1894 Plat Book of Morgan County Illinois

Michael Rapp was born in Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1815. He was the youngest son of Michael and Susan Rapp, who were of German descent. Mr. Rapp received his education in Pennsylvania, and learned his trade at Reading, in that State, after which he removed to Indiana, where he remained one year. In the fall of 1836, he came to Jacksonville, Illinois. His first engagement was in the firm of Stacy & Rapp, which continued till 1843, when he carried on the business as sole proprietor, doing a thriving business in the saddle and harness trade till 1870, when his son, Wm. B. Rapp, became his successor. His shop is on the east side of the square. Mr. Rapp was married, October 20, 1839, to Miss Eliza Whitaker, of Wayne county, Illinois. By this marriage he had Wm. B., his successor in business, and Susan, wife of Alexander Platt, plasterer, bricklayer, and builder, of Jacksonville. His first wife died in 1845. He was again married to his present wife, Miss Susan Ford, daughter of Thos. And Malinda Ford, of Jacksonville, by whom he has four children, Thos. H., Michael D., Chas. Edward, and Kate Otillia, all living, with their parents. Politically, Mr. R. was a democrat till 1856, when he became a republican. He has been an acting member of the M. E. Church since 1837. He was one of the corporate trustees of the town, and at this time, is a member of the city council. Mr. Rapp, as an upright Christian and business man, has a record which has called around him a large circle of friends, by whom he is highly esteemed.

William Ratekin, ex-mayor of Jacksonville, was born December 24, 1815, in Pulaski county, Kentucky. He is the fourth child of Joseph and Elizabeth Ratekin, who were natives of Virginia, and who emigrated to Kentucky at an early day. He came to Morgan county with his family in 1829, and located on a farm south of Jacksonville. After residing there six years, he removed to Warren county, Illinois, where he resided till his death, in 1865. His widow is still living. The mother of Mr. Ratekin died when he was a small boy. He received his early education in the commons schools of Morgan county. At the age of sixteen he commenced learning the trade of bricklaying, which business he has carried on for a period of twenty years. He was married, in 1826, to Miss Matilda, daughter of William Grimsley, of Morgan county, who was one of the early settlers, and Baptist clergyman. Mrs. Ratekin was a native of Tennessee. They have had a family of four children, all of whom are deceased. Mr. Ratekin has been thrice married. His present wife (formerly Mrs. Bourn) has two daughters, which constitutes their family at present. Mr. Ratekin, in 1836, commenced business in Jacksonville, with a cash capital of only eleven dollars; but by persevering energy and industry he has secured a comfortable home and a good business. He has the confidence and respect of a large circle of patrons and friends. He followed his trade as a builder and bricklayer till October, 1855, when he embarked in the grocery business, which he as followed ever since, and is largely engaged in on west State street, near the public square. In the spring of 1871, as the nominee of the Republican party, Mr. Ratekin was elected mayor of the city of Jacksonville, which responsible position he filled creditably to himself and with satisfaction to his constituents. In early life Mr. Ratekin was a member of the democratic party, and supported Stephen A. Douglas when he was elected representative of the state legislature. Since the inauguration of the republican party he has been an active and zealous republican. He was a staunch supporter of the Union cause during the late rebellion, and made a record for himself which will long reflect credit upon him as a patriotic citizen and an efficient business man. He is an honest, upright, exemplary man, and has the esteem and confidence of a large circle of friends.

Huram Reave was born in North Carolina, in May, 1806. He is the seventh child of Isaac and Kerenhapuck Reave, who, with his family, settled in township 15, range 11, Morgan county, in 1820. He was the first blacksmith in the county. He started by putting his anvil on a stump, and fastening his bellows to saplings. The first death in the township was that of his son, John, who died in 1822. Mrs. Reave died in 1852. Her husband died several years later, at the advanced age of 100 years. The subject of this sketch came to Morgan county with his father. He has followed agricultural pursuits. He was married, at the age of twenty-eight, to Miss Margaret McMillen, of Kentucky. They had, by this union, five children, only one of whom is now living. Mrs. Reave died in 1847. He was married to his present wife, Miss Ursulla Proctor, July 16, 1867. Mr. Reave commenced life very poor, but by persevering industry he has succeeded in acquiring a comfortable competence. Politically, Mr. R. was a whig, and is now a republican. He was personally acquainted with the pure patriot and noble martyr, Abraham Lincoln. Mr. R. is a member of the Presbyterian church, and is one of the very few now living who, fifty-two years ago made up the one hundred citizens in the present limits of Morgan county. He is one of the few living spectators of the growth and progress of the county from a wild, unsettled region, to its present rank among the wealthy and cultivated counties of the state.

