and received a common-school education. He is
continually adding to his store of knowledge by
extensive reading and study. In Maysville, Ky.,
he learned the tinsmith's trade, hut on account of
the cholera, which raged fiercely in that section, he
was obliged to return to Ohio. He started in the
active business of life when about nineteen j^ears
of age, and had a "fippcnny-bit" as his capital
stock. He worked at his trade in Oxford three
years, receiving as a weekly salary $5 per week.
From that small sum he saved money, purchased
a lot and built a house, ultimately buying out his
employer's business. His mother made her home
with him during her declining 3'ears, and he was
ever a loyal and dutiful son.
In 1847, he took the Western fever and started
from St. Jo, Mo., in a wagon train of ox-teams
under the charge of Capt. Hawes. They were
bound for Oregon, and were five months on the
road. He discovered what he now knows was
gold at the head of Sweet Water River, in the
Rock^' Mountains, therefore he has the honor of be-
ing the first discoverer of gold in the Rocky
Mountains, also antedating Sutter's discovery- in
California. He carried the first individual flag
across the mountains, erecting it on the banks of
(ireen River on the Fourth of Jul}-. His flag w.as
also used during the Cuyusc War on Oregon. He
remained in that State for about one year, and
opened the first tinsliop in the settlement. In
1848, he went to California and commenced busi-
ness on Sutter's Fort. He was (luite familiar with
Capt. Sutter, and made the surveyor's chain which
was used in laying out Sacramento City. and for
which he was paid 8300. In 184y, Mr. Wadleigh
808
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
sailed down the Pacific to Panama, and returned
from there to Ohio. His object in going to the
AVest was his health, which was much improved by
the outdoor life and pure air of the mountains.
He came back with considerable money, and he
remembers his trip as one of the most pleasant
events of his life.
He resided in Oxford for about ten years longer,
and in the fall of 1858 went to Kankakee, where
he lived for about a year. In the spring of 1860,
he came to Iroquois Conntj', and bought a tract of
sixteen hundred acres in Milk's Grove Township,
where he still makes his home. The prairie was
unbroken and uncultivated, and few neighbors
were in this community. He bas given liberally
of his propert}' to his sons, and has four hundred
and forty acres left, which he rents. He has been
a very successful farmer, and has used the most
improved methods of machinery in his farm work.
He is a man of known inventive genius, having
in 1872 invented the dump used in elevators all
over the country for unloading wagons. How-
ever, this invention was stolen from him, and he
has never received any financial benefit from it.
He also is the inventor of a car coupling, wh'ch
couples automatically with both a hook and a link
coupling. In addition to these, he has invented
a hay-baling machine and many other ingeni(jus
and useful contrivances.
In Hamilton County, Ohio, on the 27th of .lul3',
18.51, Mr. Wadleigh was united in marriage with
Miss M. .J. Morey, who was born in Somerville,
Butler County, Ohio, on the 12th of December,
1829. She departed this life in 1885 in Chicago,
where she had been taken for medical aid. She
lies buried in Eldridgeville cemetery. She was a
devoted wife and mother, and her many friends
and relatives deeply mourn her loss. Her brother,
Lee Morey, was for some years a Congressman
from Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Wadleigh were born
the following children: Romeo F. was born in Ox-
ford, Ohio, is married, and has a family. He is a
prominent farmer of this township, and resides on
a i)ortion of his father's estate. Theodore S. and
William M. each operate farms situated on section
18. Robert W. is engaged in farming near the
old home, as is also Henrj' L. Joseph Sheridan is
a respected farmer of Milk's Grove Township.
.Josephine is the wife of Frank Porter, and resides
in Englewood, one of the suburbs of Chicago. The
four youngest children were born on the old home-
stead, and all have received the best of common-
school educations.
