Dennis

   J. HenryRohn  J. HENRY ROHN, farmer and stock-raiser,living on the old homestead in township 18, range 12, of the precinct ofBeardstown, was born at the same place, September 20, 1837. He is the eldestmember of the family. The father, Henry, was a native of Hesse-Darmstadt.Henry Rohn, Sr., had grown up, but was yet single, when he came to theUnited States with his brother John, and after a long, tedious passage,they landed in New Orleans, and from there proceeded to St. Louis. Herehe stopped and married the girl who had come with him from the same province.Her name was Elizabeth … Read more

    JohnH. Black    JOHN H. BLACK, a prominentcitizen of Woodstock township, is a representative of one of the earliestfamilies of Schuyler county, and is entitled to a space in this history.He was born in Woodstock township, August 2, 1842. His father, James P.Black, was a native of Mecklenburgh county, North Carolina, a son of RichardS. Black (see sketch of Isaac Black). James P. Black removed to Indianaat the age of fourteen years, and resided there until 1826. Then, withhis bride, he came to Illinois; the “wedding journey” was accomplishedwith a yoke of oxen, the bridegroom walking most of … Read more

     JosephFenton Van Deventer    JOSEPH FENTON VAN DEVENTER was born in Highlandcounty, Ohio, June 25, 1826, a son of Jacob Van Deventer, who was bornin Loudoun county, Virginia, a descendant of the colonial settlers whocame from Holland in the early history of this country. The father of oursubject was reared and married in Virginia, but removed to Ohio, wherehe was a pioneer of Highland county; there he bought a tract of timber-land,erected a log cabin, and made it his home until the fall of 1832, whenhe sold and came to Illinois; he was accompanied by his wife and … Read more

    JohnF. Huss    JOHN F. HUSS, general farmerand stock raiser in section 1, township 17, range 11, has entire chargeof his father’s homestead of more than 300 acres of fine land, under goodimprovement. The buildings are large and comfortable, and the place iswell stocked. Mr. Huss has had the place under his personal control fornearly three years, and has shown himself to be a very successful farmer.He was born in this county, May 27, 1866. He was reared and has alwayslived on the farm where he was born. He received his education in the countryschools. He is the … Read more

    JosephFranklin Black    JOSEPH FRANKLIN BLACK was born in Murraycounty, Tennessee, February 23, 1828. His father, William Black, was bornnear Milledgeville, Georgia, January 3, 1796, son of Thomas Gillespie Black,who was born in Markingham County, North Carolina, in January, 1772, whosefather, William Black, a native of Maryland, removed to North Carolina.William Black was captain of a company of militia at the time the Revolutionarywar broke out, and was one of the first who refused to take the oath ofallegiance to the British government. He died soon after the war began.The maiden name of his wife was Beard. They … Read more

    JohnS. Dodge    JOHN S. DODGE, one of themost prominent farmers of Littleton township, Schuyler county, Illinois,was born in Bloomington, McLean county, this State, March 14, 1837. Hisparents, Solomon and Betsey (Springer) Dodge, were both natives of Ohio,his father being a carder and filler by trade. His mother’s ancestors wereoriginally from Cork, Ireland. In 1833, his parents came by way of theOhio and Mississippi rivers to Bloomington, Illinois, where our subjectwas born in his father’s hotel, which was the first in that town, calledthe Caravansary. His father retired about twenty-five years before hisdeath, he being ninety-one years of … Read more

    JonathanPatteson     JONATHAN PATTESON was born in State of Virginia,June 1, 1797. His father was Charles Patteson, also a native of Virginia,who removed from that State to Green county, Kentucky about the year 1800,and was thus one of the pioneers of that locality. He bought a tract oftimber land, and erected thereon a log cabin, in which were domiciled thefamily. They were in a wilderness and were compelled to live off the productsof their little place and the game that was found in abundance in the woods.Mr. Patteson was an owner of slaves, and they cultivated flax … Read more

    JamesN. Robison     JAMES N. ROBISON of Lee township, was born inHuntingdon county, Pennsylvania, November 22, 1823. His father, Henry Robison,was born in the same county, April 22, 1798, and his father was born inScotland, but spent his last years in Huntingdon county, dying when hisson Henry was six years old. Henry after his father’s death was obligedto earn his own living and remained on a farm in the same county until1824, and then with his wife and infant son emigrated to Ohio and livednear Cadiz for two years, then returned to Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania,there engaged in … Read more

    JosephMeservey    JOSEPH MESERVEY, of Elkhorntownship, was born here, June 22, 1841. He is the son of Joseph and ElizaMeservey. Joseph was the son of Nathaniel, both of Vermont. He spent hislife there and died when nearly ninety years of age. Joseph followed thebusiness of shipping horses for nine years, and then went into a distillery,and then sold out and came to this State at an early date. He continued at home untilhis marriage, worked with his father, and attended the subscription schoolwhen able. When he married he had a little farm, and afterward he boughtmore land. He … Read more

    JohnMcCabe     JOHN McCABE, well-known in business circlesin Schuyler county, Illinois, was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, September11, 1828. His father, John McCabe, Sr., was a native of Pennsylvania, butwas taken to Ohio when quite young by his parents; there he learned theblacksmith’s trade, which he followed until 1844. In that year he emigratedto Indiana and settled in Marion county; here he resumed his occupation,remaining for three years. In 1847 he came to Illinois, and settled inthe town of Woodland; he afterward entered a tract of land on which heerected a log house; he followed his trade … Read more