Samuel Earp

AMUEL EARP, one of the pioneer farmers and stock-raisers of Livingston County, resides on section 4 of Rook's Creek Township. He is the son of William Earp, and was born on the 31st of May, 1829, at New Garden, Columbiana Co., Ohio. In 1856 he removed to Wisconsin, where he said one summer, and then to Livingston County, Ill., and settled in the neighborhood where he now resides.

The father of the subject of this sketch was born in England about the year 1803, and came to the United.States when fourteen years of age, landing at Philadelphia on his fourteenth birthday. His memory serves him so well that he remembers the return of soldiers to England after the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. He witnessed the review of the American soldiers by Gen. LaFayette at Philadelphia, in 1824. He had traveled over England quite extensively in his boyhood days in company with an older brother, who was engaged in selling pottery, and was present when he sold a set of chinaware to Queen Victoria, before she was crowned; while in Philadelphia he learned the trade of making boots and shoes. He was married in

Pittsburgh about 1827, and some time after this moved to Ohio and engaged in farming. He was the father of four sons: Samuel; James, who is single and lives in Livingston County; Charles W. died Dec. 15, 1868; George died in infancy.

Samuel Earp received more than an ordinary education in the common schools, and attended the High School in Richmond, Jefferson Co., Ohio. He cast his first Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1860, and has been a constant and firm supporter of the principles of the Republican party ever since. He has filled nearly all the viirious township offices, having served.is Commissioner of Highways a number of terms, and been thi-ee times elected as Supervisor, and each of these places of trust he h.as filled with such honesty and ability that great satisfaction was given the people. Mr. Earp is a man of very generous impulses, and has made it a practice throughout life to assist all worthy persons who applied to him for aid. Being a firm believe in pure Christianity and apostolic simplicity, his inclinations are toward the Christian Church. Charles Earp, a brother of Samuel, was in the Union army during the war, and served under Gen. Sherman, taking part in that memorable march from Atlanta to the sea. In that campaign he contracted consumption, from which he never recovered, and died soon after returning from the army.

On the 13th of May, 1858, Mr. Earp was married to Caroline Earp, daughter of Charles Earp, of Livingston County. She is a cousin, and was born on the 18th of February 1834, in Norwalk, Ohio. Her mother was born on the 26th of February, 1811, in England, and during the first five years of her life lived in Derbyshire, and at that age accompanied her father to the United States, landing in Baltimore, and going directly to Columbiana County, Ohio, by wagon. Her mother had died shortly before. John Morledge, the grandfather of Mrs. Earp, was born in England about 1774, and was a blacksmith by trade, but after he removed to the United States and settled in Ohio he became a farmer,.and bought a half-section of land, which he cleared and improved, and which is now owned l)y John Morledge, a son by his second wife. John Morledge was a member a of the Church of England, but his daughter Esther has never been a member of any church, but believes that pure and simple religion consists in Wisiting the widow and fatherless in their affliction, and keeping unspotted from the world. Jlrs. Earp is a member of the Episcopal Church.

JAME8 W. EISENHOWER, farmer and merchant clerk, is spleudidl_y situated ou section 20, Rook's Creek Township. He is the eldest son of Jolin F. and Catherine J. (Miller) Eisenhower, and was born ou the 8th of November, 1835. in the State of Pennsylvania. He made the most of what common-school advantages there were in Newburg, Cumberland County, and remained with iiis father, who was at that time a merchant, until he was about twenty" years of age, when he was married to Caroline Harlin, on the 13th of December, 18.o5. For two years after his marriage he was engaged as a clerk in his father's store. A son was born to him and his wife on the 29th of October, 18.56, and was named Theodore

B. In February, 1859, his wife died, and he moved to McLean County 111., leaving the child in the care of his parents. After locating in Mc- Lean County he rented a farm for one j'ear, at the end of which time he soil what property he possessed, ami engaged to work by the month for nine months, but before the contract expired he enlisted in August, 18G2, in the ist Marine Artillery of New York.

During its service the regiment was mostly employed in the coast defenses, and Mr. Eisenhower was actively engaged in three battles; the first at Kingston, on the Neusn River, near Newbern, N.

