of the business with his cousin, Erick M. Burgland, since 1893, conducting the market. They have one of the oldest markets in the city and do a large business.
     Edward O. Burgland was married September 14, 1899, to Miss Minnie Esther Fredericks, a native of Galesburg township, Knox county, and a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis F. Fredericks, who were natives of Sweden but became early residents of this county and are now living in Galesburg. For some years her father was identified with agricultural interests in this part of the state. In the Fredericks family were but two daughters, the younger, Julia, being the wife of Forrest L. Hallin, a prominent merchant of Kewanee, Illinois. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Edward O. Burgland has been born a son, Frederick Henry. Like his father, Edward O. Burgland has always given his political allegiance to the republican party, supporting its principles continuously since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He possesses much natural musical talent and his ability in that direction has brought him many pleasant hours. For some years he was connected with the Galesburg Military Band and for the past two years has had charge of and directed the orchestra of the First Swedish Evangelical Lutheran church of this city. He has followed closely in the footsteps of his father in relation to church work as well as in other lines and is serving as one of its trustees. The name of Burgland has ever been an honored one in Galesburg since Henry P. Burgland came from Sweden to try his fortune in the new world. (History of Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, page 327-328, submitted by Janine Crandell)

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WILLIAM BOND, a successful and well-to-do agriculturist of Elba Township, residing on his fine farm on section 25, has been closely identified with the agricultural development and growth of this county since coming here in the spring of 1854. Mr. Bond came here from Peoria county in 1854 and made settlement in Elba Township on 160 acres on section 25, which he purchased at that time. He has there lived until this writing and been industriously engaged in the prosecution of his vocation. Since his first settlement on his land, 32 years ago, he has greatly enhanced its value and improved its appearance by thorough cultivation and the erection of good buildings and at this writing has a valuable estate.
William Bond was born in Preble county, Ohio, 18 February 1819, and there lived until 1852. His father, Exumus Bond, married Juda Bennett. He was a native of South Carolina, and moved to Ohio while young and there married. The mother died in Preble County, Ohio, while the subject of this sketch was quite young.
     During the year 1852 Mr. Bond moved to Peoria County, accompanied by his wife and one child, made settlement in Brimfield Township, and there lived and engaged in agricultural pursuits until coming here and making settlement as stated. He was married in the county of his nativity, 21 December 1845, to Eliza J. Patterson. She was born 22 January 1826, in Tennessee, and is the daughter of John and Sarah (McCord) Patterson, natives of Virginia. This household has been gladdened by the birth of six children, whom they married Sarah A., Frances, Ella C., Alice E., Augusta and Edward C. Sarah A. died in infancy; Frances is the wife of William Pittman, a resident of Iowa, and they have seven children - Louis E., Maude, Alice, William, George E., Rosa and Lina A.; Ella C. (Bond) Barrett is the widow of William Barrett, by whom she had three children, who are living, and named Abbie, Inez and Mary; Alice E. Bond is the wife of Marion Ellison, a resident of Salem Township, and to them, two children, Sarah E. and Albert H., have been born; Augusta and Edward reside on the old homestead.
     Mr. Bond has held some of the minor offices of his township, and in politics, although independent in his political views, he claims to be an adherent of the principles advocated by the Republican party. His wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.  (Portrait & Biographical Album of Knox County, Illinois, pub. in 1886, page 333, submitted by Pat Thomas)

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JOHN L. BRADBURG. John L. Bradburg, connected with the W. O. Houghton Lumber Company, was born in Sweden, October 20, 1855, and is a son of Lewis H. Bradburg, also a native of that country. The father was engaged in construction work on the railroads and remained a resident of Sweden until 1869, when he bade adieu to friends and native land and sailed for the United States. He at once came to Galesburg and began working for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, after which he entered the employ of Ben Huff. His capability won him advancement to the position of foreman, in which capacity he continued until his death. His wife had died when her son John was ten years old. The father later married a Mrs. Heddendahl, also deceased, and one daughter, now Mrs. Nels Samuelson was born by this marriage. The father died at Galesburg, a victim of a railroad accident, in 1889. After coming to America and taking out naturalization papers Lewis H. Bradburg gave his political support to the republican party and his religious faith was that of the Swedish Lutheran church to which his wife also belonged. They were the parents of but two children, the younger being August Bradburg, now a resi­dent of Soperville, Illinois.
