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Baker-Rouse Genealogy
John H. Kelley died 1 after 1850. He married Clarke.
Clarke [Parents] died 1 after 1850. She married John H. Kelley.
not mentioned among heirs to father's estate in 1860, but her children are
They had the following children:
M i Chester Kelley was born 1 1834 - 1844 in New York. He died . M ii William Kelley 1 died . M iii Silas Kelley was born 1 on 25 Oct 1835 in New York. He died 2 on 15 Nov 1920 in Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio. F iv Sarah S. Kelley was born 1 about 1840 in Indiana. She died . M v Dwight D. Kelley was born 1 in Aug 1841 in Indiana. He died . F vi Mary Kelley 1 died . F vii Susannah Kelley 1 died .
Samuel Nelson was born 1 1810 - 1820. He died 2 after 1850. He married Clarke.
Clarke [Parents] 1 was born 2 1810 - 1820. She died 3 after 1850. She married Samuel Nelson.
They had the following children:
M i Orien Nelson was born 1 about 1837 in New York. He died . F ii Manerva Nelson was born 1 about 1839 in Indiana. She died . F iii Mary E. Nelson was born 1 about 1841 in Indiana. She died . F iv Sarah Nelson was born 1 after 1859. She died .
Row 1 died . He married Jerusha Clarke.
Jerusha Clarke [Parents] 1 died . She married Row.
not mentioned among heirs to father's estate in 1860, but her children are
They had the following children:
M i Timothy Row 1 was born after 1838. He died .
Parley Phillips [Parents] 1, 2 was born 3 on 4 Jun 1785 in Voluntown, New London, CT. He died . He married 4 Anna Tucker on 13 Sep 1816.
Anna Tucker 1 died . She married 2 Parley Phillips on 13 Sep 1816.
They had the following children:
F i Orry Elizabeth Phillips was born 1 on 5 Aug 1822. She died .
Reuben Barton Hamlin [Parents] was born 1 about 1803 in Massachusetts. He died 2 on 29 Sep 1859 in Northampton, Peoria, Illinois. He married 3 Betsy Reed on 17 Sep 1835 in Peoria County, Illinois.
Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester & William Shepard. History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers.
Philadelphia: L.H. Everts, 1879, p. 437.
re: Plainfield, CT:
"Below, on the main road is the factory built by Pratt & Hamlin (Reuben Hamlin and Otis Pratt), sixty to seventy years ago, for the manufacture of satinets, broadcloth, customwork, etc. Mr. Erastus Bates bought out Pratt. After the removal of Mr. Bates west, Reuben Hamlin carried it on a short time alone. After that the building stood unused for a few years."
Betsy Reed 1, 2 was born 3 about 1815 in New York. She died . She married 4 Reuben Barton Hamlin on 17 Sep 1835 in Peoria County, Illinois.
They had the following children:
F i Juliette Hamlin F ii Frances O. Hamlin 1 was born 2 about 1830 in New York. She died . F iii Harriet S. Hamlin 1 was born 2 about 1832 in New York. She died . M iv William B. Hamlin 1 was born 2 about 1836 in Illinois. He died . M v Joseph J. Hamlin 1 was born 2 about 1839 in Illinois. He died . F vi Marion A. Hamlin F vii Adelaid Hamlin 1 was born 2 about 1848 in Illinois. She died . F viii Phoebe Hamlin 1 died . M ix Alfred Hamlin 1 died .
Chester Hamlin [Parents] was born 1 about 1814 in Massachusetts. He died . He married 2 Perris Cleveland on 13 Oct 1836 in Peoria County, Illinois.
Ellington Probate District Index 1826-1880
Hamlin, Chester 1829 No 938
Town of Somers
Orrin Pease appointed guadian of Chester, a minor of about 15 years of age on March 23, 1829 -- Records Book 1st, Folio 287
Perris Cleveland 1 was born 2 about 1816 in New York. She died . She married 3 Chester Hamlin on 13 Oct 1836 in Peoria County, Illinois.
They had the following children:
F i Amelia Hamlin was born 1 about 1839 in Illinois. She died . M ii Ralph Hamlin was born 1 about 1843 in Illinois. He died . F iii Ella Hamlin was born 1 about 1848 in Illinois. She died .
Bebee 1 died . He married Lucy Hamlin.
Lucy Hamlin [Parents] died 1 after 1841. She married Bebee.
Ralph Hamlin [Parents] was born 1 about 1817 in Massachusetts. He died 2 on 25 Feb 1860 in Peoria County, Illinois. He married 3 Elizabeth Fulton on 11 Dec 1843 in Peoria County, Illinois.
Elizabeth Fulton 1, 2 was born 3, 4 about 1827 in Illinois. She died . She married 5 Ralph Hamlin on 11 Dec 1843 in Peoria County, Illinois.
They had the following children:
M i George Hamlin 1 was born 2, 3 about 1845 in Illinois. He died . M ii Charles Hamlin was born 1, 2 about 1847 in Illinois. He died 3 . F iii Irene Hamlin was born 1 about Jan 1850 in Illinois. M iv Frederick Hamlin was born 1 about 1852 in Illinois. He died . M v Lewis Hamlin was born 1 about 1854 in Illinois. He died . M vi Harry Hamlin was born 1 about 1858 in Illinois. He died .
John Hamlin [Parents] [scrapbook] 1 was born 2, 3 on 25 Oct 1800 in Hampden County, Massachusetts. He died 4 on 29 Mar 1876 in Peoria, Peoria County, Illinois. He married Cynthia.
