| Hon. James Paden | Marcus Perrin |
| Louis Palmquist | Peter Peterson |
| George Parker | Swan Peterson |
| Isaac Parker | Aaron Phelps |
| Theophilus T. Parmenter | Gen. Philip Post |
| Samuel Pedrick | more to come... |
Hon. James Paden – A well spent life established the Hon.
James Paden in a most enviable position in public regard and throughout the years of his
connection with Knox County he was prominently connected with its development and progress
and at the same time carefully conducted his business affairs so that success finally
rewarded his labors, making him one of the men of affluence of this part of the
state. He was born June 17, 1827, in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, and was the
second son of Isaac Paden and Celia (Fish) Paden. The family is of Scotch origin but
has been represented in America throughout several generations. Isaac Paden was born
in the Keystone state, while his wife was a native of New York. In 1843 they
removed westward, establishing their home in Knox County, Illinois, on a farm southeast of
the city of Galesburg. There Isaac Paden resided for many years and was well
advanced in life when called to his final rest. He remained a continuous resident of
Illinois to the time of his death, save for a brief period he spent in Minnesota.
He returned to Henry County, Illinois, where he tilled the soil for a considerable period,
but his last days were spent in Knox County, where he passed away at the advanced age of
ninety-five years.
James Paden was a lifelong farmer and always kept in touch with
the most progressive methods of agriculture. His labors, too, were of a practical
character, as shown in the excellent results which attended his work. Year by year
he plowed and tilled his fields, and in the autumn gathered rich harvests. As time
passed on he became one of the substantial residents of the county, acquiring a very
gratifying reward for his labors, and he also became well known in financial circles as a
director of the First National Bank of Galesburg, and in every relation of life he
maintained a high standard of integrity. From the time of his arrival in Knox
County, in 1843, until his death he continued a permanent resident here save for a single
year passed in Minnesota prior to his marriage.
On the first of January, 1851, he wedded MRS. MARTHA (EDGAR)
FUQUA, who was a native of Kentucky and for a few years was a widow prior to her marriage
to Mr. Paden. They traveled life’s journey together most happily for more than
a half-century and then were separated by the death of Mrs. Paden on the 26th of July,
1904. Their only child, Alonzo F. Paden, owns the old homestead farm and with him
the father resided after the death of his wife.
Mr. Paden was a most public-spirited man, always deeply and
helpfully interested in the welfare of the city and county. He served for several
terms on the board of supervisors, representing Galesburg in that body, and was filling
that position when the present courthouse was erected. He acted on various
important committees and his labors were a most effective and beneficial element in the
progress and upbuilding of the county during his long connection with the office. He
also labored earnestly to promote the best interests of the agriculturists and cooperated
in every project which tended to work for the permanent benefit of the farming
class. In politics he was a staunch Republican and was a warm admirer of Abraham
Lincoln, whose debate with Douglas he heard in antebellum days. In his death, which
occurred in 1908, Knox County lost one of its most honored pioneers and valued
citizens. For more than six decades he had resided in the county, thus witnessing
almost its entire development. He had seen its wild lands converted into productive
farms, its tiny villages grow into thriving towns and cities, had seen churches and
schoolhouses built and in every possible way had aided in advancing the work of
civilization. He was thoroughly reliable in business, bearing an untarnished
reputation in all of his transactions, and thus he left to his family the priceless
heritage of a spotless name as well as a substantial fortune, which was the reward of his
years of earnest and unremitting toil. (History of Knox County, Vol. II, by
A. J. Perry, page 348 & 351, submitted by J. Crandell)
Professor Isaac Augustus Parker.
Professor Isaac Augustus Parker, - emeritus professor of Greek of Lombard
College, ranked throughout the period of his active connection with educational
interests as one of the foremost educators of Illinois. He is now enjoying a
well merited rest at the age of eighty-six years. His has largely been the ideal
age that grows stronger and better mentally and physically as the years go by
and gives out of the rich stores of its wisdom and experience for the benefit of
others. He was born in South Woodstock. Vermont, December 31, 1825, a son of
Isaac and Lucia (Wood) Parker, who were also natives of Woodstock. Their family
numbered but two children, the elder being a daughter, Elvira, who became the
wife of Loyal M. Wood and died in South Woodstock at an advanced age. Professor
Parker is a descendant of James Parker, who came from England and finally
settled at Groton, Massachusetts. The paternal grandfather was Eleazer Parker,
who lived in Mansfield, Connecticut, whence he removed to Vermont, settling in
South Woodstock. He was a farmer by occupation and a soldier of the
Revolutionary war, responding to the Lexington alarm, at which time he left the
plow and gave valued aid to the country in her struggle for independence. He
wedded Mary Royce and they reared a large family, including: Eleazer; Isaac;
Elizabeth, who married Charles McKenzie; Ruth, who became the wife of William
Prior; Mary, who gave her hand in marriage to Humphrey Rood; Lydia, who married
David Aiken and lived in Chautauqua county, New York; Lavina, who first became
the wife of William Benton and subsequently married Platt Benedict, who was the
founder of Norwalk, Ohio; Sarah, who married Elias Smith; and Lucy, who gave her
hand in marriage to Oliver Kendall. Eleazer and Mary (Royce) Parker, the parents
of this family, lived to the ages of seventy-three and eighty-one years
respectively. In tracing the ancestry of Professor Parker in the maternal line
it is found that he had four ancestors who were passengers on the Mayflower,
namely: John Tilley and his daughter, Elizabeth Tilley; John Howland; and George
Soule. The Wood family originated in England but Henry Wood, the first of the
ancestors in that line, came from Holland, as did his wife, who bore the maiden
name of Abigail Jenney.