Mr. Wadleigh has always taken an active and
interested part in the cause of education. When
he returned from California, he found Miami
University in a state of bankruptcy. From him
the President and Trustees of the University
secured a loan of $5,000 for five years at eight
per cent., whereas he might have received ten per
cent, had he loaned it to other parties. This loan
enabled the school to continue and make itself im-
mortal by educating such men as Benjamin Har-
rison, AVhitelaw Reid, Secretary Noble, David
Swing and others scarcely less noted, while the
part Mr. Wadleigh performed in sustaining the
school when its credit was good for nothing has
long since been forgotten, or at least has not re-
ceived the favorable notice it deserves.
When it was proposed to build a female academy
at Oxford, Mr. Wadleigh took stock in the enter-
prise, which h.as since developed into the Oxford
Female College, where Mrs. Benjamin Harrison
was educated.
He contributed liberall}' to the schoolhouse on
his home farm, which is the finest country school-
house in the county. Mr. Wadleigh is a Univers-
alist in belief, and with his wife was one of the
early members of the church in Oxford of that
denomination. His first vote was cast for Andrew
.Jackson, and later he voted for Lincoln, and was a
stanch Republican until Grant ran the third lime
for Pi'esident. Since 1884, he has been a sup-
porter of the Prohibition party. He is a public-
spirited man, and has always taken an active and
zealous part in all public measures tending to the
upbuilding and welfare of the community. In
18GG, ho was elected Townshii) Treasurer, and for
twenty-six years continuously has held that posi-
tion to the satisfaction of all. lie has a pleasant
home, and on every hand may be seen evidences
of the thrift and inventive genius of the owner.
One of his buildings is particularly a model in this
line. Under one roof there is a mill, an elevator,
LI8RARY
UNIVERSiiy OF laiNOIS
URBANA
cA^n^-d - ^^^^^<j
^<^^^:^-^C^2^ ^:i:^...^J^ ^
LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
URBANA
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
813
creamery, beehouse and observatory. The latter
is situated in a sixty-foot tower, which is sur-
mounted bj- a windmill. From his observatory
can be seen a fine view of the surrounding country,
and with a telescope one can see fifteen towns,
which are located in four counties. Personally,
Mr. Wadloigh is a high type of the self-reliant,
energetic and intelligent American. Though he
has passed the allotted three-score and ten years,
lie is in good health, and is an active man. He
says that his health and strengtii are due to the fact
that he lias never used whiskey and tobacco, and
has led an active life. In conversation, lie is in-
teresting, and is a man of varied information and
versatile talent. He is held in the highest regard
by his man}' friends and neighbors, who will be
pleased to read this life sketch of one wlio has
done so much for the good of this section.
tll.LIAM PORTER PIERSON, of Onarga,
is one of the county's most prominent and
,V^^^' iionored citizens, and this work would be
incomplete if the record of his life were omitted.
He has done much for tlie town and county, yet
claiming no credit for it, and all who know him
speak of him in terms of highest respect and
praise.
Mr. Pierson was born in LeRoy, Genesee County,
X. Y.. December 8, 1811, and is a son of Philoand
Lucretia (Buell) Pierson. His parents emigrated
from Connecticut, their native State, to the Em-
pire State about 1806. Their family numbered
six children. Our subject is a direct descendant
of Rev. Abraham Pierson, who emigrated from
Yorkshire, England, to America in IfiJlO, and with
his church colony founded the city of Newark, N.
.1. The ancestry is traced <lown through Abraham
Pierson, Sr.; Rev. Abraham Pierson, Jr., rector
and first President of Yale College: Abraham Pier-
son, Worshipful Colonial Magistrate of Connect-
icut; Samuel Pierson, Samuel Pierson, .7r., and
Philo Pierson, the father of our subject, who died
when the son was a lad of nine years.
At the age of fourteen, William Pierson assumed
S8
the management of the home farm, and with his
oxen, Buck and Bright, he plowed about one hun-
dred acres a \'ear. He made many of his farm
im|-!leiuents, and when he harvested his crops,
hauled them to the distant marketjj. After work-
ing through the summer, he attended school in the
winter, but his advantages were very limited.