Other marriages:Smith, Elizabeth
The History of Peoria Ilinois: containing a history of the Northwest, history of Illinois, history of the county..., Chicago. Johnson & Co. 1880.
Page 656
"Hamlin, Hon. Jon (deceased) was born in Hampden county, Mass., October 25, 1800; parents were John and Lucy Hamlin. At the age of nine years he was placed on a farm at work for small wages, and when older went to school, working mornings and evenings for his board. These were the only school advantages he enjoyed, save a Winter at Wallingford Academy, and by this means he obtained a meager English education. His father gave his sons their time from the age of sixteen years. At that age John entereed the employ of an older brother, to sell goods from a peddling wagon, at which he spent about three years traveling through the Eastern and Middle States. In the Winter of 1818-19, he closed out the stock of goods in Zanesville, O., sold the wagon, and started on horseback for Richmod, Va.; there sold his horses and took a schooner for New York; spent the Winter in visiting friends in Massachusetts; in the Spring of 1819 went overland to Cincinatti, O.; went thence to Louisville, Ky.; returned to Madison, Ind., in a few weeks; spent three months there; and then started for Missouri; but falling in with a party of emigrants bound for the Sagamon country, concluded to go there, reaching there after 1,200 miles' travel; landed at Judge Latham's, in Elkhart, where he remained about a year, improving a piece of land. In 1821 he became associated with the owner of a keel boat, running on the Sangamon river, in a little log store which they built, and put in a small stock of goods. In company with several other gentlemen Mr. H. visited the site of Peoria early in May, 1821, and found but two log cabins. He was charmed with the natural beauty of the place, and in the Spring of 1822 removed his effects with an ox team to Fort Clark, the inhabitants then being the families of Abner Eads, a Mr. Mont and Mr. Bogardus. In the Spring of 1822 Fulton county was organized, then including Peoria, and Mr. Hamlin was chosen justice of the peace. In 1823 William Hamilton took a contract to supply Fort Howard, at Green Bay, with beef cattle, and owing to his efficiency and knowledge of the Indians, Mr. Hamlin was engaged to accompany the expedition. Fort Dearborn -- now Chicago -- was the first stopping place. After many romantic experiences they reached Green Bay July 2 1823, having performed the journey in thirty days. On the return trip Justice Hamlin performed his first marriage ceremony at Fort Dearborn -- the first in the place -- uniting in wedlock Dr. Alexander Wolcott to Miss Kinzie, the daughter of the first white settler on the site of Chicago. During his stay at Fort Dearborn Mr. H. contracted to enter the services of the American Fur Company, which he did after a brief trip home. In this business he had many nvel experiences and learned much of Indian character. Mr. Hamlin at once won the esteem and confidence of his employers and the next year was sent to establish a trading post at Fort Clark -- his home. He erected suitable buildings and shipped goods, not only to the Indians, but to the white settlers. Besides the usual fur trade, eh exchanged goods for pork, which he packed and shipped to the military post at Chicago, and for cattle for the same market. He conceived the idea of shipping his pork by keel boat, which was the first effort to navigate the uncertain waters between Lake Peoria and Chicago with anything larger than a Mackinaw boat or Indian canoe. The whole experience proved a success. Upon his return he gathered together his few hundred dollars capital, purchased a sorck of goods in St. Louis and opened a store of his own in Peoria. During the Summer of 1825 he erected a small frame home, 18x24, the first built in the place, covered it with split clap-boards, and plastered it himself with white clay from the bluff. In the Spring of 1826 he bought a keel boat to run on the river between Peoria and St. Louis, and thus cheapen the transportation of his goods. In 1828 he established a branch store in Mackinaw town, Tazewell county, but the following year sold out his entire business and made a visit to his old New England home. Upon his return he built a cabin at teh foot of the bluff and engaged in farming. The next year bought the stock of goods at his old stand and re-embarked in the mercantile business. In the Spring, Mr. Hamlin, in company with a young man named Sharp, began to build the first flourishing mill in this part of the country. It was completed the next year, and they run it until 1834, when they sold it. He purchased a fourth interest in a steamboat being built at Pittsburg, called it Peoria, to run between that city and St. Louis, and was the first Peorian to own and interest in a steamboat on the Illinois river. Mr. Hamlin was one of the first board of trustees of the young town of his adoption; served later as an alderman; and in 1834 was elected to the Illinois General Assembly. In 1836 was chosen to the State Senate, and re-elected in 1828. He was one of the director sof the Second National Bank from its organization, and one of the proprietors of the savings bank of Peoria. On March 29, 1876, he died, closing an active an useful life. Mr. Hamlin possessed a great versatility of talent, much above mediocre in quantity and quality. He was twice married. His second wife, who survives him, was the daughter of Levi and Sarah Johnson, of Springfield, Ill., a native of Athens county, Ohio, born January 10, 1808, whom he married April 10, 1827. Mr. H. left a comfortable estate for the widow and their adopted daughter, Mrs. Vanbuskirk."Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, 1902, pages 455-458, submitted by Janine Crandell to http://www.peoriacountyillinois.info/bios/bios_h.html#hamlinjohn