     John L. Bradburg spent the first fourteen years of his life in his native country and during that period pursued his education in the schools of Sweden while later he continued his studies in Galesburg. He afterward worked in the nursery of Hunt & Mason for a time and later was employed by L. L. Gibson for five years. On the expiration of that period he began working in the lumberyard of Sargent & Lewis, with whom he continued for two and a half years, when they sold out and he spent the succeeding year with C. H: Bogue. He was afterward connected with Anthony & Myers for seven years and continued with Mr. Anthony for four years after the dissolution of the firm. Later he entered the employ of Mr. Myers with whom he continued for several years and is now with the W. O. Houghton Lumber Company. He has thus long been connected with the lumber trade in this city and is widely known in business circles.
     On the 5th of April, 1894, occurred the marriage of Mr. Bradburg and Miss Lottie Peterson, a daughter of A. P. and Mathilda Peterson, of Galesburg, who were natives of Sweden and on coming to the new world, in 1857, first settled in the east but several years ago they came to this city. Here the father was employed in the freight house of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad until his death. His wife still survives and is now making her home with Mr. and Mrs. Bradburg. Mr. Peterson was a republican in his political affiliations and he belonged to the Swedish Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. Bradburg was born in Sweden and was brought to the United States with her parents when but a year and a half old, so that she was reared and educated in this country. Both Mr. and Mrs. Bradburg are loyal in their relations to the English Lutheran church, in which they hold membership, and politically he is well known as a republican although he has never sought nor desired office. Fraternally he belongs to both the subordinate lodge and encampment of Odd Fellows and has passed through all of the chairs. (History of Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, page 330-331, submitted by Janine Crandell)

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JOHN BRANDT. John Brandt was born in Sweden, December 8, 1817, and departed this life in Knoxville on the 20th of October, 1899, when almost eighty-two years of age. During his active connection with business affairs he had devoted many years to the painting and decorating business and in trade circles as in other relations of life had commanded the confidence and good-will of his fellowmen. His parents were Swan and Bengta (Swanson) Brandt, who were likewise natives of Sweden, in which country the father passed away. John Brandt was connected with the Royal Swedish army in his native land, serving for thirteen years as an officer in the same. His education had been acquired in the military schools and his wise home training qualified him for the practical and responsible duties which later devolved upon him. In 1853, accompanied by his mother, he came to America, attracted by the broader business opportunities of the new world. They made their way direct to Knoxville, where Mrs. Brandt continued to reside until her death, which occurred in 1872, when she had reached the age of eighty-five years. The family numbered five sons and two daughters, namely: Mrs. Inga Larson, who died in Sweden; Swan, who has also passed away; John, of this review; Hakon and Andres, both now deceased; Nilla A., the wife of John Holcomb, of Altona, this county: and Peter, who came to America and died in Minnesota.
     In his native land John Brandt learned the trade of painting and decorating and after coming to Knoxville followed that pursuit, remaining for a time in the employ of others and later engaging in contracting along that line on his own account. His excellent workmanship and honorable dealing won for him a substantial return for his labors, a liberal patronage being accorded him so that he was enabled to provide his family with all of the comforts of life.
     Ere leaving his native land Mr. Brandt was united in marriage in 1853 to Miss Bengta Swanson. Her parents never came to America, spending their entire lives in Sweden. In their family were seven children, five sons and two daughters, namely: Swan, deceased; Mrs. Hannah Basser, of Knoxville, now deceased; Nels and Jens, both of whom have passed away; Mrs. Brandt; Ola, deceased; and John, who is the twin brother of Ola and is living in Elsmore, Kansas. To Mr. and Mrs. Brandt were born three children but the eldest, Franz G., died at the age of two years. The daughter, Carrie, is the wife of Alexander Peterson, of Knoxville, and the second son, Frank August, died at the age of seven years.
