Andreas Schmidt b Oct 12,
1836 (Prussia, Hesse-Darmstadt) Germany
d May 4, 1903 Peoria, Peoria Co, Illinois
married Dina (Dena) George b 5 March 1849 (Prussia, Hesse-Darmstadt) Germany
d Apr 8, 1914 Peoria, Peoria Co, Illinois
He was a stone mason and was believed to have worked on the gates of St. Mary's
Cemetery as well as the Cornerstone building in Peoria. Lived at 1518 Second
Avenue, Peoria, Illinois. Both are buried in the North Bluff section of
Springdale Cemetery.
Andreas had a brother (JOHN SCHMIDT) who came from Buffalo NY to visit Peoria in
about 1931. He was an older man (I have a photo).
They had 5 children (I believe 6) that I know for sure:
1) Katherine (KATE) born 21 Sept 1874 (census shows she was born in Kansas which
lends credibility to my uncle's thought that he was told they came up through
New Orleans, staying in Kansas (believed to be Ft. Scott). Kate married an EVANS
& buried at Springdale.
2) Carolina (CARRIE) born about 1876 according to the 1880 census also in Kansas
(I have written Kansas, no record or either this or the above birth) . Married
Welch or Welsh.
3) Frank Wilhelm (Will) born 21 Sept 1878 died 23 Dec 1894 (buried Christmas
Day) stepped on a rusty nail & got lockjaw. Buried in Springdale Cemetery.
4) John (my grandfather) born 1 Sept 1881 Peoria, Peoria Co., Illinois died 24
March 1969 Peoria, Peoria Co., Illinois buried St. Mary's Cemetery. Married to
Catherine (Kate) Barden 15 June 1904. (photo/biography written
and submitted by Debbie Martin)
GEORGE W. SCHNEBLY, jr. The general intelligence, high moral character and
business ability of the local freight agent in Peoria, of the Terre Haute &
Peoria Railroad, are such as to entitle him to the respect of the entire
community and the deeper esteem of those who know him well. Mr. Schnebly has
been a freight agent here for several years, having begun his labors during the
days of the old Illinois Midland line and retained his position after the change
in the road. For seven years he has had entire charge of the local business,
having secured the confidence of his superiors in his honor and efficiency.
Mr. Schnebly is a native of Spring Bay, Woodford County, Ill., where his eyes
opened to the light January 16, 1855. His parents, George W. and Margaret M.
(Cox) Schnebly, were formerly residents of Peoria. They removed to Mossville
when our subject was a babe, and when he was about eighteen years old to Alta.
He received his education in the schools of this county, after which he turned
his attention to pedagogy for some time. At length, however, he abandoned that
honorable field of labor for one in which he thought the opportunities for
personal aggrandizement were more favorable, and which would afford a field for
the exercise of the business qualities of his mind.
Mr. Schnebly therefore connected himself with railroad work on the line of the
Missouri Pacific Road, occupying positions at Kansas City and Independence,
Mo., two years. He then returned to
his native State, and at Peoria resumed the duties of clerk for the Peoria &
Pekin Union and Illinois Midland jointly. His later career has already been
noted. He manifests a considerable degree of interest in the social and
benevolent orders and has become a member of the Royal Arcanum, Uniformed Rank
of the Knights of Pythias, and Modern Woodmen of America. He also belongs to
the First Presbyterian Church, as does his estimable wife.
Our subject has built for himself a fine residence on East Bluff Street, whose
general adornments and air of refinement prove that it is presided over by a
lady whose aim is to make her home the most attractive spot on earth to husband
and children. This lady was known in her maidenhood as Miss Lillie S. Saul, and
is a native of Peoria, in whose schools she obtained a good education. She is a
daughter of Wesley H. Saul, an early resident and commission produce man who
removed hither from Cleveland, Ohio. Her mother, formerly Harriett Secor, is now
deceased.
The union of Mr. Schnebly and his amiable wife was celebrated November 25, 1880,
and to them have been born five children named, respectively, Erwin J., Lillie
M., Robert S., William G. and Hattie B. They had the misfortune to lose their
son, William G., a bright child of four years, with that dread disease, scarlet
fever. The children form a bright and interesting group, and are receiving the
benefit of a good education. The family are highly respected socially, and
heartily endorse every measure calculated to advance the interests of the
community.
On another page of this volume we present a lithographic portrait of Mr.
Schnebly.
(Portrait & Biographical Album of Peoria, Illinois (1890), page
637, submitted by Janine Crandell)
LINUS SCOVILL. Among the well-known citizens of Chillicothe should be noted
the gentleman above named, who is enjoying the ease and repose won by years of
successful effort. He has made his home in the city of Chillicothe since the
fall of 1887, after having resided in Medina Township more than a half century.
He has seen the country improve around him and forcibly contrasts its appearance
when he first beheld it, in May, 1831, with that which it presents to-day. No
one rejoices in the prosperity and high civilization of this part of the Prairie
State more than he of whom we write.
Before outlining the life work of our subject it will
not be amiss to make brief mention of the family history. His father, Linus
Scovill, Sr., and his grandfather, Abijah Scovill, was born in Connecticut. His
grandmother, Patience (Wolf) Scovill, was a native of the same State, whence the
family removed to Ontario County, N. Y., after the Revolution. Grandfather
Scovill was a member of the Colonial army throughout that noted contest. In the
Empire State he and those of his family who were able to assist him, took up
pioneer labors, undergoing the usual privations and manifesting the hardy
persistence to which the later generation owes the comfort of its surroundings.
Linus Scovill, Sr., was young when his parents removed
to the Empire State and there he grew to manhood. He was still quite young when
he left home to join the army in the War of 1812, through which he served, as
did some of his brothers, though not in the same regiment. After the war had
closed he returned to his father. While growing up in Ontario County, Mr.
Scovill became a personal friend of Solomon Spalding, the writer of the Book of
Mormon. Mr. Spalding had no thought at that time that his book would gain such
fame and wrote it with no design to deceive, but as a novel in historical style
but of imaginative scenes. He referred to this fact in conversation with Mr.