HAMLIN, JOHN, one of the pioneer settlers of Peoria, was a native of Wilbraham, Hampden County. Massachusetts. He was born October 25, 1800, his parents being John and Lucy Hamlin. His early education was limited to that obtained in the public schools, with one term at an academy at Wallingford, Connecticut. Having been given his time, at the age of sixteen, he became a peddler, in which employment he traveled through several of the New England and Middle States, and finally, in 1818, reached Zanesville, Ohio, where he sold his stock, crossed the mountains on horseback to Richmond, Virginia, then sold his horses, went by schooner to New York and thence to his old home. In the spring of 1819 he started West, stopping first at Cincinnati, thence, in company with three young men in a skiff, proceeding down the river toward Louisville, but being overtaken by a small steamboat they abandoned their skiff and took passage on the steamer for the remainder of the way. From Louisville he went to Madison, Indiana, and after three months started for Missouri. After crossing the Wabash at Vincennes he fell in with some emigrants bound for the Sangamon country in Illinois, with whom he cast his lot. This route lay through an uninhabited country infested with Indians; but they safely reached Edwardsville, which was then the largest town in the State. From that point the young man set out alone for Judge Latham's at Elkhart Grove, which point he reached after enduring great privations and incurring considerable danger. Having remained with the Lathams about a year, during which time he improved a piece of land, he became interested with the owner of a keel-boat which had commenced running on the Sangamon from St. Louis, and, in company, they erected a little log store to supply the sparse population with the necessities of life. The following extracts are taken from a biographical sketch prepared under his own supervision: "Soon after this, in company with several other gentlemen, Mr. Hamlin visited Fort Clark, and found on his arrival here two log cabins, one of which was occupied by the family of Abner Eads; the other was a double log house, and was occupied by two families—one by the name of Bogardus and the other by the name of Montgomery. This was in the early part of May, 1821. Mr. Hamlin enjoyed the natural beauty of the place at that season of the year, and had an opportunity of seeing a large congregation of its aboriginal inhabitants assemble at their rendezvous at the head of Lake Peoria to receive their distribution of annuities at the hands of the Indian Agent, who had just arrived up the river from St. Louis. "In March, 1822, he employed Charles S. Boyd to move his effects to Fort Clark with an ox-team. This same Boyd had already become famous as an ox-teamster, having several years before moved his family and effects all the way from New York with the same conveyance. We do not know whether the oxen employed to move Mr. Hamlin were the same yoke that performed that Herculean journey or not, but we presume not. The only white families at this time in Peoria were those mentioned in connection with Mr. Hamlin's first visit—the families of Eads, Bogardus and Montgomery; but their Indian neighbors were very numerous, and many of them were making rapid progress in the first stage of civilization, by freely imbibing the whisky furnished them by the white settlers. These savages seemed to have a great liking for whisky; they would crowd around the trading-post—whether boat or cabin—and plead for it often for hours at a time; and when excited or intoxicated, would prowl about and make the night hideous with their yells. Well if they did not commit depredations and acts of fiendish atrocity. In some instances, a little later, murders were committed by drunken Indians. The famous case of Nomaque, which was tried in the first Circuit Court ever held in the county, was one of this kind; and the shrewd Indian justified himself and charged the murder of the white man on those who sold him the whisky. Who shall say that the judgment of the Indian was not at least half right in this case? "In 1822 the county of Fulton was organized by act of the Legislature, and the Governor and council appointed Mr. Hamlin as one of the Justices for that county, which then included Peoria County—the latter not yet organized. The office of Mr. Hamlin was selected as the place for taking affidavits in the famous Eads and Ross contested election case. It appears that the contest had been for the office of Sheriff of Fulton County. Eads had been elected by one majority. Ross claimed that the vote was not fair, because some of the voters for Eads lived out of the jurisdiction, on the east side of the Illinois River. Judge Reynolds, who at that time presided, ordered depositions to be taken as evidence in the case, which was accordingly done by Mr. Hamlin, at his office, as Justice of the Peace for Fulton County, in company with his associate. H. R. Coulter. "In 1823 William S. Hamilton took a contract from the Government to supply Fort Howard, at Green Bay, with beef cattle, and Mr. Hamlin, on account of his efficiency and knowledge of Indian character, was chosen to accompany the expedition to that distant garrison. It was a work of no ordinary difficulty. The country to be traversed with their herd was an unsettled wilderness, without roads or means of crossing the swamps or streams. The cattle had to be guarded and kept from straying, and, although the prairies afforded grass enough for their subsistence, yet the men of the party had to be supplied with provisions for the journey—enough at least to last them to Fort Dearborn (now Chicago), their first stopping place. However, they equipped themselves for the undertaking, and, after many vicissitudes and romantic experiences, which we have not space here to relate, arrived at Green Bay with their cattle, on the second day of July, 1823, having performed the journey in thirty days.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"On his way back Mr. Hamlin performed his first marriage ceremony, at Fort Dearborn, in the marriage of Dr. Alexander Wolcott, a graduate of Yale College, and a man of distinguished literary culture, who at that time was Indian Agent at Fort Dearborn. This was the first marriage ceremony ever performed in the (now) great city of Chicago. "During his stay in Chicago Mr. Hamlin made an engagement to enter the service of the American Fur Company, which he did after a short trip home. In his adventures during the hunting season among the Indians, he had a rich experience, practicing somewhat in the French language in his conversation with the Frenchmen in his employ, and learning much of Indian life and character. But he had little taste for the life of a hunter. He made a successful trip, however, and returned richly laden with furs, being the first of the outfits of that season to arrive at Chicago. "Mr. Hamlin, at this time, was only twenty-three years of age, but such was the confidence of Mr. Crafts (with whom he was employed) in his ability and integrity that, on leaving his trading establishment at Chicago, to go East for supplies for the next season's outfits, he entrusted the