Bureau County Archives – Illinois Genealogy

Biography of Richard Gooch

Lee County, Bureau County, Jo Daviess County, La Salle County, Ogle County / Portrait and biographical record of Lee County

Richard Gooch, an influential figure in Lee Center Township, was born in England in 1848 and came to America as a toddler, his family ultimately settling in Ashton. He married Sarah Hodges and they resided in Lee Center Township, involved in their community and church. Mr. Gooch, a Republican, was civically minded, notably in education, and owned a well-cultivated 430-acre farm. They had two children and lived a contented life, acknowledged for their refinement and societal contributions. This account also provided a brief family background, highlighting the Gooch and Hodges families’ journeys and their reputable life in Illinois.

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Biography of Ira S. Smith

Lee County, Bureau County, Madison County / Portrait and biographical record of Lee County

Ira S. Smith, an industrious farmer in Amboy Township, showcases his commitment to agriculture on a 163-acre farm rich with improvements and thriving under his management. Born in New Hampshire in 1829, Smith’s journey from a grocery clerk in Boston to a gold miner in California, and finally to Illinois, reflects a life of diverse experiences. Overcoming a severe accident, he ventured into farming, meat marketing, and even served as City Marshal before settling in Lee County in 1896. Married to Elizabeth Pearl, the couple has two children. Smith’s contributions extend beyond farming; he’s been active in local politics, education, and the Masonic fraternity, embodying the spirit of community service and resilience.

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Biography of Jacob Hepperlin

Lee County, Bureau County / Portrait and biographical record of Lee County

Jacob Hepperlin, a German immigrant born in 1827, ventured to America in 1854, seeking opportunities. Overcoming initial hardships, Jacob’s resilience led him to success in farming and business. Settling in Paw Paw, Illinois, he now enjoys retirement, supported by significant investments in real estate and a productive farm. Married thrice, Jacob’s life is a testament to perseverance and adaptability. With his third wife, Cynthia, they are active in the Methodist Episcopal Church, embodying the spirit of community and faith. Jacob’s journey from a newcomer to a respected community member highlights his enduring legacy of hard work and determination.

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Biography of Samuel P. Clark of Berlin Township, Illinois

Bureau County

George Clark, father of the gentleman whose name heads this sketch, was born in Belmont County, Ohio, March 1811. In 1835 he came to Berlin Township in this county, buying his farm from the Government. He was the first to settle on the prairie near Dover, and as he was told that the wind would blow him away, he anchored his house by setting the corner posts in the ground and mortising the sides to them. The siding and shingles he split and then dressed them by hand. He resided on his farm for forty years, when he removed to

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Charles Devlin of Spring Valley, Illinois

Bureau County, Cook County, La Salle County

In 1850, Charles Devlin was born in St. Louis, Missouri. By age 4, his parents had moved with him to Peru, LaSalle County, Illinois. At age 19, Mr. Devlin worked as a bookkeeper and business manager in Peru for the Union Coal company. Charles Devlin was convinced that the time was right to open what he believed was a very valuable asset, coal mines. So, in 1884, Mr. Devlin helped in the opening of the first Spring Valley, Illinois coal mine. In 1885, he married Jennie Miller, daughter of a Spring Valley founder, Henry J. Miller. Their union brought forth

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Biography of James M. Curtis of Concord, Illinois

Bureau County

James M. Curtis, Concord, is a native of Schaghticoke, Rensselaer County, New York, where he was born August 2, 1822. His parents, Daniel and Mehitable (Masters) Curtis, were also natives of New York. The father died there; he was a farmer by occupation and also a soldier in the war of 1812. The latter died in Davenport, Iowa, aged nearly eighty-seven years. She was the mother of nine children, viz.: Erastus, Abraham. James M., Mark B. (deceased), Harman H., Phineas, Robert C., Maria (deceased) and Mrs. Cynthia C. Burch. Our subject was educated principally in the common schools of his