The maternal grandfather of Professor Parker was Joseph Wood,
a native of Middleboro, Massachusetts, who made farming his life work. He lived
for some time at South Woodstock and his death occurred at that place. He served
in several campaigns during the Revolutionary war. He married Mrs. William Gray,
a widow, who bore the maiden name of Bethiah Palmer. His death occurred when he
was sixty-five years of age, while his wife lived to be more than eighty years
of age. Their children were Joseph, Jr., Benjamin Palmer, Samuel, Ira, Ora,
Erastus and Lucia. The last named became the wife of Isaac Parker and the mother
of Professor Parker of this review. Isaac Parker was reared to farm life and
also learned the trades of a shoemaker and tanner, in early life but afterward
withdrew from those trades and devoted the greater part of his days to general
farming. He held the office of selectman and was also justice of the peace. He
likewise served as captain of a company of the state militia and was in command
of the company that escorted General Lafayette into Woodstock when he made his
visit to America more than a quarter of a century after the Revolutionary war.
Both he and his wife were members of the Universalist church. He died in South
Woodstock when about eighty-six years of age and his wife survived him for a
time, passing away at the age of eighty-seven.
Professor Parker was reared in South Woodstock, Vermont, and
attended Dartmouth College, from which he was graduated in 1853. He received the
degree of Master of Arts from Dartmouth College in 1855 and the honorary degree
of Doctor of Philosophy from Buchtel College in 1892. He took up the profession
of teaching and for five years was principal of the Orleans Institute at Glover,
Vermont. On the expiration of that period he came to Galesburg as professor of
ancient languages in Lombard University and such was his ability as an
instructor that his services were retained by the college
until 1908, when he resigned because of the weight of years. He contributed much
to the success of Lombard, his instruction being an important element in the
upbuilding of the school.
On the 18th of February, 1856, Professor Parker was married
to Miss Sarah A. Labaree, a daughter of William and Parthena (Whitmore) Labaree.
Mrs. Parker was a great-great-granddaughter of Peter Labaree, who was taken
captive by the Indians at Charlestown, New Hampshire, and sent to Canada, where
he was afterward released. The Rev. Benjamin Labaree, for many years president
of Middlebury College, was a cousin of her father, William Labaree. The latter
was born in New Hampshire and devoted his life to general agricultural pursuits.
He married Parthena Whitmore and their children were John Wesley: Ralph; William
H.; Charles K.; Benjamin Franklin: Sarah Ann; Harriet; Adeline; and Louisa, who
became the wife of Ira Thompson and died many years ago. Of these, Sarah Ann
became the wife of Professor Parker. She was born in Weathersfield, Vermont, in
1827, and died in Galesburg, in 1889, when sixty-two years of age. She held
membership in the Universalist church and was a lady of many admirable
characteristics and qualities. By her marriage she became the mother of two
children but the daughter, Izah Tenney, died in Banning, California, in 1891.
She had been a teacher in the public schools of Galesburg and also in Lombard
College. The son, William Augustus, a civil engineer by profession, is now chief
engineer of the St. Joseph & Grand Island Railway and has his office in St.
Joseph, Missouri.
Professor Parker's life record is largely a familiar one to
the residents of Galesburg, for he has so long made his home in their midst.
Well descended and well bred, his tastes are innately those of refinement and
culture and his influence has always been given on the side of progress and
advancement. He has stood for the highest ideals in educational work and while
instructing pupils in the "dead" languages he has also kept before them the
living issues of the day in his efforts to prepare those under his instruction
for the practical and responsible duties of life. His influence, exerted
consciously or unconsciously, has ever been a force for good in the lives of
those with whom he has come in contact.
