Princeton

History of Bureau County, Illinois Title Page

Biography of Samuel P. Clark of Berlin Township, Illinois

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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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 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 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 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 N. P. Colberg of Princeton, Illinois

Bureau County

N. P. Colberg, Princeton, was born March 31, 1842, in the town of Cimbritshauen, County of Christanstod, and State of Skone, Sweden. He is the son of Olof and Cecelia Colberg. The father was a gardener by profession and died in the old country; the mother is yet living there. She is the mother of seven children, of whom N. P. is the youngest. Our subject was educated in his native country. For five years he attended the garden schools and learned the profession of gardener, and for seven years followed his profession in his native State, and then went …

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Biography of Major Atherton Clark of Princeton, Illinois

Bureau County

Atherton Clark, Princeton, was born near Dover, Ill., September 22, 1839. September 11, 1861, he enlisted in Company K, Ninth Illinois Cavalry, and served with honor till the close of the war. He was in many severe engagements, among which were those of Nashville and Franklin, Tenn., and Tupelo, Miss. He was successively promoted from Sergeant of his company, until at the close of the war he was a Major of his regiment. In 1868 he was elected Sheriff of Bureau County, and after the expiration of that term of office he engaged in farming. In 1882 he was appointed …

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Biography of Seth C. Clapp of Princeton, Illinois

Bureau County

Seth C Clapp. deceased, was a native of Northampton, Mass., where he was born in 1812; he died May 1, 1871, in Bureau County, Ill., to which he came in 1835. Here he was a tiller of the soil and highly respected for his many good qualities of head and heart. Mr. Clapp was married twice. His first wife was Asenath Hitchock, a native of Massachusetts; she died November 1851, in Princeton, Ill. His second wife was Mrs. Amelia R. Steel, who survives him. She was the widow of the Rev. Calvin Steel, who was born in 1812, in Vermont; …

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Biography of John Clapp of Lamoille, Illinois

Bureau County

This old pioneer was born October 1, 1814, in Northampton, Mass. He came to Bureau County in 1834, accompanied by his brother-in-law, Caleb Cook, and settled in Princeton. In 1837 he was married to Lucy M. Smith, a daughter of James Smith, another old settler of Bureau County. In 1838 John Clapp removed to Lamoille Township, where he bought 160 acres of land at $1.25 per acre. This he improved and resided on it till his death, which occurred November 22, 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Clapp were active members of the Congregational Church at Lamoille, of which he was a …

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Biography of Jacob Christzman of Princeton, Illinois

Bureau County

J. Christzman, Princeton, was born November 7, 1833, in Harrisburg, Penn. He is the son of Henry and Margaret (Zigler) Christzman. The father was born in Gettysburg, Penn., and the mother was also a native of the same State. She was the daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Zigler. The Zigler family was one of the early families of Pennsylvania. Of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Chritzman’s family six are now living, viz.; Mrs. Maria Bigler, Mrs. Charlotte Black, Jacob, Christian, Harry and George. The subject of this sketch was educated in his native city, and in early life worked in a …

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