James S. Rector was born in Fauquier county, Virginia, Oct. 4, 1816. He is the fifth child of Vincent Rector, who settled in Morgan county in January, 1835, where he resided till March, 1837, when he removed to Pike county, Mo., and resided there until his death, in November, 1856. His wife died in 1843.

James S. Rector received his early education in his native state. He came to Illinois, with his parents, in 1835, and went with them to Missouri, but returned to Morgan county. He was married to Miss Minerva Morton, daughter of Col. Joseph Morton, one of the first settlers of Morgan County. Mrs. Rector was born April 25, 1824. She is one of the oldest natives of Jacksonville precinct. Mr. and Mrs. Rector have had a family of thirteen children, of whom nine are still living, and five are married and well settled in life. Mr. Rector is emphatically a self-made man. He began life with a determined mind, supported by muscular hands, and, with that perseverance for which many of the old settlers are noted (through the Divine blessing), made life a success; the word "fail" was not found in his vocabulary. By persevering industry he has secured a competence, educated and bred a large family, and has now one of the most valuable farms of over eight hundred acres adjoining the city on the east line of the corporation limits. Their living children, in order of their ages are: Mary Jane, present wife of A. B. Green; Clara Matilda, wife of David D. Fitch; George W., who was married to Miss Lydia Sibert, and is at present located near Meredosia; James B., residing at home; Sarah Isabelle, present wife of James E. Welch; Ellen, present wife of Dr. T. V. Welch, residing at Concord; and Joseph L., Lois Olive and Minnie L., who are at home with their parents. Mrs. Rector and her daughters Mary and Belle are members of the Christian Church, of Jacksonville. Mr. Rector, politically, is democratic. He is among the good substantial farmers of Morgan County. He is esteemed for his many good qualities as a husband, parent, and public-spirited citizen. A lithographic view of his farm residence will appear elsewhere in this work.

John B. Reid was born in Fayette county, Kentucky, May 28, 1826. He is the youngest child of Stephen H. and Mary Reid, who had a family of eleven children, of whom six are yet living. In the spring of 1827, Mr. Reid removed with his family to Morgan county, where he settled on a farm one mile north of Jacksonville. He died October 9, 1827. His widow survived him till 1868, remaining a widow. On the 27th of November, 1851, the subject of this record, was married to Miss Mary Weir, daughter of Milton and Sarah Weir, of Cass County, Illinois. They have had a family of eight children - five boys and three girls - all still living. As a farmer and stock grower, Mr. Reid has been successful. When he commenced life, he possessed but a small capital, but being a man of energy, he has carved out of the rough material considerable valuable property, and how has a farm of little over eight hundred acres, and a comfortable city property. In the spring of 1868, Mr. Reid removed to Jacksonville, that he might give his children the advantages of the schools of the city. He and his family are members of the Methodist church.

Harry Reinbach was born in Hamburg, Germany in December, 1810. He emigrated to this country in 1836, and became a citizen of Franklin, Morgan county, in May, 1840, where he opened the first general stock of goods in that town. He has continued his business, and, by an upright course of dealing for over thirty years, has won the confidence and esteem of his patrons and the community. He has for twenty-seven years been doing business in the same building, and is now largely engaged in dry goods, boots and shoes, groceries, hardware, clothing, drugs, and notions. Mr. Reinbach, as a reliable, public-spirited business man, is appreciated by a large class of acquaintances in the county and state of his adoption.