(History of
Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, pages 411-413, submitted by J. Crandell)
Theophilus Talcott Parmenter (TT) (1809-1897) - Among the early settlers of Knox County is the respected citizen whose name heads this biographical notice. He was born near the village of Greenfield, Franklin County, Mass., in 1809. The death of his mother occurred when he was seven years old. The boy, Theophilus, was sent to his grandfather Parmenter, with whom he remained about two years, after which he hade his home with his uncle, who resided at Vernon, Conn., for seven years, assisting in the duties of the farm. At the age of 16 he went to Northfield, Mass., where he served an apprenticeship of four years at the tanner’s and shoemaker’s trade. Having completed this, he went to Rutland, Vt., where he worked for a few months at the tanner’s trade. From that place, he went to the village of Brandon and engaged in the manufacture of boots and shoes for a short time. In the spring of 1829 he entered into a partnership with Isaac Patch.
.... accompanied by his wife, (he) emigrated to Albion, Erie Co., Pa., where he engaged in the boot-and-shoe business, and in the fall of 1837, with his wife and family, came to Knoxville and has since made this his home. Until within the last few years he has been engaged in the boot-and-shoe trade. The household of Mr. and Mrs. Parmenter has been brightened by the birth of eight children—six boys and two girls, seven of whom survive (Mark Parmenter’s note – I reviewed the census of 1880 and found TT actually had seven boys and three girls: Horace (1832), Emmerson (1834), John (1837, although gravesite shows 1842), Cornelia (1839), Charles W. (1840), George T. (1842), Elizabeth (1844), Allen M. (1847 – my great-grandfather), Fred K. (1850), and Mary (1852).)
The life of our subject has been a very checkered one; sometimes light and sometimes dark. He has always found friends who have been ready to extend a hand of sympathy. Some of them have been called to their reward, while others still remain.
The names of the children born to our subject and wife are as follows: George, who lives in Knoxville; William, resident of Cambridge, Mass.; Allan, who lives at Knoxville; Charley also resides at that place; Elizabeth became the wife of J. W. Craig and lives in Warren County; Frederick resides at Peoria; John, deceased; and Mary A., for several years a successful teacher in the public schools of Knoxville. (1886 Portrait & Biographical Album of County, Illinois, page 603, submitted by Mark Parmenter)
Back To TopLouis Palmquist,
who was for many years a prominent furniture dealer and undertaker in Knoxville,
now lives retired, passing his declining years in the peaceful leisure which his
long continued faithful labors enable him to enjoy. A native of Sweden, he was
born October 2, 1834. Of his parents, who died when he was very young, he has
scarcely any recollection save that his father's name was Charles Palmquist and
that he was a cabinetmaker by occupation. Passing his childhood and youth in
Sweden, he obtained his education in the common schools of his native locality,
leaving his home at the age of twenty-three years, in order to seek the
opportunities of the new world. He landed in New York harbor in 1857, after
having passed through the most terrifying hardships and privations as the result
of a shipwreck disaster, which occurred to their vessel on approaching the coast
of Newfoundland in a heavy fog. Of those on board ship only the crew and five
passengers of a total of sixty were saved. They were picked up by a fisherman
and taken to St. Peter island, where the little band of survivors was taken on
board an ocean liner and carried to New York. Even at this distant day it is
difficult for Mr. Palmquist to contemplate without emotion the hair-raising
incidents of that experience which befell him like an evil omen foreshadowing
misfortune at the outset of his career. Undaunted, however, he renewed his
courage and his high hopes, on finding himself safe in the country of which he
had dreamed since the early days of his boyhood adventures. It was as if the
pages of a book were unfolded before him and he himself was writing upon them
the record of his own life. With a buoyancy of spirit which is the inalienable
possession of youth, he found his way from New York across the Alleghanies to
Knox county, Illinois, settling in Galesburg. He resided here four years, during
which time he learned and followed the cabinetmaker's trade, and in 1861 came to
Knoxville. Here he engaged in the furniture and undertaking business, conducting
a prosperous establishment for forty-five years. He retired in 1906 and has
since lived a quiet life, free from responsibility.
The marriage of Mr. Palmquist and
Miss Carrie Nelson, a native of Sweden, was solemnized on September 29, 1860.
Mrs. Palmquist's parents came to America and settled near Knoxville, where her
father operated a farm throughout his life. They are now both deceased. In the
family of Mr. and Mrs. Palmquist there were eight children, of whom six are now
living: Charles, operating his father's farm in Cedar township, east of
Abingdon; Ada, the wife of J. M. Short, of Galesburg; William; Amanda, the wife
of J. T. Parmenter, of Oskaloosa, Iowa; Hulda, the wife of C. C. Arms, of
Knoxville; and Anna, the wife of Ralph Scott, of Galesburg. Mr. Palmquist and
his wife hold membership in the English Lutheran church. In his political faith
he is a republican and has served as alderman of Knoxville for two terms and
also as a member of the school board. He is connected with the Masonic
fraternity, being a member of Pacific Lodge, No. 66, A. F. & A. M.; of Raboni
Chapter, No. 95, R. A. M.; and Illinois Council, No. 1,
R. & S. M., being tyler in these three lodges. Practically penniless at the
beginning of his career, Mr. Palmquist has worked himself up by steadfast
application to the duties which lay within the scope of his activities and has
met with a deserved reward and an ample competence.