whole business of the concern to him—the youngest of several clerks in his employ. Nor was the confidence reposed in him misplaced or disappointed. He managed the business to the entire satisfaction of his employer, who, the year following, sent him to establish a new trading-post at his home in Fort Clark. Here he erected buildings and supplied goods, not only to the Indians, but also to the white settlers in the vicinity, getting but little money in his traffic, as in those days money was hardly to be seen, except in transactions with the Government, or with Eastern men newly arrived, or as the result of sales made in distant markets. There was no circulating medium to answer the purposes of local business, and so Mr. Hamlin was obliged to exchange goods for other articles of trade. Besides the usual fur business, he exchanged goods for pork, which he packed and shipped to the military post at Chicago, and also cattle, which he delivered at the same market in the spring. "His method of getting his pork to Chicago furnishes a good illustration of the difficulties and other obstacles a resolute and ingenious mind may overcome in accomplishing its purpose. "No attempt had yet been made to navigate the uncertain water route from Lake Peoria to Chicago with anything larger than a Mackinaw boat or an Indian canoe, nor was it thought practicable at the time of which we speak. But Mr. Hamlin conceived the bold idea of shipping his pork by a keel-boat. One was lying idly at the landing, which he could charter for the trip. His plan was to load his pork on board of this, pack his furs on board a small Mackinaw boat which he owned, and, thus loaded, to push on with all possible speed while the water was up in the spring. He loaded and started; his plan succeeded. He moved up the Illinois to the mouth of the Des Plaines. Here he unloaded the keel-boat and built a depot for his pork, leaving it safe and secure in charge of some of the boatmen, while he went on with the Mackinaw boat and furs, passing up the Des Plaines to a point called Summit, where the waters divide, part going by the Illinois and Mississippi into the Gulf of Mexico, and part by the Chicago river and lakes into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. At this point the water passes through a slough into Mud Lake, and thence by a gully into the south branch of the Chicago river, following which Mr. Hamlin arrived safely in Chicago with his boat-load of furs. The pork was conveyed in the same way, and in due time the whole experiment was crowned with success. "Mr. Hamlin then returned home, gathered up what little means he had saved, amounting to a few hundred dollars, purchased a stock of goods in St. Louis and started business for himself. During the summer of 1825 he built a small frame house—the first ever erected in Peoria. It was eighteen by twenty-four, covered with split and shaved clapboards, and plastered with a kind of white clay procured on the bluffs. Mr. Hamlin purchased a trowel in St. Louis and did the plastering himself, making quite a good job of the walls, but not plastering overhead. He continued his mercantile business with success, and in the spring of 1826 purchased a keel-boat to run on the river to and from St. Louis, in order to control the shipment of his own goods and thus cheapen their transportation. "In 1828, after the county-seat of Tazewell County had been located at Mackinaw Town, he established a branch store at that place, which he continued about a year. In the spring of 1820 he sold out his entire business and made a visit to his old home in New England, from which he had been absent ten years. "On his return from the East Mr. Hamlin built a log cabin at the foot of the bluffs, and there engaged in farming. In 1830 he set out an orchard of, four hundred apple trees, some of which continued to flourish until about two year ago (1873). The same year he purchased a stock of goods at his old stand and commenced mercantile business, at the same time living at the bluffs till late in the fall, when he moved into his new frame house, on the corner of Main and Perry Streets. "In the spring of 1831 Mr. Hamlin, with two young men by the name of Sharp,, commenced the erection of the first flouring-mill in this section of the country, which was completed in 1832. It commenced operations, doing only custom work at first, but soon added thereto barreling and shipping flour to St. Louis and New Orleans. This, at first, was not profitable, owing to the low prices. For example: In 1832 a lot of two hundred barrels sent to the New Orleans market only yielded, in net returns, $1.37 1/2 per barrel. He continued, however, to run the mill till 1834, when he sold out to an Eastern purchaser. ''He next attempted to establish the first regular steamboat line between St. Louis and Peoria. Steamers had, of course, been running before, but not with a regularity that could be depended upon to meet the growing demands of commerce between the two places. He purchased a quarter interest in a steamer being built at Pittsburg. which was called the Peoria. She was built with an upper-deck cabin for passengers. But on her arrival at St. Louis the plan temporarily failed on account of another party being unable to fulfill his contract. The boat was chartered by other parties, and sent to Galena. But, after a while, Mr. Hamlin, having occasion to go to Galena on business, recovered the boat, and, through his energy and perseverance, succeeded in carrying out his original plan. This was the first regular steamboat, owned in part by a Peorian, that was employed in carrying freight and passengers between Peoria and St. Louis. "Mr. Hamlin was a man of versatility, adapting himself easily to a change of circumstances, and in all conditions equally fertile in expedients and resources. He passed through many vicissitudes and was a many-sided man, without being changeable or equivocal in character. In his early history he seems to have been a natural born pioneer, taking easily to the hardships, emergencies and excitements of frontier life.