The McHenry Family of Henry County, Illinois

FRANCIS A. McHENRY. Francis A. McHenry, who for many years was a farmer of Phenix township, was born in White county, Illinois, September 27, 1828, a son of William and Susanna (Land) McHenry. The father was a native of Kentucky and was born in 1803, while the mother was a native of White county, Illinois, 181 1 being the year of her birth. In 1820 William McHenry settled in White county, and later came to Henry county, securing a claim of government land. There he passed the remainder of his life, being buried upon his own farm when death called him in 1868, for he had given of his land to make a cemetery. When he came to this state it was still a wilderness and Indians were frequently to be seen. His wife died in 1890. They were the parents of twelve children, eight of whom are now living. They were: Francis A., of this review; Coke, who Hves in Kansas; J. Benson, deceased; Charles Holiday, who lives in Cambridge; two who died in infancy; Elizabeth, the widow of Isaac Stafford, a resident of California; Mary, the widow of Brown Mapes and a resident of Davenport, Iowa; Julina, the wife of George Imel, of Rushville, Illinois; Emma, the widow of Silas Aldrich, of Geneseo, Illinois; Laura, the wife of Frank Cox, of Dakota; and Malinda, who is the wife of Absalom King, of Nebraska.

Francis A. McHenry received his education in the schools of Phenix township, and until he became of age he worked for his parents on the home farm. He then bought of his father one hundred and twenty acres of the land the latter had procured from the government and on this he lived until he relinquished the active duties of life and retired to the pretty house he had built in 1881. There the closing years of his life were spent in the enjoyment of the fruits of his arduous labors and of the pleasures of home. On the ist of October, 1893, he passed away and was buried in the McHenry cemetery, known as Oak Grove. Since his death his widow has carried on his interests. She is a woman of considerable business ability and her investments have brought her prot.

In 1858 Mr. McHenry wedded Miss Polly Ann Foster, who was born in Macoupin county, Illinois, March 22, 1837. She is a daughter of William Y. and Mary A. (Park) Foster, both natives of Kentucky, where the father was born February 14, 181 1, and the mother July 22, 1816. Mr. Foster was a teamster in early life, but came to Illinois, in 1830, settling in Macoupin county, where he pursued farming. He later removed to Galena and then to Phenix township, this county, where he passed the last five years of his life in the home of Mrs. McHenry. He died in February, 1905, and was buried in Oak Grove cemetery. His wife had died many years before, in 1877, and was buried in the cemetery at Morseville, Jo Daviess county, Illinois. They were the parents of ten children, only one of whom has passed away. Of these Mrs. McHenry was the eldest; Nancy is the widow of Wellington McCreery, and lives in Dubuque, Iowa; Isabelle married S. C. Gault, who is now dead, and she lives with friends; S. Ellen Foster is a dressmaker in Cripple Creek, Colorado; Julia A. is the wife of I. M. Rawlings and lives in Colorado; Martha married Milton Singer and passed away in 1893; Josephine is the wife of Harmon Hopkins and lives in Alma, Nebraska; Rosana is the wife of Edward Arnold and also resides in Nebraska; Henriette married Samuel Clay, now deceased, and she lives in Cripple Creek, Colorado; and Mary E is the wife of Frank Arnold and also makes her home in Colorado. Mr. Foster served in the Black Hawk war and as a republican occupied most of the county offices within the gift of the people. With his wife he was a devout member of the Methodist church and was a conspicuous figure in the early congregations.

Mr. and Mrs. McHenry had eight children: William, born April 26, 1859, in Henry county on the place where his mother now resides, died in 1903. Oscar, who was born October 4, 1860, lives with his mother. Alvin, born November 23, 1862, married Miss Lottie Weimer and lives in Wayne county, Illinois.

They are the parents of three children: Harry C, born in 1892; Helen Irene, born in 1899; and Lloyd Alvin, born April, 1903. Frank, the fourth child of our subject died in infancy. Mary F., born May 23, 1867, is the wife of Wilber L. Roberts and lives in Phenix township. Park, born December 19, 1869 is unmarried and lives with his mother. Ollie A., born January 20, 1873, married John A. McKibbon and lives in Atkinson township. She has three children — Robert Orrin, born November 1901; Gertrude M., born November 23, 1903; and [name withheld], born May 16, 1909. Anna May, the youngest of the family, was born May 2, 1876, and died on the 19th of that month.