(History of
Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, pages 117-118, submitted by J. Crandell)
Marcus T.
Perrin.
Marcus T. Perrin is a self-made man who as the architect of his
own fortunes has builded wisely and well. His record is another proof of the
fact that it is only under the stimulus of necessity and of opposition that the
best and strongest in men is brought out and developed. From the age of sixteen
years he has been dependent upon his own resources and his advancement marks the
wise use of his time, talents and opportunities. He was born in Southbridge,
Massachusetts, June 29, 1832, a son of Horace and
Theresa (Richardson) Perrin, both of whom were natives of Massachusetts, the
father engaging in business in Lee, that state, as a woolen manufacturer. He
continued in that connection with the business circles of Lee until his death
and his wife passed away in the same city, in August, 1890. Horace Perrin had
given his early political allegiance to the democratic party but when Lincoln
and Douglas became candidates for the presidency he supported the former and was
ever afterward a stanch republican. He held membership with the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows and both he and his wife were members of the Congregational
church. They had but two children, the younger being a daughter, Lucinda
Josephine, who is now the widow of Manson P. Shaler and resides in Lee,
Massachusetts.
Marcus T. Perrin pursued his
education in the district schools and in the Lee Academy, which he attended for
one term. At the age of sixteen years he was apprenticed to a woolen
manufacturer for a term of three years and followed that business until
twenty-two years of age, when he came west to Illinois, traveling by rail to
Rock Island, which was the terminus of the line and thence walking to Mercer
county. He made his way to the home of an aunt about twelve miles east of
Keithsburg, Illinois, but after a brief time left there and entered the employ
of George W. Brown as a traveling salesman, spending five years upon the road.
He next began farming in Warren county, where he carried on agricultural
pursuits for six years, after which he sold his land and in the winter of 1871
engaged in dealing in corn. He was for a time connected with a corn-planter
works and for a period of six years was identified with a bank in Creston, Iowa.
On the expiration of that period he returned to Galesburg, where he was
superintendent of the corn-planter works for several years, after which he was
elected to the presidency of the company and continued as its chief executive
head until his retirement from active business in 1904.
On the 27th of June, 1858,
Mr. Perrin wedded Miss Elizabeth A. Brown, a daughter of George W. and Maria (Terpening)
Brown, of Galesburg, who were natives of Saratoga
county, New York, where they were reared and married. The father was a carpenter
by trade and in 1833 made his way westward, settling in Warren county, Illinois,
about seven miles from Galesburg, when the entire district was largely a wild
and undeveloped region. He at once began the occupation of farming and later
followed carpentering. Realizing the necessity of improved farm machinery, he
called his inventive genius into play with the result that his skill and
ingenuity brought forth a corn planter which he began to manufacture in
Galesburg. The new machine filled a much felt want and he continued in its
manufacture until five or six years prior to his death, when he retired. His
life work was of value to the community as well as a source of profit to
himself. It greatly facilitated the work of the farmer and his manufactory in
Galesburg furnished employment to many workmen. He also figured prominently in
many public connections, serving for one term as mayor of Galesburg. His
political allegiance was given to the republican party and he was ever loyal and
unfaltering in his devotion to its principles. Both he and his wife were
lifelong members of the Methodist Episcopal church and he served on the official
board of stewards for about half a century. He died on the 5th of June, 1895, a
man honored and respected wherever known and most of all where he was best
known. His life was indeed of worth to the community in which he lived, as a
factor in its material, political, social and moral progress. He made wise use
of his time and opportunities and of his native talents and his well directed
energies brought to him the material reward of his labor and the respect of his
fellowmen as well. His daughter, Mrs. Perrin, was born March 21, 1839, in Warren
county, and by her marriage became the mother of four children: George, who died
April 1, 1901, at the age of forty years; Arthur E.,
of Chicago; Myra Theresa, the wife of Clarence A. Hurlburt, of Galesburg; and
Genevieve Josephine, the wife of Herbert A. Smith, of this city. Both Mr. and
Mrs. Perrin hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, in the work of
which he has taken an active and helpful part, serving for many years on the
board of stewards and cooperating in all of the projects to promote the growth
and extend the influence of the church. His political indorsement is given to
the republican party. A well spent life has brought him the merited reward of
labor and the respect and good-will of his fellowmen.