However, he made the most of his opportunities,
and stored up a useful fund of knowledge. Cir-
cumstances brought him in contract with the owner
of a sawmill, and, at the age of nineteen, he rented
and operated that mill, in which way he made
some hundreds of dollars. The owner of the mill
was a canal contr.actor. He entered a bid for
making a canal around one of the rapids of the St.
Lawrence River. On receiving word that his bid
had been accepted, he induced Mr. Pierson to go
with him to Canada, offering him a good position,
but, on arriving at their destination, they found
that after all the bid had not been taken. Mr.
Pierson was thus forced eitlier to return home or
make his waj- for himself. He went to Montreal,
but was not pleased with that city, with its light-
hearted, unstable Frenchmen and its red-coated
British soldiers, for the place was then under mil-
itary rule. He determined to leave the Queen's
dominions and went to the north end of Lake
Champlain, about twenty miles di-stant, and by
a steamer made his way into the interior of Ver-
mont. There through the summer and fall he at-
tended school, becoming a student in the academy
of Hinesburg. His fellow-students were ambitious
young men, many preparing for college, and Mr.
Pierson determined to do the same. F'or a j'ear
and a-half he engaged in teaching, and then after
six long years of hard labor com|)Ieted his col-
legiate course. Two years of that time lie taught,
and four 3-ears pursued his studies, graduating in
the fall of 1839.
The scene of action was now changed for Mr.
Pierson. By a stage-coach he made his wa}' to the
Ohio, then went down that river to the blue grass
region of Iventueky, where he engaged in teaching.
He spent his leisure time in reading law, not with
the intention of practicing, but more as mind dis-
cipline, and to become familiar with common law.
Crittenden, Clay and Marshall were then the prom-
814
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
inent Kentucky politicians. After a year Mr.
Pierson became a leacher in the family of a
lawji^er, witii whom he continued his legal studies.
A ,year was thus passed. In the meantime Bo^'le
County was organized, Danville becoming tlie
county seal. This seemed to open a way to our
subject to practice law, which he commenced, and
the bankrupt law liaving just been passed he
made a specialty of work along tliat line. Seven
pleasant years were passed in Danville, during
which time he was a member of a debating social
club, composed of the faculty of the college tliere
located, the professional men, and other leading
citizens. They met monthly in their respective
homes, and after a feast was served, engaged in
debating interesting topics. The subject of slav-
ery was usually discussed once a year. Among
the members of the club were Southern gentlemen
who "believed that the negro was created to be a
slave to the wliite man." There were also several
Eastern gentlwnen whose views were exactly
opposite, and the debate waxed high and warm.
Usually the discussion was not completed at one
meeting, and was carried to the next. This society
still exists, under the name of the Anaconda Club,
and Mr. Pierson was recently invited to join in
the celebration of their fiftieth anniversary.
Not liking law practice, and also on account of
ill health, Mr. Pierson once more determined to
seek a home in tlie North and went to central
Iowa, where he purchased large tracts of Govern-
ment land, at once commencing the improvement
of the same. He did not find this a paying invest-
ment, howcvei', for prices were very low, yet he
regained his lost strength, and in that wise pros-
()ered.
About this time word was received that a young
lady from an Eastern city was expected to come
and take charge of a young ladies' seminary in a
neighboring town. In his bo^'hood Mr. Pierson
liad heard much of her family, and lie now deter-
mined that he would await her arrival, and, if
possible, win her for his wife. Soon the important
question was .asked and answered favorably. Mr.
Pierson then decided to dispose of his property
and leave the State at an early day. The young
lady also decided to resign her position and re-
turn to the East in a few months. In the spring
of 1853 our subject went East, and there wedded
Miss Mary Tucker, daughter of Rev. R. W. Con-
dit. D. D., of Oswego, N. Y. With his bride he
immediately went to Chicago, where he intended
to enter into business, but after reaching that city
went to the forests of Michigan and spent a little
time at one of the mills there.