Scovill one day, saying that his own head was the scroll and the cellar of the
house in which they were boarding, the caves or place of discovery.
In the Empire State, the father of our subject married
Miss Elizabeth Seely who was born and reared in Goshen. Her parents, Israel and
Sarah (Gale) Seely, finally removed to Illinois, the father dying in this county
in August, 1843, when past three-score and ten years old. The mother died in
Vermillion County, Ind., at an advanced age. Linus Scovill, Sr., had for some
years prior to his marriage been a dry-goods clerk, but after that interesting
event he turned his attention to farming. He finally removed to Indiana about
1820, making his home in the western part of that State some eleven years. He
then came into Illinois, crossing the Illinois River when Peoria was still known
as Ft. Clark, and settling on a Government claim which he purchased from John
Love in what is now Medina Township, this county. His claim had been located by
him the year before, during his first trip to this State, which was made with a
view of getting out of the country whose people were troubled with milk
sickness.
The Scovill family found themselves in a wild country,
the unbroken prairie traversed chiefly by Indians, but after some years the land
was improved and beautiful homes built up far and near. Mr. Scovill was a
thrifty man who having secured a fine piece of land improved it well, leaving to
his heirs a good inheritance. He was called from time to eternity November 15,
1840, when somewhat past fifty-fours of age. He was one of the well-known
pioneers, honored of men for his manly conduct and industrious life. His wife
survived him, dying in 1863, at the age of about seventy-three years. She was a
member of the Methodist Church, while her husband was a Universalist.
Linus Scovill, Jr., the subject of this notice, was
born in Ontario County, N. Y., March 10, 1815, and had but recently entered his
teens when his father landed in Illinois. The next year the youth enlisted as a
teamster for the Black Hawk War and after having fulfilled the duties of his
position as long as his services were needed, resumed the agricultural work
which he had begun in boyhood. After he became the proprietor of the homestead
he made many improvements upon it, ere he left it to remove to Chillicothe,
having one of the finest farms in this section of the country. It comprised
three hundred and twenty acres on sections 21, and 22, Medina Township, was
favorably located, and the seat of a very successful farm life.
At the home of the bride in Chillicothe Township, Mr.
Scovill was united in marriage with Miss Juliet A. Murray. This estimable lady
was born in Virginia, June 19, 1812, and was quite young when her parents, John
and Cynthia Murray, removed to Ohio. There her father died, the mother with her
six children coming to Illinois in 1846. Mrs. Murray spent the remainder of her
life in this county, dying at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Scovill in Medina
Township when quite an old lady. Mr. Scovill, although an active local
politician is in no sense an office-seeker. He has, however, been elected to
most of the local offices of the township and has carried out the wishes of the
people by acting in their behalf. Politically he affiliates with the Democratic
party. He and his wife attend the Baptist Church.
In connection with this sketch are presented
lithographic portraits of Mr. Scovill and his estimable wife, who are widely
known as pioneers of Peoria County.
(Portrait & Biographical Album of Peoria, Illinois (1890), pages
493-494, submitted by Gaile Thomas)
THOMAS SHAW was born in
Derbyshire, England, on the 1st day of January, A.D. 1805. He is one of the
eleven children of Jonathan Shaw, of Derbyshire, England. Thomas remained with
his father until he was of age, following farming as an occupation, and at the
age of thirty-three was married to Miss Hannah Smithus, of the same place.
In July, 1839, Mr. Shaw and brother-in-law, James
Smithus, left their native land for the United States of America. They were
sixty-two days crossing the Atlantic, and in July, 1840, Mrs. Shaw came from
England and joined her husband, settling on the southeast quarter of section
eleven, in Radnor township, building a cabin in which they lived some four
years, then erecting a small frame house and occupying it until 1856, when they
built the beautiful mansion which they still occupy, surrounded with all the
comforts of life, and enjoying a green old age. They have had six children, five
daughters and one son, named, in order of birth, Maria, Elizabeth Jane, Ann E.,
Margaret M., William Henry, and Phebe C. Maria died soon after getting to this
country; the others are living with their parents.
In August, 1868, Mr. and Mrs. Shaw, with their daughter
Elizabeth, visited England, sailing from New York in the "City of Antwerp,"
returning in the same ship, after staying there six weeks. They have abundance
of this world's goods, and the respect of all who know them. (Atlas Map of
Peoria County, Illinois, 1873, page 81, submitted by Kup Fercell)
C. H. A. SHAW – The record of Mr.
Shaw's family, upon his father's side, reaches back with accuracy as far as the
birth of Nathaniel Shaw, in Plymouth county, Massachusetts, August 11th, 1723.
His son, Asahel, was born, November 25th, 1751. His son Soranus, was born,
August 23d, 1782, in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Elizabeth Miller Alden was born
in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, August 7th, 1794. The two last named were
married, August 18th, 1816, and were the parents of Mr. Shaw of whom we now
write. The family of Mrs. Shaw (the Aldens) have preserved the record of their
family from the days of John Alden, of Plymouth Colony farm, and traces their
descent without an interruption to that distinguished man. Mr. Soranus Shaw was
a carpenter, but owned a farm, and the subject of this sketch was reared a
farmer.
In 1839 he came west, and visited his
brother-in-law, Noah Alden, Esq., in Jubilee township, and, being pleased with
the country, he concluded to emigrate. In 1841, he sold his property and bade
adieu to the land that had been a refuge and a home to his ancestors for
centuries, and came by river, canal, and lake, to Chicago, and thence by stage
to Peoria. The family visited their relations, before named, in Jubilee, and
when their goods arrived went to Peoria and remained the first winter. Mr. Shaw
had previously bought claims in Brimfield and in Knox county, but the distance
from marks in those days seemed so great that he sold these claims and bought
the southeast quarter of section twenty-five, in Radnor the summer of 1842 he
came onto his purchase; had it surveyed on the 3d of July, and on the 4th of
July, 1842, Mr. C. H. A. Shaw started the plow for the first time on the new
farm. A building was erected that was used for a shelter while the men were
breaking and improving the farm, and was also a workshop, used by Mr. Shaw and
his son, Nathaniel, while building their dwelling house, the next year.