(History of
Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, pages 281-282, submitted by
Janine Crandell)
Aaron Phelps.
My third great-grandfather Aaron N. Phelps was a Colonel in the War of
1812. His son Ronald Aaron Noble Phelps was born on 9 Sep 1819 in Westfield,
Massachusetts. Noble, as he was referred to in contemporary accounts, was
accompanied to Galesburg among a group of 25 original settlers by his wife Sarah
Adams Phelps and his mother Clarrissa Root Phelps. According to the Knox College
history, "On June 2, the first colonists arrive in a wagon train and settle
temporarily at Log City [near current Lake Storey], three miles northwest of the
present site of Galesburg." At the time of Mr. Phelps' arrival in Illinois, the
amount of his worldly possessions at that time was enough to buy a box stove and
a cow, valued at $30. (History of Knox County, p 840).
The settlers later found the pioneer First Church of Christ in Galesburg.
Galesburg was home to the first anti-slavery society in the state of Illinois,
founded in 1837, and was a stop on the underground railroad. Real railroads
played a key role in Galesburg's history. The first railroad came to Galesburg
in 1854.
The book Phelps Family in America gives Ronald's name as "Roger." My
grandfather, Harold B. Phelps Sr., penciled this out and inserted "Ronald". He
also corrected Ronald's birth year from 1812 to 1819. The book also gives his
death at Wataga, Illinois, which my grandfather has crossed out, but not
corrected. Noble is buried in the Hope Cemetery in Galesburg, Illinois. Noble
and Sarah Phelps' son was Ronald Aaron Noble Phelps.
The Best Farm in Knox County, Illinois
"Mr. Phelps was born in Westfield, Mass., September 8, 1819. He came, with his
mother and two sisters, to Galesburg [Illinois] in 1836. The amount of his
worldly possessions at that time was enough to buy a box stove and a cow, valued
at $30. The eldest daughter [Seraphina Princess Phelps] became Mrs. G. Avery, of
Galesburg, and the youngest [Sybelana Phelps] the wife of B. Killbourn, of
Wisconsin. The mother died at Galesburg, November 29, 1855. The father, Aaron
Noble Phelps, had died previous to the family's moving west, at Westfield,
Mass., in March 1830. He and his wife (Miss Clarissa Root) were married in 1814.
Their only son, A. N. Phelps and Mrs. Sarah J. Adams were married March 29,
1847, and moved to their present home in 1856, which has since taken the
premiums already mentioned." (History of Knox County, p. 489)
"Section 8 also includes the premium farm owned by A. N. Phelps, Esq., and
contains 200 acres without a foot of waste land...As an indication that Sparta
[Township — later Knox County — ] is a rich agricultural locality, capable of
producing a great quantity as well as a great variety of crops and having in it
many enterprising stock-raisers, besides begin well watered by natural streams
and springs, may be noted the fact that A. N. Phelps' two-hundred acre farm now
owned by William Robson on Section 8, took three first prizes from the State
Agricultural Society." (History of Knox County, p. 836) The farm was ranked
first in 1868, 1870, and "previously for five successive years". The "premium"
itself was a silver coffee service which is still in the family today.
(compliments of Brian Phelps and submitted by Pat Thomas)
George Washington Parker,
deceased, an early settler in Truro Township, was born in Hampshire County,
Virginia, 30 March 1819. He was a son of David Parker, but a lad of seven years
when his father died, and at that tender age obliged to earn his own living. He
lived for a time in Pennsylvania, and in 1840, removed to Ohio and located in
Marion County, where he found employment at farming. At that place he met and
married Miss Sqallie Morrel, 4 January 1849. Miss Morrel was of German lineage
and born in Marion County, Ohio, the date there of being 3 July 1824. She was
the daughter of Samuel and Rosanna (Staley) Morrel, pioneers of Marion County,
the former a native of Virginia.
After his marriage Mr. Parker rented a farm in Marion
County, which he retained for one year, and in 1850 started with a pair of
horses and a wagon for the Prairie State, accompanied by his wife and one child.
He had previously visited Knox County, in 1847, at which time he made a purchase
of 120 acres of land on section 9, Truro Township. After this purchase Mr. P.
returned to Ohio, making the round trip on horseback. A log cabin and six acres
of broken and fenced land constituted the only improvements upon the farm. Our
subject arrived in this county after a tedious journey of 28 days, and at once
entered actively and energetically upon the task of improving his farm. He was
still hard at work, in 1862, when the notes of war sounded throughout the land,
and on the 20th of August of that year he enlisted in Company H, 102nd Illinois
Volunteer Infantry and went South. He was honorably discharged at Gallatin,
Tennessee, 24 February 1863, on account of physical disability. He never fully
recovered his health, but undertook the management of his farm, which he
continued with success. In 1875 he erected upon his place a commodious frame
house, also a suitable set of stables and shelter for stock. He added to his
landed estate until at the time of his death, 23 August 1879, he was the owner
of over 800 acres. His widow still survives him and resides upon the old
homestead.
