William M. and Samuel D. Laughlin William M. Laughlin, justice of the peace at Granville and one of the respected and leading citizens of the village, has been closely identified with its material progress and its community interests. He was born in Bond county, Illinois, July 29, 1826, and is a representative of one of the early families of the new world. During a pioneer epoch in the history of the United States, three brothers of the name came from Scotland and two of them settled in Pennsylvania, while one took up his abode in South Carolina. Samuel D. Laughlin A grandson of the latter was S. D. Laughlin, father of our subject. He was born in South Carolina and was married in Ohio, after which he came to Illinois, settling in Bond county in the early '20's. His wife bore the maiden name of Rebecca Dunlavy and was a native of the Buckeye state. After living for some years in Bond county the parents came to Putnam county in 1830 and remained in the log cabin of Nelson Shepherd, south of Florid, until they could build a cabin on their own land. Mr. Laughlin pre-empted between three and four hundred acres of land, which he secured from the government, but it was not in the market until 1835. When it came into his possession not a furrow had been turned or an improvement made upon the place, the entire tract being just as it was when it came from the hand of nature. He cut the trees, hewed the timber and sawed the lumber in a steam sawmill at Florid, after which he built a frame house. He performed much of the arduous labor incident to the developement and improvement of a new farm, and as the years passed by, carefully conducted his business interests up to the time of his death, which was occasioned by pneumonia when he was fifty-two years of age. His wife died when about fifty years of age. In their family were eight children, four sons and four daughters, and the daughters are now deceased. A brother of our subject (William), James G. Laughlin, is living in Princeton, Illinois. The eldest brother died in Kansas, while the youngest brother, Addison Laughlin, is now living in Kewanee, Wisconsin. William M. Laughlin William M. Laughlin was only four years of age when brought by his parents to Putnam county, and he began work in the fields when he was so young that he was only able to do one-half of the amount of the men employed. In early days he would frequently make trips to Chicago with wheat, doing this about twice each fall, for the winter wheat was sown and much of the farm work of the year was done. A team of horses would be hitched to the wagon and in that he would convey the wheat to market, it usually requiring about ten days to make the trip. His father owned five head of horses, which he brought with him from Bond county, but there were no fences and all of the horses strayed away with the exception of one, which, however, was gone for some time. Thus amid pioneer conditiions and environments the days of his boyhood and youth were passed by Mr. Laughlin, who continued to make his home upon the old farm until his parents died. The following year he was married to Miss Elizabeth J. Thatcher, who was born in Vermont, October 25, 1830, a daughter of Benjamin Thatcher, who settled in the county in 1845 near Union Grove church. For a year after their marriage they lived upon the old homestead and Mr. Laughlin then purchased an improved farm of eighty acres, where he lived three years. He afterward developed and improved a farm south of Granville, and he continued to engage actively in agricultural pursuits until after the outbreak of the Civil war. In 1864, prompted by a spirit of patriotism, he offered his services to the government and joined Company B, One Hundred and Thirty-ninth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, under Captain Jefferson Durley. He was in one hundred days' service and went as far south as Cairo, Illinois, being mustered out after five months. In order to go to the war he left his home and wife with four small children, the oldest not over ten years of age. Though his service was comparatively short, yet he did not know where he would be sent or what he would encounter before he returned home, and it certainly required a great personal sacrifice on his part to leave his wife with the care of their little ones when fate held for him nothing but uncertainty. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Laughlin were born six children, of whom five are yet living: Ella C., now the wife of Robert M. Pritchett, a druggist living at Dana, Illinois; Mrs. C. C. Watts, of Rutland, Illinois; Hattie, the wife of Allen Ramsey, who is living at Wheaton, Minnesota; Cassius, who died at the age of a year and a half; Maggie A., the wife of William A. Lake, a resident of LaSalle county; and Bessie, the wife of H. E. Raley, sheriff of Putnam county. After the war Mr. Laughlin removed to Granville, where he engaged in carpenter work until a few years ago, and many buildings in the town and vicinity were partly erected by him. He has lived a life of industry, working resolutely to provide for his family, and a fair measure of success has been accorded him. In 1905 he was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who died on the 15th of May of that year. After her death he no longer cared to live in the old home and sold that property, since which time he has erected a new cottage in the east part of the town. He has served as justice of the peace for thirty years, but has held no other public office. In the justice court, however, he has proved a most capable official, and his decisions have been strictly fair and impartial, so that he has "won golden opinions from all sorts of people". When a young boy he united with the Presbyterian church and has always led an earnest Christian life. In 1848 he voted for Martin Van Buren, candidate for president on the free soil ticket, and since the organization of the republican party has been one of its stalwart champions. Probably no resident of the county has resided so long within its borders, and the years of his continuous connection with this part of the state well entitle Mr. Laughlin to prominent mention in this work. He has a most retentive memory, and is considered authority on all matters relating to the early history of the community. he recalls many interesting incidents, in some of which he was an active participant. He remembers well the controversy and division in the Union Grove Presbyterian church, the Ramsey hanging and the attempt to return a runaway negro by the name of Frank. All of these were important events in the early days. His memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present, and to present in detail his experiences in this county would be to give a correct picture of pioneer life and later progress here. Long since has the stage coach and the "prairie schooner" given way before the railroad train, the log cabin has been replaced by the commodious and substantial fram, brick or stone dwelling, crude farm machinery has been supplanted by the reaper, the mower, the harvester and the thresher, and today there is little evidence to show that hardly more than a half century ago the county was still but very sparsely settled and the work of improvement had scarcely begun.
