Biographies

Thomas Ryan Biography

 ThomasRyan  THOMAS RYAN, Supervisorof Buena Vista township, resides on section 20, Schuyler county, Illinois.He was born October 20, 1845, and raised in this county. His parents wereCharles and Margaret (Strong) Ryan. His father was born in Ohio, but removedwith his parents to Frederick, Illinois, where he married, and settledin Buena Vista township in 1833. He was a brickmaker, and burnt the firstbrick ever made in Rushville. He also worked at the shoemaker’s trade.He finally located on land in section 21, where he improved this farm of120 acres, besides which he owned 320 acres more. He erected good substantialbuildings on this … Read more

Henry W. Krohe – Biography

  HenryW. Krohe  HENRYW. KROHE was born at Beardstown, Illinois, November 27, 1841, and diedsuddenly at his home in that city, of heart failure, December 19, 1889.He grew up here, and in 1862, when just about of age, he started for California,with an uncle and aunt. Going to New York, they took a steamer to Aspinwall,crossed the Isthmus of Panama, and was landed by a Pacific steamer at thecity of San Francisco, where Mr. Krohe remained for some time. Later, hewent to Portland, Oregon, Umatilla, Vancouver Island, etc., and thenceup to British Columbia, and back again into California. He was … Read more

James N. Rigg – Biography

  JamesN. Rigg  JAMES N. RIGG, of the firmof Rigg & Smith, merchants of Camden, one of the well-known pioneersof Brown county, settled in 1869 at Camden. He was born in Anderson county,Kentucky, January 18, 1826, being a son of Richard and Margaret (Utterback)Rigg, natives of Virginia. Each removed with their respective familiesto Kentucky, where they were married. In 1831 they emigrated to Illinoisand settled in what is now Brown county, but was then a part of Schuyler.Mr. Richard Rigg purchased land near Mount Sterling, and entered land,and then became the owner of 400 acres of land on which he … Read more

Sidney J. Hood – Biography

  SidneyJ. Hood  SIDNEY J. HOOD, of the firmof Allard & Hood, publishers and editors of The Evening Starand The Star of the West of Beardstown, was born in Spring Green,Sauk county, Wisconsin, October 10, 1864. He was reared and educated atthat place and acquired a knowledge of the carpenter and mason trades,but later went into the newspaper business. His father, Captain ThomasR. Hood, came from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin when a small child with hisparents, Moses and Sarah Hood, natives of Pennsylvania, but who died inWisconsin. Thomas R. Hood grew up as a farmer and carpenter, and when thewar broke … Read more

William Hackman – Biography

WILLIAM HACKMAN, a practical German farmer and stock raiser of section 30, township 17, range 11, is the owner of a good farm where he lives. He was born in Hanover, near the city of Osnabruck, on September 13, 1820. He was the third son born to John E. and Maria (Struve) Hackman, natives of Hanover, who came of pure German blood. After his marriage, John E. settled in his native land as a farmer, on a small scale, and there all the children were born. Later in life, Mr. Hackman sold all his interests in his native land and … Read more