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"In intellect Mr. Hamlin was above mediocrity, with a sound judgment and quick, active business faculties. He had also the powers of reason and speculation on abstract themes. Love of truth was one of his predominating traits. His honor and integrity were abundantly tested both in public and private life. As an illustration of his sense of justice and tendency to conciliate rather than exasperate the animosities of men, we need cite only the fact of his confidential and friendly relations with the Indians, with whom he had so much intercourse. While living in his log cabin it was not uncommon for him and his wife to retire to bed in one corner of the room with three or four Indians lying before the fire on a mat spread for them to sleep on; and during the long winter nights they would raise themselves up and smoke their pipes while their unconscious entertainers would be quietly sleeping. The Indians seemed always to be friendly to Mr. Hamlin. Having once been engaged in a regular trade with them, they looked upon his house as a sort of home, and when sober he always allowed them to sleep on his floor. "Mr. Hamlin was not by nature a politician, yet he has officiated largely in public life. From the time during the Black Hawk War—when he assisted in organizing a self-constituted military commission to take charge of the ferry boat and rebuild Fort Clark, in order to prevent a general stampede of the settlers from the country, who were panic-stricken on the defeat of Stillman, thinking the Indians would come and tomahawk and scalp them in the night—down through the history of city and county, he has been more or less identified with official duties. At that time he did as efficient service at home as the rangers or the army did in the field. We find his name in the early records of the town and city of Peoria, filling the positions of Justice, Trustee, Alderman, etc. In 1834 he was elected by a large majority to the State Legislature, the issue then, being on the proposed construction of the Illinois Canal. In 1836 he was elected a member of the State Senate, and again in 1838 re-elected to the same office." In all public affairs Mr. Hamlin was one of our foremost citizens. As already seen, he was in an early day one of the County Commissioners and County Treasurer. In the contest regarding the county seat he took a conspicuous part and advanced his own credit to effect a settlement of that much vexed question. In all educational matters he took a foremost place and for many years acted as Treasurer of the Public School Fund. He prospered in business and in middle life had attained to a competence in pecuniary affairs. In 1864 he became one of the original stockholders in the Second (now Peoria) National Bank. He was a Republican in politics and always took a deep interest in the success of that party. In religion he embraced the Swedenborgian faith, and in all private affairs lived an honest, consistent and upright life. Mr. Hamlin was twice married, his first wife surviving but a short time after their mariage. His second wife, who outlived him several years, was the daughter of Levi and Sarah Johnson, of Springfield, Illinois, to whom he was married April 10, 1827. They had no children. Mr. Hamlin died March 29, 1876, leaving a comfortable estate to his widow and their adopted daughter, the wife of Harry M. Van Buskirk, of Peoria, who still survives.
Cynthia was born 1 about 1808 in Ohio . She died . She married John Hamlin.
They had the following children:
F i Victoria G. Hamlin was born 1 about 1841 in Illinois. She died . She was related to her parents by adoption.
John Hamlin [Parents] [scrapbook] 1 was born 2, 3 on 25 Oct 1800 in Hampden County, Massachusetts. He died 4 on 29 Mar 1876 in Peoria, Peoria County, Illinois. He married 5 Elizabeth Smith on 19 Jan 1826 in Peoria County, Illinois.
Other marriages:, Cynthia
The History of Peoria Ilinois: containing a history of the Northwest, history of Illinois, history of the county..., Chicago. Johnson & Co. 1880.
Page 656
"Hamlin, Hon. Jon (deceased) was born in Hampden county, Mass., October 25, 1800; parents were John and Lucy Hamlin. At the age of nine years he was placed on a farm at work for small wages, and when older went to school, working mornings and evenings for his board. These were the only school advantages he enjoyed, save a Winter at Wallingford Academy, and by this means he obtained a meager English education. His father gave his sons their time from the age of sixteen years. At that age John entereed the employ of an older brother, to sell goods from a peddling wagon, at which he spent about three years traveling through the Eastern and Middle States. In the Winter of 1818-19, he closed out the stock of goods in Zanesville, O., sold the wagon, and started on horseback for Richmod, Va.; there sold his horses and took a schooner for New York; spent the Winter in visiting friends in Massachusetts; in the Spring of 1819 went overland to Cincinatti, O.; went thence to Louisville, Ky.; returned to Madison, Ind., in a few weeks; spent three months there; and then started for Missouri; but falling in with a party of emigrants bound for the Sagamon country, concluded to go there, reaching there after 1,200 miles' travel; landed at Judge Latham's, in Elkhart, where he remained about a year, improving a piece of land. In 1821 he became associated with the owner of a keel boat, running on the Sangamon river, in a little log store which they built, and put in a small stock of goods. In company with several other gentlemen Mr. H. visited the site of Peoria early in May, 1821, and found but two log cabins. He was charmed with the natural beauty of the place, and in the Spring of 1822 removed his effects with an ox team to Fort Clark, the inhabitants then being the families of Abner Eads, a Mr. Mont and Mr. Bogardus. In the Spring of 1822 Fulton county was organized, then including Peoria, and Mr. Hamlin was chosen justice of the peace. In 1823 William Hamilton took a contract to supply Fort Howard, at Green Bay, with beef cattle, and owing to his efficiency and knowledge of the Indians, Mr. Hamlin was engaged to accompany the expedition. Fort Dearborn -- now Chicago -- was the first stopping place. After many romantic experiences they reached Green Bay July 2 1823, having performed the journey in thirty days. On the return trip Justice Hamlin performed his first marriage ceremony at Fort Dearborn -- the first in the place -- uniting in wedlock Dr. Alexander Wolcott to Miss Kinzie, the daughter of the first white settler on the site of Chicago. During his stay at Fort Dearborn Mr. H. contracted to enter the services of the American Fur Company, which he did after a brief trip home. In this business he had many nvel experiences and learned much of Indian character. Mr. Hamlin at once won the esteem and confidence of his employers and the next year was sent to establish a trading post at Fort Clark -- his home. He erected