One hundred years ago, in October, 1809, Mr. McHenry's maternal grandfather, R. Land, came to Illinois to make it his home. His descendants have continued the work of development which he began and when Mr. McHenry himself passed away the stories he had heard from him were tales of the far distant past. During his life, he, too, did his share in the progressive work of Phenix township, for besides being a farmer and stockman who knew how to make his efforts pay he was a man of public spirit. In his political views he was a democrat, while his religious allegiance as given to the Methodist church, it being the faith in which he had been reared.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

CHARLES H. McHENRY.

Charles H. McHenry, of Cambridge, was only three years old when brought to Henry county and through a long period was closely identified with its agricultural interests, but since 1901 has lived retired in the village. He represents one of the old pioneer families of the state. The Black Hawk war occurred only two years before his birth, which was on the lath of June, 1834, the place of his nativity being in White county, Illinois.

His paternal grandfather was Robert McHenry, a farmer by occupation who, removing to this state settled in White county among its earliest residents. He married Elizabeth Jones and died in White county, while his wife passed away in Henry county. Their son, William McHenry, was born in Barren county, Kentucky, and devoted his life to general farming and to the work of the ministry as a preacher of the Methodist denomination. He cast in his lot with the pioneer settlers of White county, Illinois, and was also one of the first residents of Henry county, arriving in 1836, at which time he entered land in Osco township. In 1837 he removed his family to this county, arriving on the loth of May, and for more than three decades thereafter he was closely associated with the development and the progress of this portion of the state, leaving the impress of his individuality upon the agricultural life of the community and also upon its moral progress. He died March 15, 1868, when about sixty-eight years of age, while his wife passed away in 1890 at the age of seventy years. Mrs. McHenry bore the maiden name of Susie Land and was born in White county, Illinois, her parents being Robert and Lucy (Fike) Land. Her father was a native of South Carolina and became a pioneer settler of White county, Illinois, where he entered claims from the government that have since been in possession of the family. Both he and his wife lived to a ripe old age and had a family of four children, two sons and two daughters, who reached years of maturity. This number included Mrs. McHenry who by her marriage became the mother of ten children, who reached adult age, as follows: Francis; Thomas C.; Joseph B.; Charles H.; Elizabeth, the widow of Isaac Stafford; Mary, the wife of Brown Mapes, of Moline, Illinois; Gelina, the wife of Perry Aldrich; Melinda, the wife of Albert King; Emma, the wife of Silas Aldrich; Laura, the wife of Frank Cox; and two who died in infancy.

Charles H. McHenry was not quite three years of age when his parents removed to this county and from the age of four years he was reared upon the home farm in Phenix township, attending the old-fashioned subscription schools at a day when the teacher "boarded round." Later the district schools were established and he continued his studies through that method of instruction. He has lived to see remarkable changes in the county and the ways of life here. He can remember when the wheat was threshed by being tramped out by horses upon the barn floor and when grain was hauled to Chicago by ox team. The great pork market at that time was at Galena, eighty miles away. Many of the homes were log cabins, cooking was done over the fireplace and the house was lighted by candles. The farmers depended upon what they raised for almost everything they needed, resorting to stores only for a few dry goods and such groceries as sugar, coffee and a few others that could not be raised in this climate. Through the period of his youth when not attending school Mr. McHenry was busy in the fields and after attaining his majority he started out in life for himself, renting land for two years. He decided, however, to own property and purchased eighty acres from his father to which he has added from time to time until he now owns three hundred and twenty acres in Osco township. This he improved from the virgin soil, transforming the raw prairie into rich and productive fields. He continued to engage actively in farming until 1901, when he removed to Cambrdige, where he has since lived retired.

Mr. McHenry has long been pleasantly situated in his home life. On the 3d of January, 1863, he wedded Miss Lucy G. Kilmer, who was born in New York, of which state her parents, William and Lucinda (Larkin) Kilmer, were also natives. They became early settlers of Osco township, where they continued to reside until called to the home beyond. Upon their farm there they reared their family of four sons and four daughters. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. McHenry was a native of New York and a soldier of the war of 181 2. His ancestors came from Germany. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. McHenry was Henry Larkin, who was likewise born in the Empire state and also aided in protecting American interests in the second war with England.