In 1844 the family removed from a rented farm, in
Richwoods, where they had lived two years, into the new house which was to be
their future home. On the 30th of September, 1847, Mr. C. H. A. Shaw was married
to Miss Ann Maria Cline, and as he had always carried on the home place, he
still continued there, and his parents lived with him until their death. Another
quarter section had been bought in the meantime, and was occupied by Soranus A.
Shaw, a younger brother, after his marriage, until he sold it, in 1869, and went
to Chariton county, Missouri, where he now lives. On the 10th of April, 1868,
Mrs. Soranus Shaw, the elder, died at the house of Mrs. Brusie, her daughter,
where she was visiting. Her husband died, January 16th, 1872, at the house of
the son who is the subject of this sketch. They were the parents of five
children, of whom there are now living three, viz: C. H. A. and Mrs. Elizabeth
M. Bruser [sic], in Radnor township, and Soranus A., in Missouri.
Mr. Charles Henry A. Shaw still lives upon the old
homestead where thirty years ago he first turned over its sod; it is the
southeast quarter of section twenty-five, in Radnor township, Orange Prairie
neighborhood, one-half mile from Alta Station, on the Peoria & Rock Island
Railroad. He is the father of eleven children, three sons and eight daughters,
ten of whom are now living, and all at home, except two daughters, married and
living within the county. In his pleasant home, Mr. Shaw now enjoys the kind
regard of his neighbors, and the independence that is gained by years of
well-directed labor. (Atlas Map of
Peoria County, Illinois, 1873, page 81, submitted by Kup Fercell, photos by John
Melton)
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN SLANE.
Benjamin Franklin Slane, a representative of the early settlers of Peoria
County, is classed among the most prosperous members of its farming community.
As a pioneer of Princeville Township, he has wielded a potent influence in
bringing about its present standing as a well improved and wealthy farming
region. He has accumulated a handsome property and contemplates retiring from
the active life necessitated by the proper care of his extensive interests.
Our subject comes of an old Virginia family, and was
born in Hampshire County, W. Va., April 29, 1825. Benjamin Slane, his father,
was born in Frederick County, Va., in Winchester, and his father, of the same
name, was also a Virginian by birth, and was the youngest of a large family. His
father was from Ireland and died shortly before, or about the time the family
came to this country. The grandfather of our subject followed farming, until his
death in Hampshire County, W. Va. He was a member of the Episcopalian Church and
was strong in the faith.
The father of our subject was reared in his native
county. His mother died when he was an infant and he was the only child of that
marriage. He learned the trade of a tanner and currier and later opened an
establishment of his own on Cold Stream. He failed in that venture and in 1830,
started westward. He stopped one year in Somerset, Perry County, Ohio, Gen
Sheridan's old home, and was there engaged in the tannery business. The
following year he came to Peoria County, arriving here November 7. He found but
three or four white families in Peoria, though the Indians were more numerous,
and the city was then fortified and known as Ft. Clark. Mr. Slane remained there
until 1833, employed in various pursuits and then went to Richwoods Township,
and pre-empted land and entered upon its improvement. Two years later he sold
his claim to S. Frye and removed to what is now Rosefield Township, on the
Kickapoo, where he bought Government land, paying fifty per cent interest on
money he borrowed to buy his place. He remained on it until 1840, and there had
the misfortune to lose his faithful wife, who had shared with him in the trials
and hardships of their pioneer life, her death occurring in 1839. His next
location was in Princeville, and here he farmed some and engaged in various
other pursuits. He bought one hundred and sixty acres of land where the Sante Fe
Station now is, and the title to the property is still in the family. Here the
remainder of his life was passed and he developed and improved his farm into one
of the choice estates of the vicinity, and there his death occurred in 1875, at
the ripe old age of seventy-seven years. In politics he was a sturdy supporter
of the Democratic party. The maiden name of his wife was Delilah Cheshire, and
she was born in Hampshire County, W. Va. Her grandfather, John Cheshire, a
farmer, and a native of New Jersey, spent his last years in Hampshire County.
She was a true and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. She was
the youngest of her family and succumbed to the privations of pioneer life in
1839, at the age of thirty-nine years. She was the mother of seven children as
follows: Benjamin F., John Z. and Elizabeth A., living in Princeville Township;
Delilah J., wife of N. E. Root, Mission Creek, Pawnee County, Neb.; Samuel S.
and J. T. of Princeville Township. John took part in the late Civil War as a
member of the Eighty-sixth Illinois Infantry, Company K, enlisting in 1862, and
serving until the close of hostilities.
Our subject passed the first five years of his life in
Virginia, and then went to Ohio in 1830, with his parents, the journey being
made by team and wagons. A year later the family again started on a westward
journey, going by team to the Muskingum River, then by keel boat to Marietta,
Ohio, from there by steamboat to Louisville, then carrying their goods around
the falls and re-embarking on the boat for St. Louis and from there coming in a
stern wheeler to Peoria, taking a week to perform this latter stage of the
journey. Some Indians were among the passengers up the river and they still made
their home in this county when our subject's father first settled here. He was
given the best educational advantages that Peoria County afforded in those days,
the only college being a log schoolhouse in which the schools were conducted on
the subscription plan. He was early made to assist in the farm labors and when
seventeen years of age went out to work breaking prairie, chopping wood, and
tilling the soil. His father was a famous hunter and our subject also enjoyed
that pastime, as wild game was very plentiful here in early days, and he has
seen as many as fifty and one hundred deer in a drove. Hard labor was the order
of the day and the pioneers often suffered privations and led lives of self
sacrifice. Our subject worked for his father principally until he was twenty-six
years old, as the older boys helped their father on account of his inability,
being a sufferer from rheumatism. In 1840, he came to this township, and he and
his brother, John, engaged in making lime, in the spring of 1845, our subject
went into the business more extensively and had two kilns for burning lime and
operated them profitably for five years and he opened a stone quarry, and made a
success of that also. He furnished lime to an extent of forty miles in the
north, west and east of them, and lived most of the time in Akron Township,
until his marriage.
