CAPT. WILLIAM I. BRADY, Supervisor of Winslow Township, came to this county in 1866, and has since identified himself thoroughly with its business and agricultural interests. He is one of those men who constitute the bone and sinew of a community, and has been a leader in many of the worthiest enterprises of Winslow and vicinity. He traces his ancestry back to Scotland whence his father, Hugh J. Brady, emigrated when a young man, and locating in Pennsylvania, was married to Miss Sarah Shaffer, a native of that State, but of German parentage. He was a man of fine education and while engaging in the practice of law was also interested in mercantile pursuits for a number of years in Pittsburgh. He continued there prosperously until the fall of 1845, when he met with misfortune and lost all his property in that city. He then removed to Greensburg where he was the owner of real estate, and established himself as a merchant, carrying on also his law practice, and remaining there until his death, which took place in 1868.

The Brady family was well known throughout the Keystone State, the father of our subject being a cousin of Capt. Sam Brady, one of the noted pioneers contemporary with Daniel Boone, of Kentucky, and whose memory is perpetuated by a monument in the city of Baltimore. The mother of our subject passed away in 1852, previous to the death of her husband, and while they were residents of Pittsburgh. The parental household included three children: The eldest son, John H., is President of a bank in Akron, Iowa; William I., of our sketch, was the second child; Jonathon is a resident of Kansas. The father and mother were each married twice, each having one child by the first marriage: The eldest son of the mother, Henry Greenwalt by name, is a resident of Osceola, Pa.; Hugh Brady, the eldest son of the father, is an attorney at Memphis, Tenn.

Capt. Brady, of our sketch, was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., June 1, 1841. He attended school quite steadily until fifteen years of age, and then going into the lumber regions of Pennsylvania, was engaged there until the spring of 1859. He then purchased a horse and wagon and began selling books and periodicals throughout the States of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. After two seasons thus occupied he returned to his native State, and in 1861 repaired again to the lumber regions. His stay there, however, was brief, as the outbreak of the Rebellion induced him to respond to the call for troops, and he accordingly enlisted as a Union soldier, April 23, 1861, in Co. D, 14th Pa. Vol. Inf. He participated in the battle of Falling Waters, besides many skirmishes with the enemy, and at the expiration of his first term of enlistment re-entered the ranks June 19, 1862, becoming a member of Co. E, 30th Pa. Vol. Inf. He was soon afterward commissioned Second Lieutenant, and served until July, 1863, until his term of enlistment had expired. The conflict, however, had not yet ended, and he was unwilling to desert the field until the preservation of the Union was assured. He accordingly enlisted once more, becoming this time a member of Co. B, 76th Pa. Vol. Inf., which was called the Keystone Regiment. He was mustered in as a private, was soon afterward promoted to Second Lieutenant, and later received a Captain’s commission, which he held until the close of the war. His bravery and fidelity to duty made him a general favorite among his brother officers and his subordinates. He was mustered out the last time in July, 1865, at Raleigh, N. C., and going into Clearfield County, Pa., sold some property which he had there preparatory to coming to the West.

Capt. Brady set out for this county in the spring of 1866, and coming into Winslow Township, engaged in farming, and purchased a home adjoining the town. In addition to the land which he had purchased he rented a tract near by, and carried on agriculture in that vicinity four years, after which he took possession of the American Hotel and officiated as “mine host” until 1872. In the summer of that year he established himself in the drug business, which he prosecuted for eleven years following. In 1883 he sold out, and since that time has given his attention to his official duties. He has had quite an experience in insurance, representing some of the best companies in the United States, including the Hartford, of Connecticut, and the German, of Freeport. His energetic disposition would never permit him to be idle, and his busy brain is always devising some scheme which shall not only be of benefit to himself but to those around him.

One of the most important events in the life of our subject occurred on the 26th of December, 1861, when he was united in marriage with Miss Mary C., daughter of James and Mary Stewart, and a native of Altoona, Pa. They became the parents of a daughter, Emma Elethea, who died in 1864, and the mother followed her child to the silent land on the 27th of February, 1876. The second marriage of Capt. Brady took place Oct. 21, 1877, his present wife being formerly Miss Mary Rahorn, who was born in Clearfield County, Pa., and is the daughter of Peter and Christiana Rahorn, who are how living in Pennsylvania. Of this marriage there is one child, a son, Lester B., who was born April 27, 1879. They occupy a handsome home in the suburbs, and enjoy the friendship of a large circle of acquaintances.

Our subject and his wife are members in good standing of the Congregational Church, and politically, Capt. Brady is a decided Republican. He cast his first Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln, and after the war identified himself with the G. A. R., being at present a member of Porter Stiles Posts No. 498. In the A. F. & A. M., he belongs to Lena Lodge No. 564, and is a member of Lena Chapter No. 105, R. A. M., and Winslow Lodge No. 144, I. O. M. A. As a member of the Board of Supervisors he is unusually selected as Chairman of the important committees, was at one time Chairman of the Board, and is now its purchasing agent. His life has been an active and busy one, and he has employed his time to good purpose. His genial disposition and kindness of heart have rendered him a favorite among his associates. He is still in the prime of life, with the probability of many useful years before him, and now man takes more satisfaction in the welfare and prosperity of the people around him and in contributing to their moral and intellectual advancement. We take pleasure in giving a portrait of this excellent and representative citizen in connection with this brief sketch of his life.

Contributed by Carol Parrish - Portrait and Biographical Album of Stephenson County, Ill. (1888), p. 766