Mr. and Mrs. McHenry have become parents of six children: AHce, Hving in Chicago; Emma, the wife of Curtis Sheesly, a resident of Rock Island, Illinois; Lucy, who became the wife of Edward Lindberg and died in 1895, a few months after her marriage; Alvin, who conducts the home farm in Osco township and married Ida Guthrie, of Nebraska, by whom he has three children: Robert, John and Jessie; Edgar, of Geneseo, who married Cora Blair of that place, and has one daughter, Ruth; and Arthur, who is employed in the tube works of Kewanee. He married Jennie Church and they have one daughter, Dorothy.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. McHenry are members of the Methodist church, with which they have long been identified. His political allegiance is given to the democracy but during the period of his active life he was too busy to seek or desire public office. He now has a nice home in Cambridge where he and his wife are living. They have traveled life's journey together for forty-seven years, sharing each other's joys and sorrows, adversity and prosperity. Few residents of the county have so long resided in the village borders or have more intimate knowledge of its history that Mr. McHenry, who for seventy-two years has made his home here.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Virgil McHenry are descended from families who played no inconspicuous part in the early life of this county, and representatives of the family were valiant soldiers in the great conflict between the north and south. In times of peace their influence has been great for the development of the resources of this section of the state, and wherever known the family has been accorded great respect.

Virgil McHenry was born in Phenix township, February 23, 1863, and is a son of Thomas J. and Amanda (Anderson) McHenry. The father settled in that township in 1837 and there engaged in farming until he retired to the city of Geneseo. His life has been one of great activity and he has had many experiences, for he responded to the second call for troops during the Civil war. He saw three or four years of service and in the battle of Vicksburg was wounded. His wife was a daughter of William and Ann (Stadden) Anderson, both natives of Licking county, Ohio, where the birth of the former occurred in the year 1807 and that of the latter in the year following. In 1835 Mr. Anderson came to Illinois, settling in LaSalle county, where he made his home until his death, which occurred in 1846. He was a farmer all his life and a stanch member of the Methodist church. His wife survived him more than half a century and when, in 1898, she too was taken from this world she i/zs buried by him in the Dayton cemetery situated on the banks of Fox river in LaSalle county. They were the parents of six children: Samantha, the widow of C. P. Browning, of Phenix township, and the mother of Orville, Lorette; Edward; Charles; Elizabeth, who is the wife of

William Joles and lives in Colorado Springs; and Carrie. Elizabeth is the wife of George Anderson and lives in Montana; Amanda is the wife of T. J. McHenry and is the mother of the subject of this sketch; Jane married J. F. Gibson and lives in Denton, Texas; W. S. is a resident of Abilene, Kansas; Lucy is the wife of James Lawrence, of Iroquois county, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Mc- Henry had six children, four of whom are living; Luella, who is the wife of Benjamin O'Breight, of Geneseo; Virgil, of this review; Ada, who married Robert Rose, of Geneseo; and Francis, who lives in Phenix township.

Virgil McHenry received his education in the district schools of Phenix township and after his training was completed remained with his parents until he became of age, when he embarked in life for himself. For a number of years he rented land, on a small scale at first, later increasing his responsibilities as he felt able. In 1905 he purchased the land in Phenix township on which he now makes his home. It comprises two hundred and eighty acres, two hundred and forty of which lie on section 34 and the other forty on section 35. His fields are well suited to diversified farming, and he has also found them valuable as a feeding ground for stock. The farm is improved to a high degree as the result of his labors, for he erected the house and barns which are substantial structures and constructed in accordance with modern ideas.

Mr. McHenry was united in marriage in 1892 to Miss Nora Darin, who was born in Phenix township, November 13, 1863, and was a daughter of John Jackson and Eleanor (Clark) Darin, a sketch of whose lives appears in another part of this volume. Three children have been born to them: Bessie Helen, who is attending the Geneseo high school; Telia Ada, who has just finished the course in the district school; and Albert Burdette, who is still a pupil in the local schools.

Mr. McHenry is entirely self-made, for from his early manhood he was compelled to rely upon his own efforts. He has still some of the best years of his life before him, but even now he has attained to a position in which he may enjoy many of the comforts of life. This progress has been made possible through the habits of industi7 and economy, in which his wife has aided him greatly.

Mindful that one of his uncles on his father's side, William McHenry, was shot down in the ranks of the Union army during a severe battle, and that another uncle, on his mother's side, Stadden Anderson, was also in the Civil war, he has given his support in political matters to the republican party but not being a seeker for office has served the community only as a member of the school board.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.