In the meantime the Illinois Central Railroad
was being constructed, and reached Spring Creek,
Iroquois County, in the fall of 1863. Our subject
determined to go into the lumber trade at Cham-
paign, III., as soon as the road should be built to
that place. Onarga then comprised only two or
three houses and a freight and passenger depot. A
few pioneers lived on the banks of Spiing Creek,
but there was not a house on the prairie west of
the station for twenty miles. In this little hamlet
Mr. Pierson located in the spring of 1854. He
brought with him four carloads of lumber, and
made, as he supposed, a temporary location, but in-
stead Onarga became his permanent home. He
and his wife went to the residence of Judge Pang-
born, by whom the}' were cordially welcomed.
Our subject then began business, using the freight-
house as an office, and with increasing emigration
his trade constantly advanc-ed. He found, too, that
not only was lumber needed, but also all manner
of household articles, furniture, hardware and farm
implements. He added these to his stock, and
worked up an excellent business, almost more
than he could attend to. Then came the financial
crash of 1857, and it is said every merchant along
the Illinois Central Railroad engaged in the same
line of business as Mr. Pierson failed with the ex-
ception of himself, j'et he was financially em-
barrassed to a considerable extent. He had just
purchased an immense stock, and for three .years
he worked hard without making a cent, for his
goods constantly depreciated in value. Thus affairs
continued until just prior to the late war, when
prices rose. He planted branch houses in four
other towns, and was solicited to do so in other
places. His trade came from miles around and
grew constantly. When Mr. Pierson came to the
county, there were probably not a-half dozen reap-
ers or mowers within its borders, and very few
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
815
cast-steel plows. In an earl)- day lie introduced
the Manny reaiiers and mowers and the John
Deere cast-steel plows. Ills business along this
line became very large, and the immense quan-
tities of plows which he brought to Onarga were
the wonder of the entire community. lie had to
advertise his business largely by handbills, and
on certain occasions he would take a stock of
goods to a place, where he would sell for one day,
generall}' disposing of the entire amount in that
time. On one occasion he sent out advertisements
asking all of the ladies to come to his ware-rooms
and try his rocking-chairs. In many liomes this
useful article had never been introduced, and
many men looked upon it rather contemptuously.
On the appointed day the ladies all came, and few
would go away without a chair. By these and
other ingenious methods Mr. Pierson greatly ex-
tended liis business, and through all he earnestly
desired to furnish his patrons with those articles
wliich would be both useful and iielpful to them.
Ilis own experience as a farmer was a benefit to
him in this way. lie could aid the Eastern man
with no experience by his advice and cautions,
and also by trusting him for the money to pay for
tlie goods which he must purchase.
For some time INIr. Pierson carried on business
in little shanties and wooden sheds, and owned
about one-third of the entire block on which the
principal busin^-ss part of tlie town is now located.
This he improved by erecting the brick buildings
known as the Pierson Block, taking the precaution
to interest other parties with him in the enter-
prise and thus make it the central business local-
ity of the town. About this time our subject
found himself failing under the weight of his
heavy duties. He also felt that there are two i)e-
riods in the lives of most men, when they are im-
bued with an almost irrepressible desire to see the
world, one in youth, and one after their business is
almost over. He had yielded to the first impulse
and had never regretted it, and this led him to
give wa)- to the second. In 1870 he left his affairs
in Onarga to the care of his wife, with the under-
standing that she would spend the winter with her
friends in Oswego, N. Y. He then went to New
York Citv. and sailed for Europe. Landing in
Liverpool, he there spent a few da3's, forming
some interesting acquaintances, and then sailed for
Naples, Italy, where he proposed to spend the
winter. The V03'age was through the stormy B.ay
of Bisca)' and the Strait of Gibraltar. He coasted
along the northern shore, visited Genoa and other
points of interest, and finally reached Naples.