Wm. Rice was born near Columbia, Maury county, Tennessee, February 17, 1821. His father, Ebenezer Rice, and family, of whom are John D. Rice, of Concord, Elbert G., residing four miles west of Jacksonville, and the subject of this sketch, residing near Concord. Mr. E. Rice had four sons in the Christian ministry. He was married December 9, 1847, to Eliza Jane, youngest daughter of James Campbell. In the spring of 1847, he came to his present residence, southeast quarter of section 14, township 16, range 12. Mr. Rice has had a family of nine children in the following order of birth: Martha Jane, deceased; Jas. C., Samuel F., Mary Louisa, deceased; Edward E., John H., deceased; Ida M., Elmer Ellsworth, and Wm. Allen. The six living are at home with their parents. Mr. Rice is one of the estimable citizens and good farmers of the county.

William Richardson was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England, April 13, 1814. He was the sixth child of John and Elizabeth Richardson, who were also natives of Yorkshire, England. His father had a family of eight children, two of whom died in England. He emigrated with his family of five children (his son Vincent emigrated the year before), in 1831, and arrived in Morgan county on the 22d of October of that year, and settled in township 15, range 11, on the same section and farm where William now resides. The names of the children are: Vincent, Peter D., Sarah, William, Eliza, and Jane. Mr. Richardson bought and rented land enough to make him about one section (640 acres), besides the timber land. Mrs. Richardson and her son, the subject of this sketch, were the first members of the present Methodist Episcopal church, which now worships at the chapel called the Wesley Chapel. The house of Mrs. Richardson was ever open to the pioneer preachers of the Methodist Episcopal church, and many of them who are still living, remember, with a lively interest, "Mother Richardson," as she was called, whose hand was ever ready to administer to their temporal wants. She was, in short, a zealous, Christian woman, and three of her children were, with her, members of the Methodist Episcopal church. John Richardson was a man of those sterling qualities which make up the character of the useful citizen. He died May 12, 1856. His wife died November 6, 1862, aged eighty-eight years.

The subject of this sketch received his early education in England. He was married in August, 1841, to Miss Anne Rawlings, daughter of William and Mary Rawlings, of Morgan county, formerly of England. They have had ten children, eight of whom are still living; viz.: Mary Jane, residing with her parents; Elizabeth present wife of Alfred Hayden, of the firm of Russell & Hayden, Merchants, west side of the Square, Jacksonville, Ill.; Rachael, present wife of Isaac Lazenby, and Peter D., residing with their parents; Emma, wife of Henry Oaks, of Scott county; Harriet Ann, at home with her parents; Eliza, at home with her parents; and Sarah Ellen, at home with her parents. Anne and Clara are deceased. Mr. Richardson, politically, was formerly a Whig, but is now a firm republican. He sustained the flag of the country by a good home influence during the war of the rebellion. He is an upright Christian man and a good citizen. The beautiful row of forest trees on the north side of the street, near, and in front of, his farm residence, were set out by him in the spring of 1852.

Vincent S. Richardson, the third son of John Richardson, was born near Scarborough, Yorkshire, England, May 9th, 1806. Knowing full well, in his early youth, that the star of empire was westward bound, this young man, in the strength of manhood, with aspirations of success in the life based upon a protecting Providence, and a firm will, bade adieu to his native land and the associates of his early life, and, after a journey of fifteen weeks, arrived in Jacksonville, then a prairie village. That was in 1830, when the beautiful trees which now adorn the "Athens of the West," had not been planted, nor any of the fine residences and public buildings been erected. In the spring of 1831 Mr. Richardson bought a farm in section 28, township 15, range 11, and also entered the same year, four hundred acres more, being the last land subject to entry in the township. Mr. Richardson was married, on his first visit to his native land, to an estimable young lady, Miss Lydia Rawlings, whose family have since become citizens of the county. The fruit of this union were the following children, viz: Mary Ann, born June 25, 1837, present wife of Robert Rilley; John Valentine, born February 14, 1840; Elizabeth W., born December 29, 1842, wife of Charles Lazenby; William R., born April 28, 1850; and James Isaac, born March 13, 1854; the last two are at home with their father. His wife died December 3, 1865, aged fifty-four years, lacking two days. Mr. Richardson still lives to enjoy the society of a large family, who are ornaments to the society that has grown up around him. He has made, in all, two visits to England, but has not seen sufficient attraction in his native land to cause him to leave the society and country of his adoption. He is respected for his upright course of life, and loved for his many and Christian virtues.