Mr. and Mrs. Parker were blessed by a family of 12
children, seven of whom grew to attain the age of man and womanhood. Samuel
Parker is engaged in the mercantile business; Eugene, second son; John lives in
Johnson County, Nebraska; Arthur resides in Holt County, Nebraska George manages
the old homestead; Lizzie became the wife of Charles Wilder and is residing in
Truro; and Emma lives at home with her mother. Mr. Parker was a Democrat in
political belief, and a prominent member of the Yates City Lodge, Number 448, A.
F. & A.M. Both Mr. and Mrs. Parker were members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church before coming West.
In connection with this sketch, we feel assured, the
portrait of this old and esteemed citizen will be looked upon with pleasure and
satisfaction by the community in which his worthy life secured for him universal
respect and esteem.
(Portrait & Biographical Album of Knox County, Illinois, pub. in
1886, page 333, submitted by Pat Thomas)
Samuel K. Pedrick. Mr.
Pedrick's orchard and grounds are located on section 33, near the city limits of
Abingdon, Cedar Township. This gentleman is a native of Circleville, Ohio, and
was born on the 7th of August, 1823. While attending the district schools, he
was employed on his father's farm until attaining his majority. At the age of 33
he married Miss Harriet W. Kirk, the ceremony being performed in McDonough
County, Illinois. HIs wife was born 17 June 1830, and was a native of Green
County, Kentucky. She came to Illinois with her parents in 1834, the family
locating west of Macomb. She remained here until her marriage. To this desirable
union were born four children _ Nancy E., 21 April 1858; William L., 21 April
1859; John K., 11 December 1862; Samuel E., was born 21 July 1868 and died 5
July 1872.
In all the country around there is no better land than
the 32 acres of fruit orchard belonging to Mr. Pedrick. This he purchased 1
February 1877 and at once turned his attention to the cultivation of
blackberries, strawberries and raspberries. Of all these he has five acres and
intends increasing the productions from year to year. Together with the Creston
Seedling he has eight other varieties, but these former he considers preferable
excepting the Green Prolific. He has two varieties of red and two of Black Cap
raspberries. he has a two story brick residence which is very commodious and
fitted up with every comfort. Mr. Pedrick is a prominent Prohibitionist and a
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
The father of this gentleman was Levi and his mother
Elinor (Keffer) Pedrick, both natives of New Jersey, the former being born 29
December 1792 and dying 6 November 1856. The mother was born 1802 and died 18
September 1828 in Circleville, Ohio. They were married 5 March 1822 and by the
union there were two children - Samuel K. and William. His second marriage was
with Miss Elizabeth Hoover. She was a native of Pennsylvania, born 17 February
1804 and still lives on the homestead. There were four children born by this
marriage, viz: Sarah A., Lewis, Elizabeth., and Joseph. Besides Mr. Pedrick,
Elizabeth is the only surviving child.
The parents of the present Mrs. Pedrick were John and
Nancy (Coe) Pedrick, natives of Kentucky. The father was born in 1790 and died
in November 1856 and the mother, born in 1793, died 1 August 1863. There were 11
children born of the marriage - Malinda, Paulina, Julia A., John J., Harriet W.,
Maryetta, Lucy, Miranda, Mannery, Edward and Nancy. Mr. and Mrs. Kirk were
devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal church and politically speaking, he
was a Whig in his day.
Mr. Pedrick is a gentleman of quiet demeanor, though
exercising considerable religious and political influence in his locality.
(Portrait & Biographical Album of Knox County, Illinois, pub. in
1886, page 208 & 213, submitted by Pat Thomas)
General Philip Sidney Post, whose
portrait we give on the opposite page, is a native of Orange County, New York,
and was born 19 March 1833. He is a son of General Peter Schuyler Post, a
soldier of 1812. His mother, before marriage, was Mary Coe, and like his father
was a native of New York State. The Posts came from Holland originally and the
Coes from England. The senior General Post was a farmer by occupation. He
married Miss Coe in Rockland County, New York, in 1820, and of the two sons born
to them Philip Sidney was the younger. The family came to Galesburg in 1854, and
here the father died in 1861. His mother is yet living, at the age of 86 years
and resides with her son.
