The following is biographical information abstracted from:
Portrait
and Biographical Review of Johnson, Massac, Pope and Hardin
Counties, Illinois
Chicago Biographical Publishing Company 1893
(online - link above)
| FRANCIS M. HAZEL, a farmer of much
enterprise and business ability, who has a well-ordered
farm on section 12, Grantsburg Township, and is also
interested in the lumber trade at this point, comes of
sturdy pioneer stock, and is a native of Pope County,
born on the old family homestead August 2, 1859. His
father was Alfred M. Hazel, who was born in
Tennessee, and in the opening years of manhood came to
Illinois with his father. The paternal grandfather of our subject settled in Pope County in the hearly years of its settlement, coming hitcher by team through the intervening wilderness. he was a poor man, but made the best of his opportunities. he entered land from the Government, and the typical pioneer log house that he erected to shelter his family was hi shome the remainder of his days, and is still standing on the premises. The father of our subject was brought up on a farm, and was og freat assistance to his father in clearing his land and felling magnificent forest trees of primeval growth, that would now be almost priceless, and burning them to get them out of the way. He lived with his parents until his marriage to Martha Ellis, a native of Illinois, and then he moved onto some land that he entered in Pope County, and entered vigorously into the pioneer task of preparing it for cultivation. He subsequently removed to a farm on the so-called "Hog-eye Tract," and afterwards took up his residence on what is now known as the Simmons Farm. He improved that, laboring hard to carry out his plans, and made it his home for thirty years. Then selling that place, he bought a little farm of forty acres on section 12, Grantsburg Township. Four years later he disposed of that farm and retired from active business, living with his children until his death in July, 1886, and all that was mortal of im was laid to rest in the Hazel graveyard. The mother died in 1888, and was buried in Morris graveyard. The father was twice married. His first wife bore him on child, Mary Jane, wife of Hamilton Triplett, of Panther Valley, Mo. His second marriage was to Vienna Dixon, and twelve children were born to them, of whom these four are living: Alfred Thomas, a farmer in Johnson County, Green W., a farmer in Pope County; Francis M; and Ruan, a resident of Pope County. The subject of this sketch was reared to agricultural pursuits, and early became familiar with every kind of farm labor. He attended the common schools, but his education was necessarily limited, as he had but few advantages. He has, however, ina great measure, made up for his early deficiencies, expereience, observation and reading teaching him much, and he is well-informed man, having a practival knowledge of all things pertaining to business, etc. He remained at home until he was eighteen years of age, and then began life on his own account, working on a farm and in the timber. For two years he did not make much headway, but his prospects brightened the third year, and he contrived to lay up money the ensuing three years. At the end of that time he went to farming for himself, investing in a farm of one hundred and forty acres, which was but little improved, but his well-directed and untiring labors have wrough a great change, and it is now in fine condition. he has increased its area from time to time, buying first wenty acres additional, then ten acres, and then twenty acres of good land. Mr. Hazel's attention is by no means confined to farming; he has branched out into other directions, and is interested in various enterprises. He is engage in quite an extent in buying standing timber, employing a number of men to cut it, and he is parat owner of a sawmill, from which he derives a good income. He is a live business man, and is quick to take advantage of all opportunities for making money by legitimate trade, his sagacity, keen foresight and native shrewdness carrying him successfully through any undertaking. A type of our self-made, self-educated men, he has developed into a good citizen, who is interested in all that pertains to the welfare of the community, and in public spirit is second to none of his neighbors. Appreciating the value of education, he is giving his children a chance to train the brain as well as the hands., by sending them to good schools. Our subject owes much to the cheerful co-operation of his estimable wife, who was formerly Miss Ellen Morris, and was born on her father' s farm in Johnson County. Her parents are both deceased. Her mother was from Tennessee, while her father was born in Illinois, and was a son of one of the early pioneer families. Mr. and Mrs. Hazel have had six children, as follows: Martha Jane, who lives at home; Ida Viola, deceased; Mary L., at home; Clement D., at home; a child that died in infacny; and Lillie, who died at the age of two years. |
| WILLIAM M. HEDRICK is not only a
progressive tiller of the soil, but he also conducts a
general mercantile establishment on his farm of sixty
acres in Pope county, Ill. He was born in Bradley
County, East Tenn., in 1830, but his father, John
Hedrick, was born in Lincoln County, N.C. in 1789.