This important event in the life of our subject
occurred in Princeville Township, January 6, 1852, when he was united to Miss
Sarah Henry. She was born in Crawford County, Pa., a daughter of Col. James and
Fannie Henry, the former a native of Fayette County, Pa., and the latter of
Irish birth. Her father was a farmer in Crawford County, and took part in the
War of 1812, and later was Colonel of a Pennsylvania State Militia regiment. He
was otherwise prominent in public life and for three terms represented his
district in the State Legislature. In 1850, he came here with his family, and as
he was a man of some means, lived retired until the time of his death at the
ripe old age of eighty-four years, spending his last years with Mrs. Slane's
mother and dying in 1867.
Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Slane:
Odillon B. living on the home farm, was educated at the Peoria Normal and has
been engaged principally in teaching; Ida, living at home attended the
Valparaiso Normal in Indiana; Oliver C., who is in the hardware business in
Peoria, is a graduate of Baily's Commercial College at Keokuk, Iowa; Edgar P., a
farmer in Monica, attended the Valparaiso Normal; Elgie M., an artist and a
graduate of the art department of the Valparaiso Normal, is the wife of F. C.
Ralston, Cashier of the Meridan Silver Plating Co., of Chicago, and Mina, a
school teacher living at home.
Our subject and his brother bought one hundred and
sixty acres of land in Princeville Township, located on it, erecting suitable
buildings, lived together and farmed in partnership. While his brother was in
the army, our subject managed the farm alone. In those times the farmers of
Illinois made money fast, as their grain commanded high prices and Mr. Slane
sold wheat at $3 per bushel and corn at $1 per bushel. In 1869, the brothers
dissolved partnership, our subject selling his share of the farm to his brother,
and he then bought one hundred and fifty acres of land on section 7, Akron
Township. He farmed it three years. The Rock Island Railroad Company put a part
of their road through his farm and he and some of his neighbors sued the company
for the value of their land and he succeeded in getting $600, and after that he
would not stay on the place. Selling that place in 1871, he came to Princeville
Township, and in 1872 bought his present farm of three hundred and twenty acres
on sections 35 and 36, for $15,000. It was partly improved and he located on
section 35, and commenced the work of its further development and now has one of
the choicest and best improved farms in this part of the county. He has been
extensively engaged in farming and stock-raising and has acquired wealth. In
1890, he sold his property to his brother and retired from farming, and will
probably move to Wyoming and make his home there in the future. He owns one
hundred acres of fine farming land near Monica, which is under cultivation and
is well improved.
Mr. Slane is pre-eminently a self-made man, well
endowed with those elements of character that make life a success, and one needs
but to peruse these pages devoted to his life record to see that he has put his
faculties to good use and is to-day a man of affluence. These many years that he
has been a resident of this county have gained him many warm friends, and his
pleasant face and genial manners make him well liked by all. He has given his
services to the township in various official capacities and has worked zealously
to promote any scheme that would in any way enhance the interests of this
locality. During the war he was Collector for two years, and for many years he
has been a member of the School Board. He was Supervisor by appointment twice,
but did not accept the position. He is a member of the Detective Thief
Association. He is prominent in politics, is an ardent Democrat, is one of the
leading members of the Central Comittee, and has been delegate to county
conventions. Five or six times he has been called on to serve on the Grand Jury.
(Portrait & Biographical Album of Peoria, Illinois (1890), pages
282-284, submitted by Gaile Thomas)
DAVID SMITH. The town of Dunlap
is the seat of the thriving business of this gentleman, who handles general
merchandise, keeping an abundant supply of well-selected goods suited to the
wants of the dwellers in the contiguous country as well as those who reside in
the corporate limits. Although Mr. Smith was reared on a farm, and spent his
earlier years in tilling the soil, he has shown his ability to conduct business
enterprises, being a judicious buyer, a genial salesman, and a capable manager.
Our subject is a son of the late James Smith, who is
numbered among the early settlers of the Prairie State having come hither in
1837, and becoming a resident of this county in 1844. At that time he located in
Radnor Township, spending the remnant of his days there, entering into rest in
1872. He married Maria Clevenger, a native of the Buckeye State, who is now
living in Dunlap. As pioneer settlers this worthy couple endured toils and
privations, and braved dangers, cheerfully bearing all in order to bestow upon
posterity a larger extent of cultivated land and a broader civilization.
The parental family was a large one, consisting of
fifteen children, of whom our subject is the eldest. He was born in Champaign
County, Ohio, July 13, 1830, and having accompanied his parents to this State,
attained to manhood in this county, in which he has spent the most of this time
since his youth. Having been reared on a farm, he pursued an agricultural career
until 1873, when removing into Dunlap, he embarked in the stock business. To
that line of trade he devoted his energies some four or five years, then turned
his attention to grain and lumber, in which he dealt about eight years. In the
meantime he established himself in the mercantile business, to which he is now
giving his attention with satisfactory results.
The estimable woman who presides over the domestic
economy in the home of Mr. Smith was known in her girlhood as Miss Martha
Chapin. She is a native of the Empire State, but prior to her marriage, was
living in Illinois, that event having been celebrated in this county, May 11,
1851. Under her skillful management the dwelling is a place of neatness, good
cheer and home comfort, and many are the neighborly deeds of kindness which she
finds time to perform. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have had five children, two of whom
died in infancy, and Florence when about fifteen years old. The survivors are:
Alice, now the wife of Paul H. Harrison; and Ann, wife of Smith Stephens.