The youth of the subject of our sketch was spent at
school, and he graduated with honors from Union College, Schenectady, New York,
in the Class of 1855. He afterward was a student at the Poughkeepsie (New York)
Law School. He subsequently began the practice of his profession at Wyandotte,
Kansas. At the outbreak of the war he came to Galesburg, entered the service of
the United States, and became Second Lieutenant of Company A, 59th Illinois
Volunteer Infantry. From Second Lieutenant he was promoted to First Lieutenant
and Adjutant, then to Major, Colonel, and finally to Brigadier-General, in which
capacity his name is linked and identified with the history of our country, and
will go down to posterity immortalized in the printed pages detailing the
incidents of the great American conflict.
While in the service he participated in many of the
hardest-fought battles in the South and Southwest. He was at Pea Ridge,
Perryville, Stone River, Nolensville, the Tullahoma campaign, Chickamauga, the
Atlantic campaign. General Post had charge of a division, which he handled so
skillfully as to earn for himself honorable mention. After recovering from the
wound received at Nashville he was stationed at San Antonio, Texas, where he had
command of 16 regiments of infantry. He left the military service in February,
1866.
Immediately after the terrible battle of Nashville,
General George H. Thomas filed at the War Department a special report earnestly
recommending General Post's appointment as Colonel of the regular army. He said:
"General Post is an active, energetic and intelligent
officer, and his bravery in battle is beyond question. His capability and
efficiency as a commander of troops has been fully demonstrated."
In a similar report addressed to the Secretary of War
by his corps commander, General Post's military record is thus reviewed:
"I most respectfully and earnestly recommend Brigadier
General Philip Sidney Post as Colonel in the regular army of the United States.
General Post entered the army as Second Lieutenant, but soon rose by his
superior merits to Major. He commanded his regiment in the obstinately fought
battle of Pea Ridge and was severely wounded. Shortly after that battle he was
promoted Colonel of his regiment. Returning to the filed, even before his wound
was recovered, he rejoined his regiment in front of Corinth and was placed in
command of a brigade. From that time to the end of the war General Post's career
was an unbroken term of arduous service, useful labor and brilliant actions. He
participated honorably in some of the most obstinately contested battles and
glorious victories of the war. In the great battle and decisive triumph of
Nashville, General Post's brigade did more hard fighting and rendered more
important service than any other organization in the army. In the grandest and
most vigorous assault that was made on the enemy's intrenchments, near the close
of the fighting on the second day, General Post fell and, as it was at first
supposed, mortally wounded, at the head of his brigade, leading it to the
onslaught. A discharge of grape instantly killed his horse under him and tore
away a portion of his left hip. I know of no officer of General Post's grade who
has made a better or more brilliant record."
On the re-organization of the army the Secretary of War
informed General Post of these recommendations and that they were favorably
considered, but as peace was then established he decided not to remain in the
military service.
Immediately after leaving the army General Post was
appointed to the foreign service, and the reputation made therein during a
period of over 13 years:
"Department of State,
Washington, 19 March 1881."
"General Philip S. Post, Galesburg, Illinois - Sir:
Your letter of the 17th inst., requesting a brief statement respecting your
reputation and standing as an officer in the consular service, has been
received. In reply I have to say it gives me great pleasure to comply with the
request. It appears from the records of the Department that you entered the
consular service in 1866 as Consul at Vienna; that you were promoted for your
ability and fidelity to Consul-General at that place in 1874, and that you
retired from the service by resignation in 1879. An examination discloses that
many important duties, in addition to the more formal duties of your office,
were entrusted to you during your long connection with the Department, and that
they were performed in a manner that commanded its approval and commendation.
Your reputation in the service and your character as a representative of the
Government were known to the Department and in the service, and to the high
opinion entertained of your standing by my predecessor and the officers of the
Department may be added the testimony of your colleagues and my own personal and
official acquaintance with the reputation which distinguished your career
abroad. It was a subject of much regret that circumstances compelled your
resignation, but in your retirement from the service you carried with you the
regard and esteem of the Department, and the character of an intelligent,
capable and trusted officer of the Government.
I am, General, your obedient servant,
John Hay
Assistant Secretary"
General Post returned to Galesburg in 1880, and since
1883, has been engaged in real estate. He was prominently mentioned among the
contestants for election to congressional honors, in 1884.
At no time in his life could it truthfully be said that
General Post has been a politician, a wire-worker or a time-server. When the
people of this district shall come to think that the army record and civil life
of General Post warrant his election as their servant in any public trust
commensurate with his abilities, then, and not till then, may it be said that he
is a candidate for office. General Post has accumulated in his life no pecuniary
fortune. As Colonel and brigade commander, and as foreign representative, he
received no such salary as would enable him to store up wealth. Instead of
making money his army life naturally produced a contrary result. Though contrary
to our rule, forbidding conclusions in reference to living men in biography, the
writer knows he can truthfully say that General Post is a scholar of rare
attainments, and at all times and under all circumstances a gentleman. Sometime
in 1878, a prominent Southerner, transmitting some papers to General Post, from
Kentucky, took occasion to say in his letter, among other things: "In the hour
spent at my house, as Buell's army was passing, in the fall of 1862, you taught
me by your gentlemanly bearing and general discourse to do homage to the high
personal attributes and liberal sentiments so signally manifested by you on that
occasion."