suitable buildings and shipped goods, not only to the Indians, but to the white settlers. Besides the usual fur trade, eh exchanged goods for pork, which he packed and shipped to the military post at Chicago, and for cattle for the same market. He conceived the idea of shipping his pork by keel boat, which was the first effort to navigate the uncertain waters between Lake Peoria and Chicago with anything larger than a Mackinaw boat or Indian canoe. The whole experience proved a success. Upon his return he gathered together his few hundred dollars capital, purchased a sorck of goods in St. Louis and opened a store of his own in Peoria. During the Summer of 1825 he erected a small frame home, 18x24, the first built in the place, covered it with split clap-boards, and plastered it himself with white clay from the bluff. In the Spring of 1826 he bought a keel boat to run on the river between Peoria and St. Louis, and thus cheapen the transportation of his goods. In 1828 he established a branch store in Mackinaw town, Tazewell county, but the following year sold out his entire business and made a visit to his old New England home. Upon his return he built a cabin at teh foot of the bluff and engaged in farming. The next year bought the stock of goods at his old stand and re-embarked in the mercantile business. In the Spring, Mr. Hamlin, in company with a young man named Sharp, began to build the first flourishing mill in this part of the country. It was completed the next year, and they run it until 1834, when they sold it. He purchased a fourth interest in a steamboat being built at Pittsburg, called it Peoria, to run between that city and St. Louis, and was the first Peorian to own and interest in a steamboat on the Illinois river. Mr. Hamlin was one of the first board of trustees of the young town of his adoption; served later as an alderman; and in 1834 was elected to the Illinois General Assembly. In 1836 was chosen to the State Senate, and re-elected in 1828. He was one of the director sof the Second National Bank from its organization, and one of the proprietors of the savings bank of Peoria. On March 29, 1876, he died, closing an active an useful life. Mr. Hamlin possessed a great versatility of talent, much above mediocre in quantity and quality. He was twice married. His second wife, who survives him, was the daughter of Levi and Sarah Johnson, of Springfield, Ill., a native of Athens county, Ohio, born January 10, 1808, whom he married April 10, 1827. Mr. H. left a comfortable estate for the widow and their adopted daughter, Mrs. Vanbuskirk."Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, 1902, pages 455-458, submitted by Janine Crandell to http://www.peoriacountyillinois.info/bios/bios_h.html#hamlinjohn
HAMLIN, JOHN, one of the pioneer settlers of Peoria, was a native of Wilbraham, Hampden County. Massachusetts. He was born October 25, 1800, his parents being John and Lucy Hamlin. His early education was limited to that obtained in the public schools, with one term at an academy at Wallingford, Connecticut. Having been given his time, at the age of sixteen, he became a peddler, in which employment he traveled through several of the New England and Middle States, and finally, in 1818, reached Zanesville, Ohio, where he sold his stock, crossed the mountains on horseback to Richmond, Virginia, then sold his horses, went by schooner to New York and thence to his old home. In the spring of 1819 he started West, stopping first at Cincinnati, thence, in company with three young men in a skiff, proceeding down the river toward Louisville, but being overtaken by a small steamboat they abandoned their skiff and took passage on the steamer for the remainder of the way. From Louisville he went to Madison, Indiana, and after three months started for Missouri. After crossing the Wabash at Vincennes he fell in with some emigrants bound for the Sangamon country in Illinois, with whom he cast his lot. This route lay through an uninhabited country infested with Indians; but they safely reached Edwardsville, which was then the largest town in the State. From that point the young man set out alone for Judge Latham's at Elkhart Grove, which point he reached after enduring great privations and incurring considerable danger. Having remained with the Lathams about a year, during which time he improved a piece of land, he became interested with the owner of a keel-boat which had commenced running on the Sangamon from St. Louis, and, in company, they erected a little log store to supply the sparse population with the necessities of life. The following extracts are taken from a biographical sketch prepared under his own supervision: "Soon after this, in company with several other gentlemen, Mr. Hamlin visited Fort Clark, and found on his arrival here two log cabins, one of which was occupied by the family of Abner Eads; the other was a double log house, and was occupied by two families—one by the name of Bogardus and the other by the name of Montgomery. This was in the early part of May, 1821. Mr. Hamlin enjoyed the natural beauty of the place at that season of the year, and had an opportunity of seeing a large congregation of its aboriginal inhabitants assemble at their rendezvous at the head of Lake Peoria to receive their distribution of annuities at the hands of the Indian Agent, who had just arrived up the river from St. Louis. "In March, 1822, he employed Charles S. Boyd to move his effects to Fort Clark with an ox-team. This same Boyd had already become famous as an ox-teamster, having several years before moved his family and effects all the way from New York with the same conveyance. We do not know whether the oxen employed to move Mr. Hamlin were the same yoke that performed that Herculean journey or not, but we presume not. The only white families at this time in Peoria were those mentioned in connection with Mr. Hamlin's first visit—the families of Eads, Bogardus and Montgomery; but their Indian neighbors were very numerous, and many of them were making rapid progress in the first stage of civilization, by freely imbibing the whisky furnished them by the white settlers. These savages seemed to have a great liking for whisky; they would crowd around the trading-post—whether boat or cabin—and plead for it often for hours at a time; and when excited or intoxicated, would prowl about and make the night hideous with their yells. Well if they did not commit depredations and acts of fiendish atrocity. In some instances, a little later, murders were committed by drunken