Mr. Smith is a believer in and supporter of the principles of Republicanism. He
has filled the offices of Highway Commissioner and School Director, manifests
great interest in the welfare of the community, and the better development of
the material resources which the Prairie State affords her sons and daughters,
and lives an upright life.
(Portrait & Biographical Album of Peoria, Illinois (1890), pages
494-495, submitted by Gaile Thomas)
SNYDER, J. W., farmer, Sec. 29, P. O. Elmwood. The parents of Mr. Snyder were natives of Pennsylvania, but became pioneers of Butler county, Ohio, as early as 1807, where Mr. S. was born, August 11, 1815. Remained with his parents, assisting in the improvement and cultivation of a farm, until twenty-four years of age. On Christmas day, 1839, married Miss Maria Hursh, who was born in Northumberland county, Pa. Located in Middletown, of the same county, and embarked in hotel and livery business until 1854. Was elected county treasurer and served four years. In 1858, emigrated to Peoria county and to his present place of residence. Owns 300 acres of land, valued at $90 per acre. On the 19th day of March, 1861, his wife died, leaving five children—four sons and one daughter. Feb. 26, 1863, married Elizabeth Allewalt. She was born in Adams county, Penn., on the 29th day of August, 1833, which union was blessed with two sons. Himself and first wife were members of the U. B. Church; his present wife, of the Lutheran. Democratic in politics. Held several local offices of trust. (The History of Peoria County, Illinois, 1880, page 721, submitted by Janine Crandell)
SNYDER, MARTIN H. was born in Madison township, Butler county,
Ohio, January 15, 1845, on the same farm where his father, J. W. Snyder, was
born. He remained on the farm with his father until the latter was elected
county treasurer, in 1854. For four years thereafter he lived in Hamilton, and
had the advantages of the best schools in the city. In February, 1858, he was
sent, with his cousin and brother Jacob, in charge of his father's teams to
Illinois. Arriving in Brimfield March 2, 1858, the boys made preparations for
raising a crop on the farm his father had bought in 1854. his father arrived in
June, and from this time until twenty years of age the subject of our sketch
gave himself faithfully to the labor of the farm, and in September, 1864,
entered Lombard University in Galesburg, Ill. The call for three hundred
thousand more troops was made, and the students responded. Among the foremost
was young Snyder, and with his comrades, he was mustered into the 148th Illinois
infantry at Quincy. He was sent to the army of the Cumberland, and employed on
the defences of Nashville and the Chattanooga railroad. In September, 1865, he
was mustered out of service at Nashville, the war having closed, and returned
home. He then remained with his father until the 27th day of February, 1867,
which was the date of his marriage to Miss Kate Snyder, of Brimfield. The year
after he moved on section 21, the southwest eighty of which he owns. In the
meantime he visited Missouri and Kansas, but saw nothing to tempt him away from
Brimfield prairie; so, in 1870 he bought the farm of one hundred and twenty
acres where be now lives.
From youth to manhood M. H. Snyder always bore a
prominent part in all the enterprises of the neighborhood. The confidence of his
fellow-citizens has been shown by his appointment to the office of township
collector in 1872 upon the death of the incumbent, and in 1873 he was elected
supervisor at a closely contested election, which office he now holds. In the
county board he has given close attention to business, and been placed on some
important committees. He is secretary of the Town Farmers' Club, and also of the
County Association. In politics he is a decided democrat, but does not consider
the triumph of partisan measures so important as the success of the principles
held by the farmers of the country. Being a farmer himself, and having large
investments in agricultural business, he can understand the wants, and has ever
been a firm friend, of this class in the community.
Mr. and Mrs. Snyder buried their eldest child, a
daughter, in infancy, and have at this time two sons, Clement L. and Alexis C.
There are few men of his age in Peoria county whose prospects in life are better
than Mr. Snyder's, and he has earned the popularity he now enjoys by strict
integrity and fidelity in business. (Atlas Map of Peoria
County, Illinois, 1873, page 62, submitted by Janine Crandell)
SNYDER, M. H. farmer, Sec. 29, P. O. Elmwood. Son of J. W. Snyder, and born in Butler county, Ohio, Jan. 15, 1845. Having received a liberal education at the best schools in Hamilton, his native county, at the age of thirteen, in company with a brother and cousin, with teams, came to Illinois, arriving at Brimfield on the second day of March, 1858, and began breaking prairie on the land purchased by his father in 1854. In Sept., 1864, entered Lombard University, at Galesburg, from which he soon after enlisted in the 148th Ill. Vol. Infantry, and was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland and retained on the defence of the Nashville & Chattanooga R. R. Mustered out at Nashville, Sept., 1865. Married Miss Kate, daughter of Philip Snyder and Mary A. Schenck, of this township. She was born in Butler county, Ohio, April 14, 1845, and came to Peoria county with her parents when ten years of age. He owns 200 acres of land, valued at $75 per acre. Democratic in politics. Held the office of supervisor and collector, and was a candidate for county clerk in 1873. (The History of Peoria County, Illinois, 1880, page 721, submitted by Janine Crandell)
SNYDER, SAMUEL, wagon maker, res. Brimfield. The subject of this sketch, whose parents and family were among the first settlers of this part of the county, was born in Bedford county, Penn., on the 27th day of May, 1813, and was raised to the trade he now follows, until twenty-three years of age, when he accompanied his parents and family, consisting of two sons and two daughters, to this county, settling in Jubilee township, one and a half miles from this village. On the 14th day of March, 1839, married Miss Mary, daughter of Daniel Stansbury [last name corrected by Donna Carkenord], who settled in Jubilee township. She was born in Baltimore, April, 1818. In the Fall of 1839, the family removed to Cooper county, Mo. In 1850 the subject of this sketch went the overland route to California, and remained two years and a half. In 1853, returned to Brimfield, where he has since resided. They have four sons and four daughters, all of whom except one are settled in Peoria county. The entire family are members of the M. E. Church, Mr. S. being one of the original members, and notifying the settlers of the first services in this part of the county, held at his father's cabin in 1836. Mr. S. is Democratic in politics. (The History of Peoria County, Illinois, 1880, pages 721-722, submitted by Janine Crandell)
WILLIAM H. SOMMER. William H. Sommer, vice president and general
superintendent of the Keystone Steel & Wire Company, was born in Tremont,
Illinois, June 25, 1882, a son of Peter and Mary (Breisacher) Sommer. He
received his early education in the public schools of Peoria, Illinois, and
subsequently entered Brown's Business College. As soon as he had completed the
course of study offered at that institution he started upon his independent
career as a draftsman and pattern maker. He also did some experimental work from
1901 until 1907 for four months each year. During the summer he went west to
Utah and also spent six years in Colorado where he superintended improvements on
the various ranches the family owned. In July, 1909, he returned to Peoria and
assumed management of the factory of the Keystone Steel & Wire Company and was
elected vice president and general superintendent.