A Chicago Times editorial of 28 March 1874, is here
reproduced in further corroboration of the foregoing conclusions of the writer:
"The American Consul at Vienna is an impetuous son of
Illinois, of more service to the country in a month than many in a year. Free
from humbuggery and devoid of the nonsense of affectation, he has a cheery
greeting alike for the traveling millionaire and the penniless sailor."
General Post takes no stock in shams. He believed in
fighting the battles for the Union while there was an armed foe, and "with the
fury of the non-combatants," of whom the late General Grant spoke as having gone
into the fight too long after the war was over, he has but little sympathy. He
is a plain, everyday sort of a man, with many original ideas, which he always
expresses elegantly, but like Dickens, in a language that all can comprehend.
As a public speaker he ranks high, his language being
choice and elegant, logic clear and forcible and his manner pleasing, and the
deep conviction he has of the sentiments uttered carries with him the feelings
and sentiments of his hearers. Had we the space we could make many choice
literary selections from his speeches. He has been the distinguished orator at
many noted gatherings and always wins great favor and applause.
General Post is a married man. He married 24 May 1866,
Miss Cornelia A. Post, daughter of Honorable William T. Post, of Elmira, New
York. Their children are Harriette H., Philip Sidney and William Schuyler. He
attends the Episcopal Church, is Knight Templar in Masonry, member-at-large of
the Republican Central Committee, and Commander of the Department of Illinois,
Grand Army of the Republic.
(Portrait & Biographical Album of Knox County, Illinois, pub. in
1886, pages 849-851, submitted by Pat Thomas)
SWAN H. PETERSON. Swan H.
Peterson has reached the venerable age of eighty-five years. Nature seems to
have intended that man should enjoy a period of rest in the evening of life for
in youth he possesses vigor, energy and hopefulness which in time develops into
habits of industry and perseverance. If his labor is directed by sound judgment
he may at length reach success, enabling him to spend his last days in
retirement from business. Such has been the record of Swan H. Peterson who for a
long period was connected with agricultural pursuits in Knox county but now
makes his home in the village of Knoxville. He was born in Sweden, December 3,
1826, a son of Peter and Nellie (Benson) Peterson. His parents never came to
America, passing away in Sweden after attaining an advanced age. In their family
were four sons and two daughters of whom Swan H. is the eldest, the others being
Peter, Nels, Mons, Elsie and Hannah.
In the schools of his native country Swan H. Peterson
pursued his education and at the age of twenty-one years became connected with
the military service, remaining in the army for five years. In his youthful days
he worked at farm labor under the direction of his father and in 1854 when about
twenty-eight years of age he sought a home in the new world, thinking that
better business opportunities might be secured on this side of the Atlantic.
Accordingly he landed in Quebec, after a voyage of six weeks upon the ocean,
and from that point made his way direct to Illinois, settling in Knoxville. Here
he engaged in farming, working out, first by the day, but as soon as his labors
had brought him sufficient capital, he purchased land and continued to engage
extensively in farming until advanced years compelled his retirement. He brought
his fields under a high state of cultivation in raising the cereals best adapted
to soil and climate, and at all times his farm work was characterized by
practical and progressive methods.
In August, 1854, Mr. Peterson was united in marriage in Knoxville to Miss Truen
Olson, who was born in Sweden, August 29, 1828. Her parents never came to
America, spending their entire lives in Sweden. In their family were four sons
and three daughters, Peter, Swan, Hannah, Andrew, Bengta, Truen and Nels. Unto
Mr. and Mrs. Peterson were born three sons and two daughters, Mons, Ellen,
Anna, John and Otto. Of these John married Miss Betty Nelson and they have two
children, Hattie and John. In 1910 Mr. Peterson was called upon to mourn the
loss of his wife, who died on the 12th of June, of that year. They had traveled
life's journey together for more than fifty-five years, their love and
confidence increasing as time passed on. Mrs. Peterson belonged to the Swedish
Lutheran church, in which Mr. Peterson still holds membership. His entire life
has been in harmony with his religious professions and has been characterized
by faithfulness to duty, by strict integrity, by charity and kindliness.
(History of Knox County, Vol. II, by A. J. Perry, page 344-345,
submitted by Janine Crandell)