Indians. The famous case of Nomaque, which was tried in the first Circuit Court ever held in the county, was one of this kind; and the shrewd Indian justified himself and charged the murder of the white man on those who sold him the whisky. Who shall say that the judgment of the Indian was not at least half right in this case? "In 1822 the county of Fulton was organized by act of the Legislature, and the Governor and council appointed Mr. Hamlin as one of the Justices for that county, which then included Peoria County—the latter not yet organized. The office of Mr. Hamlin was selected as the place for taking affidavits in the famous Eads and Ross contested election case. It appears that the contest had been for the office of Sheriff of Fulton County. Eads had been elected by one majority. Ross claimed that the vote was not fair, because some of the voters for Eads lived out of the jurisdiction, on the east side of the Illinois River. Judge Reynolds, who at that time presided, ordered depositions to be taken as evidence in the case, which was accordingly done by Mr. Hamlin, at his office, as Justice of the Peace for Fulton County, in company with his associate. H. R. Coulter. "In 1823 William S. Hamilton took a contract from the Government to supply Fort Howard, at Green Bay, with beef cattle, and Mr. Hamlin, on account of his efficiency and knowledge of Indian character, was chosen to accompany the expedition to that distant garrison. It was a work of no ordinary difficulty. The country to be traversed with their herd was an unsettled wilderness, without roads or means of crossing the swamps or streams. The cattle had to be guarded and kept from straying, and, although the prairies afforded grass enough for their subsistence, yet the men of the party had to be supplied with provisions for the journey—enough at least to last them to Fort Dearborn (now Chicago), their first stopping place. However, they equipped themselves for the undertaking, and, after many vicissitudes and romantic experiences, which we have not space here to relate, arrived at Green Bay with their cattle, on the second day of July, 1823, having performed the journey in thirty days.
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"On his way back Mr. Hamlin performed his first marriage ceremony, at Fort Dearborn, in the marriage of Dr. Alexander Wolcott, a graduate of Yale College, and a man of distinguished literary culture, who at that time was Indian Agent at Fort Dearborn. This was the first marriage ceremony ever performed in the (now) great city of Chicago. "During his stay in Chicago Mr. Hamlin made an engagement to enter the service of the American Fur Company, which he did after a short trip home. In his adventures during the hunting season among the Indians, he had a rich experience, practicing somewhat in the French language in his conversation with the Frenchmen in his employ, and learning much of Indian life and character. But he had little taste for the life of a hunter. He made a successful trip, however, and returned richly laden with furs, being the first of the outfits of that season to arrive at Chicago. "Mr. Hamlin, at this time, was only twenty-three years of age, but such was the confidence of Mr. Crafts (with whom he was employed) in his ability and integrity that, on leaving his trading establishment at Chicago, to go East for supplies for the next season's outfits, he entrusted the whole business of the concern to him—the youngest of several clerks in his employ. Nor was the confidence reposed in him misplaced or disappointed. He managed the business to the entire satisfaction of his employer, who, the year following, sent him to establish a new trading-post at his home in Fort Clark. Here he erected buildings and supplied goods, not only to the Indians, but also to the white settlers in the vicinity, getting but little money in his traffic, as in those days money was hardly to be seen, except in transactions with the Government, or with Eastern men newly arrived, or as the result of sales made in distant markets. There was no circulating medium to answer the purposes of local business, and so Mr. Hamlin was obliged to exchange goods for other articles of trade. Besides the usual fur business, he exchanged goods for pork, which he packed and shipped to the military post at Chicago, and also cattle, which he delivered at the same market in the spring. "His method of getting his pork to Chicago furnishes a good illustration of the difficulties and other obstacles a resolute and ingenious mind may overcome in accomplishing its purpose. "No attempt had yet been made to navigate the uncertain water route from Lake Peoria to Chicago with anything larger than a Mackinaw boat or an Indian canoe, nor was it thought practicable at the time of which we speak. But Mr. Hamlin conceived the bold idea of shipping his pork by a keel-boat. One was lying idly at the landing, which he could charter for the trip. His plan was to load his pork on board of this, pack his furs on board a small Mackinaw boat which he owned, and, thus loaded, to push on with all possible speed while the water was up in the spring. He loaded and started; his plan succeeded. He moved up the Illinois to the mouth of the Des Plaines. Here he unloaded the keel-boat and built a depot for his pork, leaving it safe and secure in charge of some of the boatmen, while he went on with the Mackinaw boat and furs, passing up the Des Plaines to a point called Summit, where the waters divide, part going by the Illinois and Mississippi into the Gulf of Mexico, and part by the Chicago river and lakes into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. At this point the water passes through a slough into Mud Lake, and thence by a gully into the south branch of the Chicago river, following which Mr. Hamlin arrived safely in Chicago with his boat-load of furs. The pork was conveyed in the same way, and in due time the whole experiment was crowned with success. "Mr. Hamlin then returned home, gathered up what little means he had saved, amounting to a few hundred dollars, purchased a stock of goods in St. Louis and started business for himself. During the summer of 1825 he built a small frame house—the first ever erected in Peoria. It was eighteen by twenty-four, covered with split and shaved clapboards, and plastered with a kind of white clay procured on the bluffs. Mr. Hamlin purchased a trowel in St. Louis and did the plastering himself, making quite a good job of the walls, but not plastering overhead. He continued his