Taken From the Past and Present of Marshall and Putnam Counties |
William M. Laughlin
TAKEN FROM THE PUTNAM RECORD, HENNEPIN, IL Again we are called upon to chronical the death of another old pioneer and citizen of Putnam County, that of William M. Laughlin. After a sickness of about 4 weeks, the result of a fall and fractured hip, he succumbed to his injuries and the infirmaties of old age and passed peacefully into the great beyond at the home of his daughter Mrs. H.E. Raley at 1:15 PM on Saturday, March 10, 1917 in his 91st year. With his parents he came to Putnam County in 1830, when but four years of age and continued to reside in this county the rest of his life time and had the distinction of having resided in the county longer than any person now living. By his long residence in the county, he was personally known to every person in the county by whom he was respected and loved. The deceased had a remarkable memory, was a devout student of the bible and was well versed in national affairs. He was a man of strong moral courage and convictions being ever ready to assert them in the interest of his country and rightousness when necessary. .....The funeral was held at the home of H.E. Raley at 9:00 Monday morning with a prayer by Reverend R.W. Ames following which the funeral cortege wended its way to Granville where services were held at the Congregational Church, Reverend R.K. Stetson officiating and were attended by a large gathering of friends and neighbors to pay their last respects to his memory. Internment was made in the family lot in the Granville city cemetery beside his wife and son who had preceded him. F.I. Peterson, mortician............. The following obituary was read at the funeral. William Martin Laughlin, son of Samuel D. Laughlin and Rebecca Dunlavy Laughlin was born in Bond County, Illinois July 29, 1826. In 1830 the family removed to Putnam County and settled near Union Grove. He was married June 7, 1849 to Miss Elizabeth Jane Fletcher who removed from Vermont to Putnam County with her relatives and neighbors, driving all the way with teams. A large family is now represented by one son, James G. Laughlin of Princeton, IL - age 92 years. The subject of this sketch passed away at 1:15, March 10, 1917 after which a month’s illness caused by a fall in which his hip was broken causing much suffering, age 90 years, 11 months and 7 days. He was a private Co. B 109th regiment of Il. Inf. Vol. Since the death of his wife, May 15, 1905 he has resided until 2 years ago at his home in Granville, IL. Since then making his home with his daughter Mrs. H.G. Raley in Hennepin. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Laughlin of whom 5 are living. Ella C. Pritchette, Hellen C. Watts, Hennie A. Ramsey, Maggie A. Lake and Bessie J. Raley. Cassius M. the only son died at the age of 1 1/2 in the year 1862. There are nine grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. Possessing a great and accurate memory, he was often called upon to settle points of law which came up for adjustment. He served many years as justice of the peace and was present at the Lincoln-Douglas debates in Ottawa in 1858. Had seen, heard and known, Ichabod Cotting, Benjamin Lundy, Orin Lovejoy and other eloquent advocates of liberty and rightousness. He was a member of the Congregational church for many years and used his influence for Christ and humanity.