Henry Ricks was born in Germany, January 2, 1823. He is the son of Casper and Kate Ricks, who, with their family of nine children, came to this country in December, 1843, landing in New Orleans. Casper soon after settled in Beardstown, Cass county, Ill., where he spent the remainder of his life. Henry Ricks left Beardstown in 1847, and for three years, was steward in the American House, Springfield, Ill. He was married in March, 1852, to Miss Margaret Hahn, daughter of Peter Hahn. They have had seven children, five of whom are still living. Mr. Ricks was proprietor of the Madison House, at Springfield, for fifteen years. He settled in the fall of 1866, one mile north of the city of Jacksonville, where he now resides. He is the proprietor of the Morgan Brewery, which is the largest in the county. Mr. Ricks commenced life with a very small capital, but by energy and activity, he has accumulated a good property. The past year he erected a substantial residence near the site of his old one, a view of which can be seen elsewhere in this work. Mr. Ricks, like scores of the prominent citizens of Morgan county, is a self made man, one who understands his business, and who has made money by minding his business.

Col. Peter Roberts was born in Washington County, east Tennessee, January 12, 1812. He emigrated and settled in Morgan county April 1, 1833. His father, Wilson Roberts, soon after became a citizen of Morgan county, adding, by his own industry and that of his family of thirteen children, much to the intellectual and physical improvement of the community in which he located. His father settled about three miles southwest of the village of Franklin, where he remained (except about one year in Texas) till his death, which occurred February 26, 1868. He was loved and respected by a large circle of friends and acquaintances, leaving nine children living, of whom a number are citizens of Morgan county, in which their father spent the closing years of a long, industrious life. Col. Roberts was married October 24, 1840, to Miss Emeline McGinnis, of his native county. By this union he has living (beside two daughters who died in infancy): Thomas Benton, the patentee of "The Roberts Diamond Cultivator", one of the prominent practical improvements in agricultural implements of this age; George Douglas, residing with his father; James Polk, who has a fruit agency with Spaulding & Co., of Springfield, Illinois; Hardin Wallace, one of the teachers well known in portions of Morgan county; and Florence, who is residing with her parents.

Col. Roberts took an active part in the Mormon struggle, being associated with General John J. Hardin. He was deputed to convey the order of Gov. Ford to Gen. Singleton, who, with his forces, was at Augusta, Hancock county, to disband his forces. This order Gen. Singleton had the discretion to obey. He was also an acting colonel in the state militia, at the time of the Mexican war, and took an active part in the organization of company G of Col. Hardin's regiment; but an electric stroke disabled him, and he was unfit to act further in that struggle. He has, as a delegate to several state conventions. Served the people; also, as deputy sheriff and constable for a series of years. As a citizen, Col. Roberts is esteemed for his probity, industry, and public spirited action, in sustaining such measures as have for their object the advancement of the public weal and the interests of his fellow citizens. His stock farm is one of the best in the county. A correct view of his substantial farm residence appears elsewhere in this work.