At Monte Vista, Colorado, on the 11th of June, 1911,
Mr. Sommer was married to Miss Emma Getz, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Getz.
The former was at one time an agriculturist of Tremont but is now living retired
in Colorado.
Politically Mr. Sommer is a republican. He holds
membership in the Creve Coeur Club. The family reside at 122 Columbia terrace.
(Peoria, City and County, Illinois (1912) by James M. Rice,
page 34, submitted by Janine Crandell)
C. W. SPANGLER. C. W. Spangler, who since 1868 has resided on his farm,
on section 18, Rosefield township, was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, June 18,
1834. His parents were Mathias and Sarah (Wells) Spangler, who settled in
Elmwood township in 1851 on a farm of sixty acres, where they passed the
remainder of their lives. In their family beside C. W. Spangler, of this review,
were the following children: Eliza, who died at the age of ninety-two; Mrs.
Nancy Harper, who died at the age of seventy-two; Amanda, who died at the age of
ninety-one; H. B., who died at the age of seventy-five; Washington, who died at
the age of eighteen months; O. P., who died at the age of seventy-two; Mrs.
Phoebe Sloan, who died at the age of seventy-six; Mrs. Minerva Kent, who died at
the age of seventy; and one who died in infancy in Ohio.
C. W. Spangler was only seventeen years of age when he
removed with his parents to Elmwood township and at the age of thirty-four he
purchased his present home. He now owns three hundred and twenty-five acres
which are situated in Rosefield and Elmwood townships and he engages extensively
in raising grain and a high grade of live stock. He has seventy-five acres in
corn, forty acres in wheat, thirty acres in oats, sixty acres in timothy,
fifteen acres in alfalfa, and one hundred and twenty acres in pasture. He now is
the owner of two excellent stallions, one an imported Percheron, weighing two
thousand pounds, and the other a standard bred roadster, weighing twelve hundred
pounds. He also has forty head of Poland China hogs, fifteen head of cattle and
eighteen head of horses.
On the 6th of November, 1862, Mr. Spangler was united
in marriage with Miss Rachel Magee, who was a daughter of Deacon John and Maria
(Muskimins) Magee. Mr. and Mrs. Spangler have become the parents of two
children: one who died in infancy; and Howard, born June 7, 1870. Mr. Spangler
cast his first vote for John C. Fremont and till today he is a stanch
republican. He takes a great interest in local party work and has served as
township supervisor. He has given much time to the cause of education and has
been a very efficient member of the school board. Fraternally he is identified
with the Masonic order. Mr. Spangler has now been a resident of Peoria county
for over sixty years and has lived on his present farm for more than forty-four
years. In that time he has not only been a witness to the general development of
the community but has borne his full share in the general reform and progress
and he stands in the highest regard of all with whom he is associated.
(Peoria, City and County, Illinois (1912) by James M. Rice,
pages 263-264, submitted by Janine Crandell)
EDWARD C. SPANGLER. Edward C. Spangler, who
resides on his farm of one hundred and sixty acres on section thirty-six of
Elmwood township, was born in that township in 1853. His parents were Henry B.
and Cynthia A. (Lawhead) Spangler, who came from Zanesville, Ohio, to Peoria
county, Illinois, in 1848, and located on a farm in Elmwood township. In their
family were four children of whom Edward C. of this review is the second in
order of birth.
Edward C. Spangler was reared under the parental roof,
remaining at home until about twenty years of age, when he began working out as
a farm hand in which occupation he was employed for about six years. He was on
the plains of Texas and later Wyoming and then in Colorado, where he had some
very interesting experiences in the hunting of buffalo. In 1877 he purchased
eighty acres of improved land in Rosefield township and resided there for
seventeen years, after which he rented his farm and was engaged for eight years
in the real-estate business in Elmwood township. In 1894 he sold his farm of
eighty acres and in 1895 his wife inherited one hundred and ninety-five acres
which he also sold the same year, and then purchased a farm of two hundred and
seven acres on section six of Logan township. In the spring of 1912 he sold that
and bought his present farm, on which he engages in general farming.
In 1883 Mr. Spangler wedded Miss Maggie M. Kershaw.
They have four children: Eva M., the wife of Hayes Corbett, of Elmwood; Clarence
H., at home; Harold L., who is in business at Bowen, Illinois; and Cecil V., who
is working for his brother in Bowen. Mr. Spangler is a republican in politics
and fraternally he is a member of the Court of Honor. He has been very
successful in his farming interests and in all his business relations, and is
one of the prosperous men of his township. (Peoria, City and County, Illinois (1912) by James M. Rice,
page 85, submitted by Janine Crandell)
SQUIRE A. STOOKEY, a sturdy
and substantial farmer of Trivoli Township, has attained a very prominent
position among the members of his class in this vicinity. His fine farm consists
of one hundred acres on section 27, all tillable except twenty acres, and having
a living spring in every field. It is particularly well adapted for
stock-raising and for the cultivation of hay and grass, to which good judgement
of the owner has largely devoted t. The most of the improvements upon the place
have been made by him; they include orchard, groves, tile drains, good fences,
and a full line of farm buildings.