The latter, who was a farmer and mechanic by occupation,
a man of intelligence, and one whose word was as good as
his bond, died at the age of sixty years. He was married
in North Carolina to Miss Aggie Bailey, a native of that
State, and a descendant of a Revolutionary soldier, who
lived to be one hundred years of age, and was buried in
Monroe County, East Tenn. Soon after their marriage, and
when the country was wild and hardly inhabited save for
Indians and the prowling wild animals, they removed to
Tennessee, and there they reared a family of eight
children: Daniel, Andrew, Absalom, Davault, Polly, John,
Elizabeth and William M., all of whom are living with
the exception of two, and all residents of Tennessee
except Elizabeth and Eilliam M. The noble mother of this
family died in Tennessee in 1830, in middle life, and
the father, with several of his children, afterward
removed to Missouri, where he purchased a tract of land
near Mammouth Spring, Ripley County, on which farm his
death occurred, and where he now sleeps his last sleep. William M. Hedrick, when not employed on the home farm, attended school occasionally, but good schools were few and far between, consequently he did not obtain as good an education as he should hav edone. On his father's death he was reared by his brother Andrew, a farmer and mechanic of Bradley County, Tenn., who, although an octogenerian, has frew gray hairs, and is still active and energetic, and is well-to-do in worldly goods. William M. was married in August, 1854, to Miss Lucinda Walls, of Tennessee, their marriage taking place in Bradley County, where they lived until 1863. From the opening of the civil War until he came to Illinois, Mr. Hedrick was compelled for the greater part of the time ot hide in the wood to prevent being drafted into the confederate army. However, in 1861, he was guided through the Cumberland Mountains for about seventy-five miles by a Mr. Clifton, and after a week's journey succeeded in reaching the Union forces at Cumberland Ford, from which point he made his way to Illinois three years later. Mr. Hedrick did not volunteer in the service, as he was ineligible on account of poor health, but he remained with the Federals the most of the time during the three years. At one time he stole back through the mountains the same way he had come to see his family and found that his wife had died. He then came by Louisville to Pople County, Ill., to the home of his sister Elizabeth, wife of James L. Dixon. On the 26th of September, 1865, he returned to Tennessee for his children, and upon reaching Nashville had to telegraph Gen. Thomas for a permit. On his return with his family, as he had no means, he first farmed on rented ground. Since that time he has owned three farms besides the one on which he now resides, and onto which he moved in December, 1890. He soon opened a general store on the place, and there a postoffice was established, of which he was made Postmaster. In 1866, Mr. Hedrick was married in this county to Mrs. Anna Riley, widow of William Riley, a soldier of the Union army. Mrs. Hedrick's maiden name was Matthews, and she was born in Georgia. Our subject's children were as follows: William A., a farmer of Union County, Ill., and the father of two sons and two daughters; Lucretia T., wife of William Wilson, of Ozark, Johnson county, Ill.; James K., who died of brain fever in 1879, at about the age of twenty-one years; and an infant also deceased. Mr. Hedrick was first a Whig, but has long been a Republican, politically, and has held the position of Constable for sixteen years. He and his wife are members of the Regular Baptist Church, and are every way worthy people. His farm is devoted to general farming, and he keeps a fair stock of goods in his store, which brings him in considerable means during the year. His sister Elizabeth lost her husband in 1872, and with her children has made her home with Mr. Hedrick for some years. |
| WILLIAM J. HERRING is the owner
of a good farm, having within its boundaries one hundred
and thirty acres, of which seventy-five are tilled and
sown to corn, wheat, oats and hay. The homestead is
located in township 11, range 7, Pope County, to which
he came in the fall of 1851. He was born in Wales in
1816, being the son of Joseph Herring, a native
of the same place, his birth having occurred in 1782. He
spent his entire life in his native land, dying when
about seventy-five years of age. His wife, who was in
her girlhood Miss Ann Power, bore him a family
of eleven children, of whom seven sons and two daughters
lived to manhood and womanhood. Of the four who are now
surviving, William J., of this sketch, is one. A brother
resides in Vancouver's Island, and John and Davis are in