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Biography of Thomas P. Currier of Neponset, Illinois

Bureau County

The subject of this biography was born July 6, 1830 in Cornville, Somerset County, Maine. His father, Patten Currier, was born in May 1801, in the same place, and is yet living there. He was a farmer by occupation. The grandfather of our subject was Ephraim Currier, a native of Amesbury, Massachusetts. He died in Cornville, Maine. The mother of our subject, Mary Steward, was born in Skowhegan, Maine; she died when our subject was nine years old. She was the mother of four children, viz.: Maria, Thomas P. (our subject), John M. and William H. Of the above only

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Biography of Jonathan T. Currier of Neponset, Illinois

Bureau County, Stark County

Among our self-made men in Bureau County, who owe their success in life to their energy and perseverance, we place him whose name heads this sketch. He was born July 9, 1823, in Peacham, Caledonia County, Vermont. His father Asa Currier, was born April 21, 1891, in the same place. He died March 16, 1868, in Osceola, Stark County., Illinois. He came to Stark County on Sunday, August 26, 1838, having come through with teams from Vermont, where he had been a farmer, which occupation he followed here. The grandfather of J. T. Courier was David Courier, who was also

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Biography of William Cummings of Buda, Illinois

Bureau County, Gallatin County

Thornton Cummings was a native of Virginia. When a young man he immigrated to Kentucky, and was there married to Miss Sylvia Williams, a native of Kentucky. In 1816, soon after marriage, Mr. Cummings removed to Gallatin County, Illinois, where he resided till 1834, at which time he came to Bureau County, Illinois. When he reached Hennepin, he left his family there, and in company with a Frenchman as guide he traveled over the western part of Bureau County seeking a suitable location, and as he had been reared in a timbered country French Grove suited him best on account

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Biography of Fitchyou Cummings of Concord, Illinois

Bureau County, Gallatin County

Fitchyou Cummings, Concord, was born in Gallatin County, Illinois, May 8, 1818, and is the son of Thornton Cummings, deceased, and brother of William Cummings. Fitchyou Cummings came to Bureau County with his parents in 1834, and since that time has resided in Concord Township. His opportunities for an education were the most limited. Instead of schools, when coming to French Grove, there was excellent opportunity for the hunter to find game. As Mr. Cummings was of an independent nature, he wished to make for himself a farm, and as money was at that time almost impossible to obtain, he

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Biography of John C. Crossman of Lamoille, Illinois

Bureau County

John C. Crossman, Lamoille, was born January 29, 1830, in Draycott, Somersetshire, England. (See Biography of George Crossman of Lamoille, Illinois.) Mr. Crossman came to the United States about 1850. He worked two years in Onondaga County, New York, where he was also married. In March 1852, he came to Lamoille, Illinois, and after working one year, rented land and farmed. In 1855 he bought 160 acres of land, which he soon sold, and after renting another year bought 160 acres of William Hart, which he sold, and in 1857 went to New York State, and from there to England,

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Biography of George Crossman of Lamoille, Illinois

Bureau County

Among our citizens of foreign birth, who have identified themselves with Bureau County, we must mention the subject of this sketch, who was born November 7, 1826, in Somersetshire, England, town of Bishford. His parents, George and Sarah (Rhude) Crossman died in England, where he was a mechanic. Their children were: Henry, who died on board a man-of-war off the coast of Africa; George, our subject; John C., a resident of this county; Jane, deceased, and Mrs. Mary A. Jeffries. Mr. Crossman came to America in 1852. He was eight weeks on the ocean. He lived two years in Onondaga

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Biography of William Crisman of Macon, Illinois

Bureau County

William Crisman, Macon, was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, June 25, 1825. He is the son of William and Margaret (Wisegarver) Crisman. They were both natives of Pennsylvania and of German descent. They died in Bedford County. They had eleven children who reached maturity, and of that number six sons and two daughters yet survive. Our subject was reared on a farm, but at the age of sixteen began learning his trade of millwright, which trade he followed in his native State till coming to Bureau County, Illinois, where he landed April 7, 1855. For four years he did carpenter