|
Taken From The Biographical record of Bureau, Marshall and Putnam Counties,
Illinois. Among the pioneer settlers of Putnam county, the Leech family is especially worthy of notice in a work of this kind, as its members have long been prominently identified with its interests. John Leech, the father, was born and reared in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and when a young man removed to Jefferson county, Ohio. He was well educated, having attended Jefferson college, now Washington and Jefferson college at Cannonsburgh, Pennsylvania. In Jefferson county, Ohio, John Leech married Miss Mary Parr, of Scotch-Irish descent, born in the north of Ireland. When a child she became a resident of Jefferson county, where their marriage was celebrated in 1811, and there nine children were born to them. It was in May, 1832, that they landed at Peoria, Illinois, having come by way of the Ohio, Mississippi and Illinois rivers, and there the father purchased eighty acres of land, which now lies within the cay limits. As his family were in poor health at that place, in April, 1833, he removed to the farm near Florid, still owned and occupied by members of the family. He secured three hundred and twenty acres at the government price of one dollar and a quarter per acre. A small cabin had been erected by the party who laid claim to the tract and he added another log cabin, but later built a frame house after a null was started in the vicinity. He also became the owner of other tracts of good land in Putnam, Warren and Pike counties. His death occurred on the home farm here in 1839 - at the age of sixty-six years. In the family were nine children who grew to maturity, namely: James, who married Electa Hawks, and died in 1852, leaving a widow and seven children, the widow also now being deceased; Robert, born May 18, 1814, died August 4, 1895, at the age of eighty-one years; Jane married Lucian Livingston, a farmer, in Putnam county, by whom she had eight children. He died some years ago, and the widow is now living in Chicago; John Walker married Virginia B. Turner, and now resides in Hennepin. He owns a farm adjoining the old homestead, as well as his home in the village. Their children died in infancy; Mary is the widow of Rev. James Templeton, and resides on the old home farm; Susanna, who died two years ago, was the wife of Captain James Campbell Moore, of Peoria; Margaret first married Alexander Armstrong, and after his death, Gaspard L. Tetu, of Peoria; Samuel Gilmore manages the old homestead, and Elizabeth is the wife of Dr. J. T. Milling, of Peru. After his father's death, Robert Leech took charge of the business, carrying on the home farm, and became the father of the family. In connection with his brother, Samuel G., he added to the original farm a tract of one hundred and sixty acres, and there devoted his attention to general farming and stock-raising with excellent success. He was very active in public matters, was a strong democrat in politics, and often served as a delegate to the conventions of his party. For some years he was supervisor of his township, and also held the offices of commissioner and school director. During the war he took an active and leading part in public affairs, and did much toward relieving the distress of many a soldier's widow. Samuel G. Leech, the youngest son of the family, as he grew up aided his brother in the operation of the farm, and by purchase, became half owner of the place. For about ten years he dealt in grain at Hennepin, but since that time has given his entire attention to the cultivation and improvement of the farm. After the death of his brother he became sole owner. The mother, whose death occurred in April, 1888, at the advanced age of ninety-three years was ever devoted to the interests of her home and family, and was well preserved, retaining all her faculties to the last. A consistent member of the United Presbyterian church, she was a great Bible student and followed closely its teachings. She had a wide acquaintance throughout the county, and her house was ever open for the entertainment of her many friends, and she also took great pleasure in extending her hospitality to many noted men of the state. In attending the various district and state conventions, Robert Leech had won the friendship of many prominent men, and at one time "vas a candidate for the legislature. He was a man of much natural ability and was well read, but never cared for discussion and did not force his views on others. He was never involved in litigation, but still maintained his rights and made no enemies. Rev. James Templeton, who married Miss Mary A. Leech, was a native of Union county, Pennsylvania, and died December 3 1843, after a short married life of only three years and a half. He was of Scotch-Irish descent. and his boyhood was passed in his native state and at Jefferson college at Cannonsburgh, he secured both his classical and theological education. He at once entered the work of the ministry in Ohio, and in 1839 came to Illinois, organizing the Associate church at Granville. Putnam county, which has now disbanded. He devoted his entire time and attention to the Master's cause. and was a most earnest and devout Christian. He lies buried at Union Grove cemetery. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Templeton -Samuel Rutherford, well and favorably known throughout the county who died July 22. 1893 and Mary C. On coming to Putnam county. Mr. Templeton purchased several tracts of land which are still owned by his heirs. His death was a sad loss not alone to the wife and children. but to the community and the church he loved so well. |