     In his political views Mr. Brandt was a republican, always voting for the men and measures of the party yet never seeking nor desiring office for himself. He lived a busy and useful life, being ever an industrious, painstaking and thoroughly reliable man who merited success by reason of the good work which he did and his straightforward dealings. These qualities, too, won him the regard of those with whom he was associated and he had a wide acquaintance in Knoxville and this part of the state. (History of Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, page 331-332, submitted by Janine Crandell)

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JOHN MICHAEL BOHAN, M. D. John Michael Bohan is one of the younger representatives of the medical profession in Galesburg but has become established in practice in a way that many an older member of the profession might well envy. The college training is so far in advance of what it was even a quarter of a century ago that the young man of today enters upon his professional duties with an equipment that the older generation had to gain through years of experience. Moreover, Dr. Bohan brings to bear sound judgment in all of his professional service, com­bined with a ready sympathy that enables him to quickly understand both the physical and mental condition of his patients. He was born in Henderson county, on the boundary line of Mercer county, Illinois, March 13, 1881, his parents being John and Bridget (Haney) Bohan. The family name indicates the ancestral line to have had its root in Ireland. The father was born in County Mayo, that country, in 1830, and the mother's birth occurred in the same county, on the 12th of January, 1839. In 1851 John Bohan, then a young man of twenty-one years, bade adieu to friends and native land and sailed for the United States, settling in the state of New York, where for a time he was employed at various occupations. In 1854 he went to Keithsburg, Illinois, where for ten years he engaged in teaming. He next turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, settling upon a farm about eight miles east of Keithsburg, his remaining days being devoted to the development and cultivation of the soil in the production of the crops best adapted to climatic conditions. His political indorsement was given to the democratic party and he held member­ship in the Catholic church. He died February 13. 1903, and his wife, who is now living in Keithsburg, still survives him. They were married in that place on the 21st of October, 1863, and became the parents of ten children, as fol­lows : John, who is deceased; John, the second of the name, who has also passed away; Anna, the wife of William Callahan, of Mercer county, Illinois; William P., living in Alexis, this state; Margaret, deceased; Mary, twin sister of Margaret, who is now the wife of Mark Humphrey, of Keithsburg, Illinois; Peter T., a practicing physician of Kansas City, Missouri; Bertha, at home; James A., residing on the old homestead place; and John Michael, of this review.
     The last named pursued his education in the public schools until he had completed a high-school course at Seaton, Illinois. He afterward entered Knox College and eventually matriculated in the medical department of the Northwestern University at Chicago, Illinois, from which he was graduated with the class of 1907. In December of the same year he came to Galesburg, where he has since continued in general practice, and the work that he has done indicates his thorough understanding of the profession and the scientific principles which underlie his labors.
Dr. Bohan proudly cast his first vote for the candidates of the democratic party and has always adhered to that political faith. He is a Catholic in religious belief, holding membership in Corpus Christi church, and his fraternal relations are with the Knights of Columbus, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Modern Woodmen and the Mystic Workers. (History of Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, page 339-340, submitted by Janine Crandell)

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WILLIAM BURNSIDE. William Burnside, formerly prominently associated with the agricultural interests of Knox county but now living retired, still derives much of his income from his interests in farm property. He has passed the seventy-eighth milestone on life's journey and the rest which he is enjoying is well merited for it has been won through the close application, unfaltering energy and unassailable integrity which he manifested when conducting his agricultural pursuits. He was born in Ohio, August 13, 1833, and was one of the eight children of William and Margaret (Callison) Burnside, who were natives of Virginia, the latter a daughter of Thomas Callison, who was a farmer of the Old Dominion. William Burnside, Sr., was reared in Virginia and, following his removal to Ohio, there engaged for a number of years in farming. Subsequently, however, he went to Indiana, but in the fall of 1850 came to Illinois, settling in Chestnut township, Knox county, where he purchased ninety acres of land, to which he added as opportunity offered and his financial resources permitted, until his farm embraced two hundred and forty acres of rich land. He died on the old homestead, at the age of eighty-four years, and his wife-passed away at the age of seventy. She was a devoted member of the Methodist church and most carefully and conscientiously reared her family. The children were as follows: John, Anthony and Isaac, all now deceased; Elizabeth, the widow of John Hedley, of Kansas; William; Mary, the widow of Samuel Coffman, of Chicago; and George, who is living in Abingdon, Illinois.