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Biography of Elisha D. Crisman of Milo, Illinois

Bureau County, Knox County

Elisha D. Crisman was born July 28, 1824, in Berkeley County, Virginia.[1]Berkley County was a part of Virginia until West Virginia separated itself in 1863. His father, George P. Crisman, was born in 1796, in Virginia, which State he left on account of his opposition to slavery, and removed to Ohio, and from there to Knox County, Illinois, where he died in 1872. He was a farmer by occupation, and a soldier in the war of 1812. He was of German descent. The mother of our subject, Dorothy Sanders, was born 1798 in Virginia. She died 1833, in Highland County,

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Biography of Benjamin C. Esq. Couch of Tiskilwa, Illinois

Bureau County, Henry County, Tazewell County

Benjamin C. Couch, Esq., Tiskilwa, was born September 19, 1822, in Boscawen, Merrimack County, New Hampshire. He is a grandson of Benjamin Couch Sr., a native of New Hampshire, and a soldier in the Revolutionary war, participating in the battle of Bunker Hill, where he had a bullet shot through his ear. He married a Miss Heath, who was the mother of five children. Of these Benjamin Couch, Jr. was the father of our subject. He was a farmer by occupation, and was a native of New Hampshire, where he died. The mother of our subject, Mrs. Sallie (Morse) Couch,

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Biography of James R. Cottle of Princeton, Illinois

Bureau County, Cook County

James R. Cottle, Princeton, was born February 26, 1835, in Singapore, East India. His father, Richard Cottle, is a native of England, and yet resides in Bristol. In early life he was a carriage trimmer, but is now Government Inspector of the Great Western Railroad. James R. Cottle, Sr. the father of Richard Cottle, was a gentleman of leisure; he was formerly a Government Collector. The mother of our subject was Eliza (Betterridge) Cottle, a native of Thatchan, Berkshire, England. She died in Bristol. She was the mother of nine children, of whom six are now living, but none in

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Biography of Nicholas Cottrell of Dover, Illinois

Bureau County

Nicholas Cottrell, Dover, was born December 8, 1829, in Hampshire County, Massachusetts. His father was Rufus Cottrell, a native of Hampshire County, Massachusetts. He was a farmer by occupation, and died in 1868, aged seventy-four years, in Malden, Illinois. His grandfather, Nicholas Cottrell, was a native of Massachusetts, where he died; he was a blacksmith by occupation, and a soldier in the Revolutionary war, where he served with distinction. The mother of our subject was Sarah (Odell) Cottrell, a native of Dutchess County, New York; she died in Malden, Illinois, in 1872, aged seventy-six years. She was the mother of

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Biography of Cornelius C. Corss of Bureau, Illinois

Bureau County, Peoria County

The Corss family was probably among the Puritan settlers of Massachusetts, at least they were residents of Deerfield, Massachusetts. At the time of the French and Indian massacre in 1703 and 1704, and only two of the family escaped, one of whom was the great-grandfather of C. C. Corss. The family still continued to reside in Massachusetts, and at Greenfield, Massachusetts, our subject was born, October 13, 1897. His grandfather, Asher Corss, was among the early settlers of Greenfield, known as one of the old proprietors, he having taken up a large tract of land in that vicinity. Asher Corss

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Biography of Martin Corley of Westfield Township, Illinois

Bureau County, La Salle County

Martin Corley, deceased, was a native of the Parish Ashgraw, County Conard, Ireland, where his parents, Daniel and Mary Moulton, died. Martin Corley came to America when quite young and became a captain of a boat on the Genesee River. He was married in Rochester, New York to Sarah Biglow, born November 26, 1815, near the Canada line in Berkshire Township, Vermont. She is the daughter of Stephen and Phebe (Wing) Biglow, the former a native of Rhode Island and of Welsh extraction, and the latter of Connecticut and of English and Irish descent. Her father commanded on of the