Colorado. In The spring of 1851 Mr. Herring left his native land, coming to America with his wife and one son, William J., Jr. The voyage was made in an English sailing-vessel of the old Allen Simpson Line, in command of Capt. Lee. They were upon the briny deep fro five weeks, starting from Cardiff, Wales, and landing in New York City, from which place they soon removed to Pittstown, in Pennsylvania. There Mr. Herring worked in the coal mines for about six months, then crossing the Alleghany Mountains on the railroad and proceeding down the Ohio from Pittsburg to Elizabethtown, came Westward to Illinois. He was possessed of a few dollars, which he had earned in the mines of native land. The country was very wild, and houses were built of logs rudely put together. He first purchased in this county a tract of forty acres at $1.25 per acre, and after some years purchased another piece of land of forty acres, since which time he has added still another tract of fifty acres, thus making one hundred and thirty in all. Our subject is a progressive and enterprising farmer, and his place is well stocked with horses, cattle, sheep and hogs. In politics, Mr. Herring is a Democrat, and for over fifty-five years has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellow. Both he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, being active workers and zealous in the cause. They have but one son, William J., Jr., but have eight grandchildren, in whom they take great pride and interest. Mr. Herring is thoroughly deserving of the success which has crowned his years of toil and brought to him a comfortable home and a secure competence for his declining days, for he has always been one who has not been afraid of hard and honest labor. |
| WILLIAM J. HERRING, Jr. No
man in township 12, range 7, Pope County, is more worthy
of representation in this biographical record, than is
our subject, who has for so many years been prominently
connected with her welfare, and is one of the pioneers
who laid the foundation for the present and future
prosperity of this region. He owns a well-improved farm
of two hundred acres on section 9, and is also the owner
of one hundred and thirty-five acres in Hardin County.
though he raises a few horses, cattle, sheep and hogs,
he is largely interestd in growing corn, wheat an doats.
He is, and always has been, vrey industrious and
careful, and being a good manager is thus worthy in
every respect of the success which he has now reached. Mr. Herring was born in Wales, in 1839, his father, William J., Sr., who was born in 1816, having been a prominent farmer of Grand Pierre Precinct of that country. The grandfather of our subject, whose Christian name was Joseph, reared a family of ten children, eight sons and two daughters, and died in his native land at an advanced age. William J., Sr., was the fourth son, and has a brother living in Brooklyn, N.Y., one in California, and one in St. Louis at the present time. He married Hannah Lawrence, also of Wales, and emigrated to American in 1850, sailing from Cardiff, and being a long time on the ocean. On their arrival in New York City they remained there but a short time, thence going to Luzerne County, Pa., where they remained, however, only a year. In the fall of 1851 they came to Illinois, traveling a portion of the way by water and crossing the Alleghany Mountains in a section of a boat drawn by a stationary engine at the summit. On reaching this State, they remained for a short time at Elizabethtown and then removed to Pope County. Landing in this country with some means, our subject's parents purchased and improved a farm, etnering eighty acres at the land office at $1.25 per acre. To his original farm, Mr. Herring has since added sixty-five acres, making his farm in all one of one hundred and forty-five acres. Our subject was from his boyhood reared to farm life, and has proved himself to be imminently fitted for this occupation, which he has followed since his early years. He received the advantages of a good district school education, and taught school for some seven terms. In his twenty-eighth year he was united in marriage with Elizabeth C. McMurphy, who was twenty-two years of age, their union being celebrated march 10, 1867. Mrs. Herring is a daughter of John T. and Vollie (Bradley) McMurphy, natives of Illinois and Indiana respectively. The former removed to this State in 1818, and returned to Indiana for his bride. He had served in the Black Hawk War, and died on his farm in Hardin County in 1862, at the age of fifty-six years, leaving a widow, two sons and three daughters, of whom the wife of our subject is the youngest. The mother is still living with a daughter, though she has now reached the age of seventy-seven years. The following children have been born to Mt. and