mercantile business with success, and in the spring of 1826 purchased a keel-boat to run on the river to and from St. Louis, in order to control the shipment of his own goods and thus cheapen their transportation. "In 1828, after the county-seat of Tazewell County had been located at Mackinaw Town, he established a branch store at that place, which he continued about a year. In the spring of 1820 he sold out his entire business and made a visit to his old home in New England, from which he had been absent ten years. "On his return from the East Mr. Hamlin built a log cabin at the foot of the bluffs, and there engaged in farming. In 1830 he set out an orchard of, four hundred apple trees, some of which continued to flourish until about two year ago (1873). The same year he purchased a stock of goods at his old stand and commenced mercantile business, at the same time living at the bluffs till late in the fall, when he moved into his new frame house, on the corner of Main and Perry Streets. "In the spring of 1831 Mr. Hamlin, with two young men by the name of Sharp,, commenced the erection of the first flouring-mill in this section of the country, which was completed in 1832. It commenced operations, doing only custom work at first, but soon added thereto barreling and shipping flour to St. Louis and New Orleans. This, at first, was not profitable, owing to the low prices. For example: In 1832 a lot of two hundred barrels sent to the New Orleans market only yielded, in net returns, $1.37 1/2 per barrel. He continued, however, to run the mill till 1834, when he sold out to an Eastern purchaser. ''He next attempted to establish the first regular steamboat line between St. Louis and Peoria. Steamers had, of course, been running before, but not with a regularity that could be depended upon to meet the growing demands of commerce between the two places. He purchased a quarter interest in a steamer being built at Pittsburg. which was called the Peoria. She was built with an upper-deck cabin for passengers. But on her arrival at St. Louis the plan temporarily failed on account of another party being unable to fulfill his contract. The boat was chartered by other parties, and sent to Galena. But, after a while, Mr. Hamlin, having occasion to go to Galena on business, recovered the boat, and, through his energy and perseverance, succeeded in carrying out his original plan. This was the first regular steamboat, owned in part by a Peorian, that was employed in carrying freight and passengers between Peoria and St. Louis. "Mr. Hamlin was a man of versatility, adapting himself easily to a change of circumstances, and in all conditions equally fertile in expedients and resources. He passed through many vicissitudes and was a many-sided man, without being changeable or equivocal in character. In his early history he seems to have been a natural born pioneer, taking easily to the hardships, emergencies and excitements of frontier life.
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"In intellect Mr. Hamlin was above mediocrity, with a sound judgment and quick, active business faculties. He had also the powers of reason and speculation on abstract themes. Love of truth was one of his predominating traits. His honor and integrity were abundantly tested both in public and private life. As an illustration of his sense of justice and tendency to conciliate rather than exasperate the animosities of men, we need cite only the fact of his confidential and friendly relations with the Indians, with whom he had so much intercourse. While living in his log cabin it was not uncommon for him and his wife to retire to bed in one corner of the room with three or four Indians lying before the fire on a mat spread for them to sleep on; and during the long winter nights they would raise themselves up and smoke their pipes while their unconscious entertainers would be quietly sleeping. The Indians seemed always to be friendly to Mr. Hamlin. Having once been engaged in a regular trade with them, they looked upon his house as a sort of home, and when sober he always allowed them to sleep on his floor. "Mr. Hamlin was not by nature a politician, yet he has officiated largely in public life. From the time during the Black Hawk War—when he assisted in organizing a self-constituted military commission to take charge of the ferry boat and rebuild Fort Clark, in order to prevent a general stampede of the settlers from the country, who were panic-stricken on the defeat of Stillman, thinking the Indians would come and tomahawk and scalp them in the night—down through the history of city and county, he has been more or less identified with official duties. At that time he did as efficient service at home as the rangers or the army did in the field. We find his name in the early records of the town and city of Peoria, filling the positions of Justice, Trustee, Alderman, etc. In 1834 he was elected by a large majority to the State Legislature, the issue then, being on the proposed construction of the Illinois Canal. In 1836 he was elected a member of the State Senate, and again in 1838 re-elected to the same office." In all public affairs Mr. Hamlin was one of our foremost citizens. As already seen, he was in an early day one of the County Commissioners and County Treasurer. In the contest regarding the county seat he took a conspicuous part and advanced his own credit to effect a settlement of that much vexed question. In all educational matters he took a foremost place and for many years acted as Treasurer of the Public School Fund. He prospered in business and in middle life had attained to a competence in pecuniary affairs. In 1864 he became one of the original stockholders in the Second (now Peoria) National Bank. He was a Republican in politics and always took a deep interest in the success of that party. In religion he embraced the Swedenborgian faith, and in all private affairs lived an honest, consistent and upright life. Mr. Hamlin was twice married, his first wife surviving but a short time after their mariage. His second wife, who outlived him several years, was the daughter of Levi and Sarah Johnson, of Springfield, Illinois, to whom he was married April 10, 1827. They had no children. Mr. Hamlin died March 29, 1876, leaving a comfortable estate to his widow and their adopted daughter, the wife of Harry M. Van Buskirk, of Peoria, who still survives.
Elizabeth Smith 1 died . She married 2 John Hamlin on 19 Jan 1826 in Peoria County, Illinois.
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