The ancestry of Mr. Stookey is detailed in the sketch of his brother, the Hon.
D. B. Stookey, which occupies an appropriate place in this volume. The birth of
our subject took place on the farm he now occupies, February 24, 1855, and here
he was reared, having the advantage of attendance at good common schools until
about seventeen years old. From the age of nine years he had been bearing such a
share as his strength would permit in the labors of the estate, and when
eighteen years old, he took charge of the home farm, which at that time
consisted of one hundred and seventy acres. It was devoted to general farming,
our subject remaining with his father, working for him and taking charge of
everything until the death of his parent. He then rented the farm for two years,
after which he bought one hundred and forty acres of it. Of this he subsequently
sold forty acres to his brother-in-law, Mark Graham.
As before stated, Mr. Stookey has given much of his attention to the raising of
stock, though crops are not neglected. The machinery used upon the estate is of
the latest and most approved models, and every means is taken to insure large
crops of fine quality. The cattle raised are a good grade of Short-horns, and
the swine are full-blooded Poland-Chinas. Two teams of draft horses are used in
the work of the estate.
For so young a man, Mr. Stookey has certainly no reason to be dissatisfied with
his financial success or the standing which he has secured in the community. The
confidence of his fellow-citizens has been shown by his election to the office
of Collector in 1885 and in 1889. He has also advanced their interests as School
Trustee one term. He is a sturdy Democrat, whose ability has been made use of by
sending him as a delegate to county conventions. Honorable in private life,
peaceable and law-abiding as a citizen, and displaying much energy in whatsoever
he undertakes, Mr. Stookey is looked upon with respect by all who know him.
On September 16, 1880, in Logan Township, Mr. Stookey was united in marriage
with Miss Nellie S. Wilson, who was born in Trivoli Township, here received her
education, and surrounded by good home influences, grew to womanhood. She is the
daughter of John and Jane Wilson, early settlers, and occupants of a farm in
this township. She is a member of the Presbyterian Church at Brunswick,
possesses a consistent Christian character, and is an efficient helpmate and
companion. The union between Mr. and Mrs. Stookey has resulted in the birth of
four children – Edith L., Nelson A., Earl L. and an infant unnamed. Earl L. is
the only one now living, the others having died in early infancy.
(Portrait & Biographical Album of Peoria, Illinois (1890), page
917, submitted by Jeff McCoy)
ORSON B. STOWELL. The life of the farmer is not devoid of opportunities for the practice of the
sterling virtues of industry, perseverance, honesty, and brotherly kindness. On
the contrary, it affords abundant chance for the efforts of all who wish to
build up a fine character, while carrying on the vocation in which they hope to
secure a competence and make provision for their declining years. That this is
true, may be seen in the life of the gentleman above named, an honored and
influential resident of Hallock Township. He is active in local politics, and in
those movements which tend to advance the welfare of the community in material
affairs, in mind and in spirit, and he and his wife are among the leaders of
society in their section of the State.
The grandfather of our subject, Bisha Stowell, who was born in the Green
Mountain State, December 9, 1779, descended from a family who had settled in
Massachusetts on coming from England about the middle of the seventeenth
century. Some of the descendants afterward took up their abode in Vermont, where
Grandfather Stowell, after attaining to proper years became a farmer. He married
Hannah Fields, who was born March 20, 1784, presumably in the same State, and
died in 1819. The husband survived her some years, and coming to Illinois in
1840 with a son, died at their new location in Hallock Township, Peoria County,
a few days later---September 5. He had married a second wife, who also died in
this county, the date of her decease being in 1859. She was born in 1792, and
bore the maiden name of Mary Johnson. Bisha Stowell and his wives belonged to
the Presbyterian Church, following its teachings with the strictness of the New
England stock whence they sprang.
The children of Bisha Stowell and his first wife were eight in number, of whom
Ebenezer, the father of our subject, was the third. All are now deceased, as are
likewise five of the seven children of the second wife. Ebenezer Stowell was
born in Chenango County, N. Y., October 19, 1807. He served a regular
apprenticeship to a millwright, becoming a skilled workman at the trade, which
he followed in New York and Pennsylvania until 1843. At that date he made a
permanent location in Peoria County, Ill., spending the remainder of his active
life as a farmer. He had made his first trip hither with two kinsmen ---
Rosswell and Isaiah Nurse --- in 1836, coming most of the way on foot. The three
men purchased a large tract of wild land in Peoria and Marshall Counties, which
was placed in the market that year, after which our subject returned to his
native State to sojourn there a few years longer. Besides carrying on his trade,
Mr. Stowell was for a few years connected with a lumber company at Binghampton,
N. Y.
Bringing his family and some household goods across the country with a team and
wagon, Ebenezer Stowell began the development of his land on section 3, where he
ere long became well and favorably known. His first wife was Pauline Bridgeman,
who was born in New York, April 14, 1811, and died there May 7, 1834, after the
birth of her only child. She was a noble young woman in the prime of life, whose
promising career was cut short by an untimely death, and left grief and sorrow
in many hearts. Mr. Stowell married for his second wife Laura Bridgeman, a
sister of his first companion, and her worthy successor as a helpmate. She was
born July 11, 1808, and died April 2, 1889. She and her husband were
Congregationalists, and charter members of the organization in this county,
which was begun with six members, and located at Lawn Ridge. Mr. Stowell
breathed his last May 7, 1880.
The second marriage of the father of our subject was productive of eight
children, six of whom are still living. They and their elder brother, our
subject, were carefully reared, being given every advantage which their
surroundings would allow to become intelligent, well-read, and upright in
character. He of whom we write, was born in Binghampton, N. Y., May 7, 1834, and
was but a small boy when he accompanied his father and stepmother to the West.
He grew to the age of twenty years in the township which is now his home, then
spent four years on the road in this State and Indiana. He then married and
settled where he has since resided, now owning two hundred and ten acres of good
land, most of it under improvement. A full line of necessary and convenient farm
buildings stand upon the broad acres, the dwelling being particularly homelike
in appearance, and the evidences of progressive, practical oversight being
manifest on every hand.