John Robertson was born in Morgan county, Ill., February 2, 1823. He is the youngest child of Alexander and Elizabeth Robertson, who were both natives of Scotland. Mr. R., after his marriage, came to this country, and settled in Warren county, New York, in 1804. His business was farming. In 1821 he moved with his family to Morgan county, Illinois, and settled on a farm in township 15, range 9, and when the land came into market, he purchased three hundred and twenty acres. When Mr. R. first came to the county he had but little means. With his wife and nine children he commenced the life struggle. He was a man of persistent energy and unyielding will, and these traits, with economy and firm integrity, made him successful and respected. He died November 14, 1858. His aged and beloved wife, who had for so many years shared his toils and participated in his joys, died February 15, 1862. They were both among the original members of the First Presbyterian church of Jacksonville. Only three of their children are now living. John, his son, in early life, grew up without the advantages of a liberal education. He followed farming with his father till his marriage to Miss Mary Ann, daughter of Rev. Thomas Drinkwater, which occurred December 18, 1844. They had by this marriage nine children, eight of whom are still living. Mr. Robertson, after his marriage, carried on the old homestead, in which, as a farmer and stock grower, he has been very successful. He has added largely to the original homestead. The acquisition of his property has been the legitimate results of his industrious habits and good financial management. He possessed those qualities which are a sure guarantee of success in business. His wife died at their farm residence, east of Jacksonville, May 10, 1867. Mr. Robertson was again married, October 6, 1870, to Miss Kate Rawlings, and is residing in Jacksonville for a short period, for the purpose of educating his family. Here he is giving his children the advantages of the excellent institutions of learning for which Jacksonville is noted. Mr. Robertson and family are members of the Westminster Presbyterian church. He is still largely engaged in carrying on farming. He is also a capitalist, interested in banking in several localities. He is one of the citizens of Morgan county who commenced life with small means and a limited education, but, by praiseworthy energy and honest industry, he has accumulated wealth, and by close application, has acquired a good, substantial business education. He is truly and emphatically, a self-made man, and an ornament to the community in which he has lived more than half a century.

Joel Robinson, the subject of this article, was born in September, 1794, near the Lost river, Hardie county, Virginia. Stephen Robinson, the father of the above, was a blacksmith, and wagon maker; he also attended to the management of a large farm. His mother, whose maiden name was Sallie Oldaker, was the daughter of an old resident of the county. Both the parents were born and raised in the state, and were descended from among the earliest families of the "Old Dominion". By consulting some ancient historical matter, we feel justified in stating that the Robinsons and Oldakers immigrated into Virginia about 1650. In conversation with Mr. Robinson, he stated that he has many a time, in company with his father, gone fishing on the Lost river. This stream flows under the mountain, from which circumstance the river derives its name. Many a poem has derived its source from the sparkling waters of Lost river, and the writer has loved to dwell on the unknown mouth of the rippling stream. Close by the river the pine trees grew in abundance. From their juice the natives manufactured pitch, which they applied on their wagons in the same manner as paint. In many other ways their economical and ingenious tastes called up devices which would astonish the farmer of the present generation. When Joel was eight years of age, his parents removed to Ohio, and settled near Lancaster. They remained here two years, and then located in Licking county. While a resident of Lancaster, and also in Licking county, Joel attended school for a limited period of time. Most of his education was obtained from his mother, who devoted her time and talents to the instruction of her children in the rudiments of our mother tongue. Eleven children were made the responsibility resting upon her shoulders - a severe, though loving task. In point of age, Mr. Robinson ranked the third. It is worthy of mention, that before death seized a member of that family circle, all had arrived at maturity, and were married. At the date of writing his personal history, all are dead with the exception of Mr. Robinson and two younger sisters. He remained at home till his twenty-second year. The country was heavily timbered with beech, sugar maple, oak, chestnut, and other varieties of forest trees. In those dense beech groves it required several days' chopping before the sun could be seen from the new clearing. The turkeys and other wild fowl, living on the delicious nuts, were very large and afforded the hunter a large and constant supply of meat. Sometimes in a few hours sufficient game could be killed to make a very large load for the strongest pack horse. Rare sport the hunters had in those good old days. At the age of twenty-two Mr. R. was married to Miss Betsy Greene, daughter of John Greene, of Licking county, Ohio. Mr. Greene had lived in Ohio many years prior to the marriage of his daughter. Mr. Robinson remained in Ohio seven years after his marriage. For four years he cultivated on some of his father's land (his father possessed over a thousand acres at that time), and labored early and late to improve the same. Not satisfied with the prospect of becoming the owner of the soil, he located on some of his father-in-law's land. He improved the latter about three years, or while he remained in the Buckeye state. Mr. Greene exchanged his farm for some raw Illinois prairie, so Mr. Robinson and lady accompanied the family of Mr. Greene on their western trip. It was a pleasant tour, the general aspect of the country being far more beautiful than the land in their former home. Upon arriving in this state, Mr. Greene learned that his property was situated beyond the Illinois river; so he started on a journey to view his new possession, and the balance of the party remaining in Morgan county. Upon coming to the river, Mr. G. found only a small canoe to assist in crossing the stream. He returned to Morgan county, and resolved to purchase some land when it came into market, and immediately rented some property for the joint use of himself and Mr. Robinson. Mr. R. received nothing whatever for improving his father's land. Mr. Greene was more liberal, in as much as he gave his son-in-law two eighties of the prairie beyond the Illinois river, which the latter sold for sixty dollars. Thus, Mr. R. received sixty dollars for seven years' hard labor. Upon leaving Ohio, he had his team, two cows, and twenty-five dollars in cash. When he arrived in Morgan county he only possessed five dollars of the original twenty-five. At the date of selling his land, he was the owner of the team, the cows, and a few calves. Thus we note the condition of Mr. Robinson, with a wife and three children depending upon him for support, and only sixty dollars to afford the same. It was in August, 1823, when he settled upon the land which he still retains in his possession. There were a few Indians in the country at that time. Mr. R. often received calls from his strange neighbors, who wished to obtain provisions. He freely supplied stock or other property. Game was plenty, especially the deer, which ran over the prairie in large numbers. The "deep snow" stories of Mr. R. are very full of interesting details, and fully demonstrate that the winter of 1830-31 was the most severe on record. There were forty different snow storms, and the snow would average nearly four feet in depth; in some places it was from ten to fifteen feet in depth. Mr. Robinson was happily situated, and so endured that terrible winter with comparative comfort. His corn and other grain were gathered. The timber was near his humble cabin. With a large supply of provisions, he waited till the storms were over. Mrs. Robinson died of consumption several years after this winter, leaving six children, four having previously died in infancy. Mr. Robinson was again married, in April, 1834, to Miss Melinda Howard, daughter of Sylvester Howard, Esq., an early pioneer of this county.