C, in which the Union side was successful in capturing 600 prisoners. Mr. Eisenhower thinks one incident of the battle is worthy of mention. "When part of the men who were doing patrol duty began to see shot and shell coming near they concluded they had better be getting out of there, and so expressed themselves. Capt. Smith, of the 17th Massachusetts, reassuringly said. ''Oh, no; tiiose are from our cannon, and they won't hurt us;" but when the next one came near, passing his head against the side of a house which stood near, he remarked that "we had better be getting out of here." The second battle was what is known as Dudley Halls, in which the Union forces were successful. Soon after they were in the battle of Goldsboro, where they burned a bridge on the road leading from AYeldon to Richmond, and destroyed a portion of the track in order to shut supplies out of Richmond. Mr. Eisenhower went through the service without receiving a scratch, and was honorably discharged in April, 1863.

Upon his discharge from the army, Mr. Eisenhower returned to his home in Penns.ylvauia, where he again married, taking for his wife Miss Susan Gunkel (now spelled with a K instead of a G), on the 17th of September, 1863. He then came back to Illinois and farmer in McLean County until the fall of 1805, when he moved to Marshall County, where he carried on farnung until the fall of 1867. In that year they moved to Woodford County, where he purchased eighty acres of land and remained there two years, sold out, and moved back to Marshall County, and from there to Livingston County, in the fall of 1869, where he farmer for two and one-half years on land belonging to his wife's brother. He then purchased a farm of 120 acres, which he now owns. His land was unimproved when it came into his possession, but he worked upon it industriously, and soon brought it to a fine state of cultivation. It is honeycombed with tiled ditches, and where trees never grew before he has planted them, and they now afford an abundance of shade. He has an excellent set of farm buildings, and all necessary implements and machinery required for the carrying on of agriculture in a first-class manner. The homestead presents one of the attractive points in the landscape of Rook's Creek Township.

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

Mrs. Eisenhower was born on the loth of February, 1839, and is the daughter of George and Barbara (Houser) Kunkel. Her parents were natives of Lancaster County, Pa. Her brothers and sisters were as follows: The eldest, Martin, died in infancy; John, William, Elizabeth, Edwin, George, Israel, Catherine and Martin.

"Ti IfclLLIAM F. COOK. One of the younger \/ij// '"" *'* farmers who is destined to make V his impress upon the history of Livingston County is the subject of this sketch, who has a farm of 100 acres on section 28, in Pontiac Township. He is a native of Bntler County, Ohio, where his birth took place on the 4th of July, 1853, and consequently has the rare privilege each year of celebrating the anniversary of his birth and the birth of the Nation simultaneously. He is the son of Eli and Almeda Cook, who were both natives of the State of Ohio, and were pioneers of Butler County. The father, during most of his life in Butler County, was a grain dealer, and from him his son inherited considerable business tact. They had a family of four children — William F., Charles F., George C. and Frank J. The father died in Ohio on the 22d of June, 1885, and after his death the mother came to Livingston County and resided with her sons until the summer of 1887, when she went to Pueblo County, Col., and there resides. They both were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and were very much devoted to the welfare of that organization. So far as political matters went the father was an ardent supporter of the Republican part3s and as such was widely and favorably known throughout Butler County, while the opposition in that Democratic stronghold have cause to remember the blows he struck in defense of his party.

The years intervening betweenthe birth and manhood of Mr. Cook of our notice were spent in Butler County, where he attended the common schools regularlyand pursued his studies so assiduously that he received more than an average education. Having an inclination for the business affairs of life he took a thorough course in bookkeeping at the Hamilton Business College, of Hamilton, Ohio, in the year 1 870, and was graduated from that institution with great credit to himself. For several years afterward he was associated with his father in the grain trade, and had entire charge of the books of the firm, while he became an expert grain buyer. In the fall of 1873 he came to Livingston County, where for the first year of his residence he engaged in work on a farm in the employ of John A. Knapp, of Pontiac. For the next three years he rented farms which he managed successfully. In 1882 he purchased the farm on which he now lives, on section 28, Pontiac Township, and his 100 acres are as fertile and productive as any similar body of land in Livingston County.

On the 21st of March, 1878, Mr. Cook was married to Rosalind Knapp, daughter of John A. Knapp, the gentleman for whom he worked during the first year of his residence in Livingston County. They have two children: Emma A., born Dec. 22, 1879, and Edna B., born May 3, 1881. Mr. Cook has made a success in his farming operations unusual with men who are not bred to farm life. Ever since he became a voter he has cast his ballot with the Republican party. He and his wife are respected members of society and are active in all things intended to benefit the community.

As printed in Portrait and bigraphical album of Livingston County, Ill. : containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, together with portraits and (1888). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.