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Biography of Hamilton F. Corey of Ohio, Illinois

Bureau County, Morgan County

Hamilton F. Corey, Ohio, was born in Cayuga County, New York, July 17, 1811, and is the son of John and Lucina Corey, formerly of Connecticut. Mr. Corey’s grandfather, David Rodes, was a soldier of the Revolution, and died in New York at the age of eighty-four. Our subject’s father, John Corey, was a soldier of the war of 1812. The subject of this sketch was raised on the farm, where he resided till the spring of 1835, when he came to this State and settled with his sister (now Mrs. Lemuel Carey) in Morgan County, where he remained till

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Biography of Calvin Cooper of Mineral, Illinois

Bureau County, Stephenson County

Calvin Cooper, Mineral, is a native of Killingly, Windham County, Connecticut, born March 20, 1810. His parents were of English descent, the father being a Baptist clergyman. Calvin learned the carpenter and joiner trade when a young man, which furnished him employment for a number of years. August 26, 1833, he married Miss Harriet Kies, a native also of Windham County. She was born December 23, 1812. They resided in Connecticut until the fall of 1854, when they came to Illinois, stopping in Stephenson County until the following spring, when they settled on a farm in Bureau County. At the

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Biography of Henry Cooley of Fairfield, Illinois

Bureau County, Whiteside County

Henry Cooley, Fairfield, was born February 19, 1830, in Pittsford, Rutland County, Vermont. His parents, John and Amanda (Cook) Cooley, died in the same State, of which they were natives. Our subject’s ancestors came to America in the Mayflower. Henry Cooley resided in Vermont till he was twenty-three years old, and then immigrated to Whiteside County, Illinois, where he sold goods for four years. In April, 1858, he came to Bureau County and farmed eleven years, after which he came to Yorktown, where he has been selling goods for the last fourteen years for O. W. McKenzie, and also keeping

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Biography of Oliver Cook of Princeton, Illinois

Bureau County, Vermilion County

Oliver Cook, Princeton, was born July 16, 1842, near Racine, Wis. He is a son of John Cook, who was born April 30, 1812; he died here in 1872. Oliver Cook’s grandfather was Larkin Cook, he was a native of Maryland and died in Vermillion County, Ill., to which he came about 1825. The Cook family is of Irish extraction. The mother of Oliver Cook was Eveline (Graves) Cook. She was born in 1816, in Fayette County, Ky., and died in 1856 in Vermillion County, Ill. She was the daughter of James and Margaret (Blackburn) Graves, who were also natives

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Biography of Joshua J. Colver of Hall, Illinois

Bureau County

Joshua J. Colver, Hall, was born November 24, 1832, in Rittersville, Leigh County, Penn. His parents, Charles and Susanna (Kemmer) Colver, are natives of the same county and are now living near Bethlehem, Northampton, Co., Penn. They are the parents of four children, viz: Joshua J., Maria, Mrs. Fayette Schortz (deceased), and Charles. Joshua J. Colver was reared and educated in his native county. He was married at Allentown, the county seat, on Christmas day 1866, to Miss. Matilda R. Lazaeus, who was born August 15, 1839, in Northampton County, Penn. Her parents, Thomas and Polly (Bolliett) Lazarus, were natives

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Biography of Jacob Colver of Westfield, Illinois

Bureau County

Jacob Colver, Westfield, was born August 23, 1806, in Leigh County, Penn. His parents, Jacob and Susan (Miller) Colver, were natives of the same State, where they died. His grand-parents came from New England and are of English descent. His mother is of German descent. Jacob Colver is one of a family of eleven children, who were all married. He is the only one who has made Bureau County his home. He came to Illinois via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, landing in Rock Island in December 1845. He remained the winter in Como, Ill., and the next spring came

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Bureau County

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