The lady who presides over the household economy at the home of our subject, was
known in her maidenhood as Miss Harriet R. Church. She was born in St. Lawrence
County, N. Y., October 9, 1833, was reared with great care, and received a good
practical education. She is a motherly woman, to whom her children owe much for
her devotion and wise counsel, while to her husband her price is far above
rubies. She is one of nine children born to Norman and Rebecca (Delurga) Church,
the father having been a native of Massachusetts, of New England parentage, and
the mother born in Vermont, but of French ancestry. Mr. Church died in the
Empire State in middle life, and his widow subsequently came West, living to the
age of eighty-one years, and dying in Galva, this State. She belonged to the
Methodist Church.
Mr. and Mrs. O. B. Stowell have had five children, two of whom --- Fanny and
Luther ---are still inmates of the parental home. The third child, L. Rebecca,
married J. B. Bell, and died under her parents' roof, January 13, 1890, leaving
a daughter, Jennie B., who has since followed the mother to the tomb; William
L., the eldest son, married Alice Merrill, and occupies a farm in the same
township as his father; lydia P. is the wife of James P. Green, a farmer in
Marshall County. All the children are naturally smart, and having had their
faculties well developed, are self supporting, well informed, and useful members
of the community. Parents and children belong to the Congregational Church. Mr.
Stowell is now Justice of the Peace, has other local offices, and takes an
active part in political affairs of the section. He is a sound Republican.
(Portrait & Biographical Album of Peoria, Illinois (1890), pages
538-539, submitted by Gaile Thomas)
FRIEDRICH STREIBICH. Among the prominent German-American citizens of Peoria
was Friedrich Streibich. He was born in Baden, Germany, on June 12, 1827, a son
of Joseph Streibich, and on coming to America in 1847 made his way to Peoria,
then a young man of twenty years. Here he improved his opportunities for
advancement and in 1850 engaged in the hotel business while the following year
he became proprietor of the William Tell house which he conducted until 1853. In
that year he built the Washington House which he managed until 1857 when he sold
out and built the summer resort at the corner of Smith and McReynolds streets.
At that place he continued until 1865 when he established vineyards and a wine
garden at 1006 Moss avenue. This became a popular resort and speedily proved to
be a very profitable enterprise. Mr. Streibich possessed the native
characteristics of the German race – thrift and diligence – and so conducted and
managed his affairs as to win success. He understood the German people and their
desires and gave to them a resort that was attractive to all his nationality.
In Peoria, on the 10th of June, 1851, Mr. Streibich was
married to Miss Sarah Bauer, and they became the parents of four children,
Joseph, Francisca, Frederick F. and John C. Mr. Streibich was for many years a
Mason and one of the first members of Schiller lodge. He gave his political
allegiance to the democrat party, studying the questions and issues of the day
with the result that his ballot gave indorsement to democrat principles. He
never had occasion to regret his determination to come to the new world for here
he found the opportunities which he sought and which he improved as the years
passed by, gaining at length a creditable position among the substantial
residents of his adopted city. (Peoria, City and County, Illinois (1912) by James M. Rice,
page 184, submitted by Kup Fercell)
JOHN C. STREIBICH. Various important business interests feel the stimulus of
the enterprise and energy and profit by the cooperation of John C. Streibich,
who in his business career has made steady progress and is now conducting a
large and profitable enterprise as a dealer in commercial supplies and in
wrapping, building and roofing paper. He is also a director of the Illinois
National Bank and president of Schembs Printing Company of Peoria and has
important business connections outside of this city. He was born in Peoria,
November 25, 1868, and is the son of Friederich and Sarah Streibich, the former,
one of the early citizens here, arriving about 1845.
John C. Streibich was reared in this city and in his boyhood attended the public
schools. Throughout his entire business career he has been connected with the
paper trade. In 1873 he began to work in a paper store, continuing in that line
until he established a business of his own. He acquainted himself with the trade
in principle and detail and won gradual advancement through his capability, his
industry and his fidelity. At length when the capital saved from his earnings
was sufficient he embarked in business on his own account, handling commercial
supplies and all kinds of wrapping, building and roofing paper, commercial
stationery and printing paper. He is the exclusive agent in Peoria for the Globe
Wernicke letter files and elastic cabinets and for the Herring-Hall-Marvin fire
and burglar proof steel safes and vaults. With the development of his business
as a dealer in paper he naturally extended his efforts to kindred lines and
became president of the Schembs Printing Company of Peoria and a director of the
Usona Manufacturing Company of Aurora, Illinois, manufacturers of prepared
roofing. His original paper store was located at No. 301 South Washington street
and was opened in 1884. It was then but a small enterprise but has gradually
grown and is now many times larger. In addition to handling in Peoria all kinds
of wrapping and building paper and commercial stationery, blank books, etc., he
handles the Usona roofing papers manufactured at Aurora. These are of various
kinds, supplying every need known to the trade.
In 1885, Mr. Streibich was married to Miss Camilla Klewe, a daughter of H. Klewe,
of Peoria, and they have one child, Anna Adele. Mr. Streibich is prominent in
fraternal organizations. He has taken the Knight Templar degree in Masonry and
is also a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. He is a Knight of Pythias, belongs to the
Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, of which lodge he is a charter member, the
Fraternal Reserve, and the Improved Order of Red Men. In more strictly social
lines he is connected with the Creve Coeur and the Peoria Country Clubs. His
social and commercial prominence are [sic] well merited, for in him are those
commendable traits of character which work for the progress along business and
individual lines. Notably energetic, prompt and reliable, he possesses the
quality of commercial sense, which is too often lacking in the business world,
combined with resistless will power. His methods, too, have always been of a
constructive character and, never seeking success at the cost of another's
failure, he has gained not only material prosperity but the good-will and
confidence of the public. (Peoria, City and County, Illinois (1912) by James M. Rice,
page 783, submitted by Kup Fercell)
