Town: Neponset

Col. N. C. Buswell, Neponset, the subject of the following biography, was born December 5, 1831, in Caledonia County, Vt. He is of Scotch descent, a son of James Buswell, a native of Caledonia County, Vt., where he was born in 1793; he died in 1875 six miles south of Neponset, in Stark County, Ill., to which he came in 1837. He came to Peoria County, Ill., in the fall of 1833, and the next year brought his family. He was a farmer by occupation, and dealt extensively in land while in the West. The grandfather of our subject, N. … Read more

J. P. Bumphrey, Neponset, was born December 18, 1835, in Pottsville, Penn. His father, Stephen Bumphrey, was a native of Berkshire County, Mass. He was a farmer by occupation; he came to Pennsylvania in 1835; the next year he came to Putnam County, Ill., and in 1837 he removed to Centre Grove, in Bureau County. There he farmed till 1845, when he removed to LaSalle County, Ill., and from there to Cedar Falls, Iowa. He died in 1854, near Dubuque, Iowa, while on his was to Bureau County. His father was a native of France, and was a gallant soldier … Read more

William Bowen (deceased). The following biography is devoted to a man who is well remembered by our older settlers, and who distinguished himself as a soldier in our late war, and what is more, as a useful citizen after the war, in all matters pertaining to the interest of the community. He was born October 19, 1836, in Scropton, Derbyshire, England. He was a son of George and Sarah (Moocroft) Bowen, who were natives of Sctopton, England, and the parents of six children, viz.: Hannah, William, John, Mary, George, and Sarah, who was born in Bureau County, Ill. The immigrated … Read more

Timothy N. Bennett, Neponset. The subject of the following biography was born March 24, 1854, in the state of Indiana. His father, Timothy Bennett, was born April 15, 1813, in Clinton Co., Ohio. He was a farmer by occupation and well known for his many good qualities of head and heart. He came to Neponset Township, Bureau Co., Ill., in 1856, and died here February 6, 1872. The grandfather of our subject, Timothy Bennett, Sr., was a native of Kentucky. The great-grandfather’s name was also Timothy Bennett. The mother of our subject, Elizabeth (Russell) Bennett, was born May 9, 1814, … Read more

Thomas Bates, Neponset, was born October 26, 1823, in Derbyshire, England. He is a son of John Bates, an able minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, who was born in 1790 in England. He died September 18, 1871, in Bureau County, Ill. The mother of our subject, Mary (Weekley) Bates, was born in England, and died in August, 1847, in Madison County, Ill. Our subject, Thomas Bates, came to Neponset in 1849; he settled on Section 16, where he now resides, and owns 240 acres of well improved land. He was married March 14, 1850, in Madison County, Ill., to … Read more