     William Burnside was three years old when his parents went to Indiana and was a youth of seventeen when the family came to Illinois. Here he was reared to manhood upon his father's farm in Knox county, attending the district schools in the winter seasons, and in the summer months aided in the cultivation of the home farm. The occupation to which he was reared he determined to make his life work and started out on his own account by renting a farm in Chestnut township. He carefully saved his earnings during that period and was at length enabled to purchase ninety acres, to which he added from time to time until he became the owner of fifteen hundred acres or more, thus winning a place among the most extensive landowners of central Illinois. The rapid settlement of this part of the state and the improvements which he placed upon his land greatly enhanced its value and won for him a position among the most prosperous agriculturists of Knox county. He engaged in farming and in raising and shipping stock until the fall of 1892, when he removed to Galesburg and purchased a fine home at the corner of Seminary and Grove streets. This he occupied until 1907, when he removed to his present residence, at No. 1078 North Broad street.
     In 1861 Mr. Burnside was united in marriage to Miss Julia Terry, a daughter of John Terry. Mrs. Burnside was born in Knox county while her parents were natives of Virginia. The children of this marriage were six in number. Marcus T., who is now a farmer of Chestnut township, married Maude Cranston and has three children, Roy, Pearl and Orpha. Nellie is the wife of D. E. Meeks, of Galesburg, and they have two children, William and Fay. Charles S., a farmer living at Maquon, Illinois, married Jennie Clark. Fannie died in early childhood. Albert Guy, who is proprietor of a hotel at Spirit Lake, Iowa, married Mabel Ackerman and has one son, Carl. The youngest of the family is Carl S., who is operating one of. his father's farms in Chestnut township. The mother died in 1895, at the age of fifty-three years, and on the 24th of February, 1897, Mr. Burnside wedded Mrs. Lydia Edgerton, widow of Dr. R. C. Edgerton, and a daughter of John and Cordelia (Clark) Tiffany. She was born in Harpersfield, Delaware county, New York, June 8, 1842, and her parents were also natives of the Empire state although their ancestors came from Connecticut. Her grandfather, Horace Tiffany, was a native of Connecticut and of English descent. He married Martha Osborn and they had eight children, Hiram, John, Peter, Nathan, Eliza, Olive, Sallie and Charles. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Burnside was John Clark and unto him and his wife, who died when a comparatively young woman, there was born a son and four daughters. John Tiffany, the father of Mrs. Burnside, was a soldier in a New York regiment in the Civil war and died from illness while in the service. His wife lived to be sixty-three years of age and reared their family of five children, Louise, Hiram, Lydia, Mary and Peter. By her former marriage Mrs. Burnside had one son, Hubert C. Edgerton, who is married and lives in Burley, Idaho. Mrs. Burnside belongs to the Universalist church. Mr. Burnside votes with the republican party and has filled the office of road com­missioner but has not taken an active part in politics because of the demands made upon him by his extensive business interests. His real-estate holdings are the visible evidence of a life of well directed energy and thrift. Starting out empty-handed, he made the best possible use of his time and opportunities, and by honorable and straightforward methods, coupled with unflagging industry, gained a position among the prosperous and honored residents of this section of the state. His life may well serve as an inspiration and an example to others who desire to attain success and an untarnished name. (History of Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, page 339-340, submitted by Janine Crandell)

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