Since these former dark periods, Mr. Robinson has been a successful farmer, and has accumulated a handsome fortune. He served for six months as a soldier in the war of 1812; was stationed at Sandusky and Detroit, and was in the British Possessions several times, in order to relieve troops and carry provisions. Since February, 1871, he has received a pension of eight dollars per month, the government having finally paid some attention to their duty toward the veteran soldiery. Though not engaged in the Indian wars and the Mormon troubles, yet his account of the raising of troops, and the excitement incident to those times, is very vivid. The old hero is in his seventy-ninth year, but his memory and other faculties are well preserved. Though for some years retired from the duties of active life, he still is deeply interested in the same, and every ready, by means of his sound judgment, to give practical advice on all industrial and other subjects. A believer in the prevention, rather than the cure, of crime, he is a strong advocate of the general dissemination of learning, by means of our public school system. His children follow in the footsteps of their honored father, and afford the veteran a never-failing well-spring of joy and gratification. It is worthy of mention, that the hospitality of Mr. Robinson is unbounded, and his good nature and excellent colloquial abilities make a call upon his family extremely interesting. In a pleasant home, embosomed in shrubbery, he is enjoying the fruit of his early labors, and contemplating the changes that have resulted since he came, a poor farmer, into Morgan county. The present generation cannot but be encouraged by his example to follow some laudable avocation, and to pursue the same with energy and persistence.