Mrs. Herring: Lillian A., who is twenty-two years of age and is a successful school teacher of this locality, now teaching her third term; W.C., aged twenty years, now at school and fitting himself for a teacher; Lucy A., age seventeen, also in school and a promising student; Mary E.; John R.; Tivis L., and Olive L., aged fifteen, twelve andn eight years, respectively, who are attending school; and Otto Ralph, a bright little child of three years and the pride of the household. Hannah P. died in 1870, age two years and three months, and Grover died June 22, 1889, the same age to a day as his little sister, who had departed this life so many years previously. Mr. Herring is politically a Democrat, and is a member of the Presbyterian Cumberland Church. He is highly esteemed in this locality as a man of integrity and justice, and one who is thoroughly conscientious in all his business dealings with his fellow-men. A brother of Mrs. Herring, David McMurphy, was a loyal soldier during the late war, enlisting as a private in the Sixth Illinois Cavalry. |
| JOHN H. HODGE. It is with special
pleasure that we accord a place in the biographical
record of the worthy pioneers and respected citizens of
Pope County to our subject, who has long been identified
with the properity of this vicinity. He is a native of
the county, having been born December 18, 1861, on his
father's farm in township 13. His parents were William
S. and Harriet (Taylor) Hodge, the former a native of
Illinois, and the latter of Indiana. Our subject's
paternal grandfather, George Hodge, was born in North
Carolina and removed to Illinois at an early day. William S. Hodge, the father of our subject, followed agricultural pursuits in township 13, owning a track of two hundred and forty acres located on sections 29, 30 and 31. He was a valiant soldier, having served throughout the Mexican War and having loyally defended the Union in the war of the Rebellion. In the war with Mexico he was made a Corporal and was one of the number that captured Santa Anna at the battle of Cerro Gordo. In the civil conflict he was Captain of Company E, One Hundred and Twentieth Illinois Infantry, enlisting in the early part of the war and remaining in service until the close. he was taken prisoner by the Confederates and was confined in Libby Prison for nine months. While in action he sustained a severe wound in the leg, from the effects of which he never wholly recovered. At the close of the war he returned to Illinois and was elected County Treasurer, serving in that position for two terms and also filling the position of Sheriff for several terms. His last years were spent on his farm, where his death occurred January 8, 1884. He possessed the honor and high esteem of his fellow-citizens and neighbors and was a thoroughly representative man. Mr. Hodge of whom we write remained on his father's farm until eighteen years of age, attending the county schools and also the best schools afforded by the town of Golconda. He afterward attended the Northern Illinois Normal State University for one term, in the year 1889, and then returned to his farm, having since been engaged in teaching. Though he purchased his father's old farm on section 29 and resides there with his family, up to the present time he has never cared to occupy himself with agricultural pursuits very extensively, preferring rather the more intellectual field. He has been very successful as a teacher, his first term being at a place called Ridgway, in Gallatin County, but the rest of his time having been passed in this county. He is now the principal of a school in Columbus, Brownfield Township. March 30, 1886, Mr. Hodge was united in marriage with Miss Melissa Steagall, who was born in Tennessee September 29, 1862, and whose parents are also natives of that State. The latter are prominent and respected citizens of this locality and their biographies appear on another page of this world. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Hodge has been blessed with one son, Albert Clare. The parents are both members of the Presbyterian Church and are active in church work. Our subject holds membership with Golconda Lodge No. 131, A.F. & A.M., and as regards politics is a stanch Republican, as was his father before him. In this county and district where he was born and has passed all his years, he is necessarily better known than elsewhere, and by those friends and neighbors who have known him from childhood he is held in high regard as a man of genuine worth and honorable character. Though young, he has already acquired a good reputation for business ability and has shown exceptional fitness for the particular line of work which he has chosen as his field. |
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