Dennis Rockwell was born in Windsor county, Connecticut, June 30, 1793. He was the oldest son of Daniel and Lucretia Rockwell, who were also citizens of Connecticut. Dennis Rockwell received his early education in the common schools of New England. In 1810 he was engaged as a clerk in the government land office in Washington, which position he filled for eight years. He emigrated to Edwardsville, Madison county, Illinois, in 1818, where he was employed as land agent, until the organization of Morgan county, when he was appointed by Governor Bond recorder and notary public of Morgan county. He was married, February 14th, 1822, to Miss Eliza J. Austin, daughter of J. D. and Sarah D. Austin, who were afterwards citizens of Morgan county, and where they spent the closing years of their lives. Soon after his marriage Mr. Rockwell came to the county of Morgan, where, by his past experience (in the general land office at Washington and at Edwardsville) of twelve years, with his correctness, as a business man, he was eminently qualified for the sphere of usefulness he was called to fill in the early settlement of the county. He was county clerk twenty years; clerk of the circuit court, recorder and postmaster, besides other offices of less note, filling two or more of those posts of trust at the same time. He was also cashier of the Branch State Bank, at Jacksonville. He was reappointed, in 1851, to a position in a land office at Washington, under Mr. Wilson, which he retained three years. He removed to Chicago in the spring of 1854, where he was largely engaged in the manufacture and sale of lumber, in the firm of J. L. James & Co., and afterwards in the firm of Hannah & Rockwell. He continued in these two firms five years, when, with his second wife (his first wife died January 16th, 1857), he removed to Raynham, Massachusetts, where he resided until the spring of 1866, when he returned to Jacksonville, by the way of Chicago. He died in Jacksonville, August 14th, 1868. Mr. Rockwell, by his first marriage, had a family of four children, three of whom are still living, viz: Austin, now a citizen of Decatur, Nebraska; Charles, now residing on the old homestead in Jacksonville; and William, of the firm of Rockwell & Adams, dealers in drugs and hardware, on the north side of the square, Jacksonville, Illinois. In his official labors, Mr. Rockwell has done much for the welfare of the county, and will be held in grateful remembrance in the hearts of its future citizens.

Jonathan Rohrer was born April 22, 1802, in Virginia, above Harper's Ferry. He was the son of John Rohrer, who, with his family, settled in Logan county, Kentucky, in 1806. Jonathan resided with his father in Kentucky until October, 1827, when he settled on section 26, township 13, range 8, Morgan county, where he now resides. His brother Jacob preceded him one year, settling at Appalonia, in 1826. Mr. J. Rohrer was married March 15, 1825, to Miss Mary Traughler, of Logan county, Kentucky. They have had by ths union eight children, now living, mostly in the immediate neighborhood where their father has resided for nearly fifty years. They are among the substantial and highly esteemed citizens of the community in which they have resided thus far through life. They are: Elizabeth, present wife of Matthew S. Kennedy; Albert, residing on the old homestead of his father (a view of his farm residence, and also that of Mr. Kennedy appear in this work); Milton; Wilburn G.; John Wesley; Mary Catharine, present wife of Bartley Pugh; and Louisa, present wife of Wm. Fletcher. His children are among the representative farmers of their locality. Few of the pioneers of Morgan county have, in the providence of god, been spared so long to see their numerous family comfortably settled and respected in the community where, by the purity of their lives, they have exerted an influence which has been felt and appreciated by all who know them. May they long live, a solace and comfort to their numerous family and friends, with whom for nearly half a century they have been associated in the sacred ties of love and friendship.

Dr. Andrew Russel was born in Scotland in 1785. He was married to Miss Agnes Scott, daughter of John Scott, of Glasgow, where he received his classical and medical education, and first established himself in the practice of his profession. After spending a short time on a farm, he emigrated to this country. Mr. Russel bought a large farm, ten miles south of Jacksonville, on which he resided, taking charge of the same, till the spring of 1853, when he moved to the city of Jacksonville, where he resided till his death, in October, 1861. His wife is now over eighty years of age. Mr. Russel raised a large family of children, six of whom are still living in Morgan county. Andrew is the manager of the large farm, south of the city, on which his father settled. John S. and George S. in the well known firm of J.S. & G.S. Russel, are engaged in the most extensive lumber yard in the county, located near the T. W. & W. Railroad, No. 512 North Main street. Their business began in 1852, and has been gradually increasing, till, at this time, they are selling more lumber than any inland yard in the state. A lithographic view of their yard appears in this work. Wm. Russel is a member of the well known firm of Russel & Hayden, who are situated on the west side of the Public Square. Dr. Andrew Russel, while living, was, politically, an anti-slavery man. He was a good citizen, and has left, in his family, representatives who, as worthy and upright citizens and business men, duplicate their father's virtues.




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