Here he found much to interest him; he visited the
museums abounding in ancient works of art, saw
Pompeii, which was then being exhumed, and
took a peep into Mount Vesuvius. After several
weeks he set sail for Scotland, passed between
Scylla and Charybdis. along the southern coast of
Sicily, b)' Mount ^Etna, stopped at Palermo, and
visited the catacombs. Returning to Gibraltar, he
saw the famous fortress, and after a few days
sailed for Glasgow, Scotland. He spent two weeks
in Edinburgh, visiting places of interest, after
which, the purposes of his trip abroad having now
been accomplished, he sailed for home, arriving in
Onarga early in the spring of 1871.
Soon after his return, Mr. Pierson retired from
business, and proceeded to build a home on ample
grounds away from the noise and dust of town,
and in the midst of a forest of many rare varieties
of choice trees, most of which were evergreens of
his own planting. This place he has appropriately
named Evergreen Home. He considers that all
business is in some degree an education. Though
his advantages were limited in earl_v life, his
opportunities in later years were a benefit to him
in many directions. He Ims certainly been a ben-
efit to the community in many directions. He
caine to Onarga at a time when the foundation of
the future social, religious and political institu-
tions were being laid, and he and his estimable
wife found much to do outside of the lines of
mere business activity. They soon interested
themselves in the work of organizing the Presby-
terian Cliurch, and with others erected a house of
worship. There were fifteen charter membcis, of
whom only two are now living. The}' laid the
foundation of a church, which has become a suc-
cessful and prosperous organization. Politically,
^Ir. Pierson was a Whig and a supporter of Henry
Cl.ay. lie afterward became prominent in the or-
ganization of the Republican party in Iroquois
816
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
County, and was a member of the State Repub-
lican Convention which met in Decatur and
nominated Abraham Lincoln a candidate for the
Presidency. A few weeks later he was made the
candidate at the National Convention in Chicago.
At an early day Mr. Pierson and his wife under-
took the work of founding an educational institu-
tion in this town, under the name of the Onarga
Institute, to be modeled after the New England
academies with which he became familiar in the
days of his youth. It was quite successful for
several years and did a good work. He erected a
building and spent several thousand dollars in the
enterprise, but failing to receive the co-operation
from outside sources that was anticipated, the
load became too heavy for him to carry alone, and
the undertaking was reluctantly abandoned.
In 1865 Mr. Pierson secured and read with
great interest some scientific works on tile drain-
ing. He at once became a strong advocate of tile
drainage for the rich prairie lands of Illinois. Me
prepared and delivered an address on the subject
before the State Horticultural Society of Southern
Illinois. Joliet was then supposed to be the only
place in the State where clay suitable for making
tile could be found, and Mr. Pierson went there,
purchased a carload of tile and siiipped to Onarga,
paying the Illinois Central Railroad $7.5 freight
for the same. Considerable amusement was occa-
sioned to the community in consequence of his
digging so many holes in the ground, and he was
threatened with a law suit for digging at his own
expense a ditch on the side of a low, wet and
muddy street as an outlet for his drain. Up to
that time at least one-fourth of the land in Iro-
quois County was practically swamp-land and
nearly worthless. This caused the inhabitants to
have fever and ague, and the cattle and horses
suffered from drinking the stagnant water in
sloughs and ponds. But tile draining was finally
accepted by the county, and this in connection
with the sinking of artesian wells has completely
revolutionized the county and made it one of the
best agricultural sections in the State.
In benevolent, charitable or cliurch work. Mr.
and Mrs. Pierson were also (iroininent. They had
no children of their own, but had given a home to
many orphan children, whose lives bear the im-
press of the noble character of their foster parents.
Not less than twenty children were cared for by
Mrs. Pierson at a considerable outlay of time and
money, and many of them were reared and edu-
cated as if they had been her own. She was the
first Sunday-school teacher in Onarga, and for
many years the only one. This most estimable
lady was called to the home prepared for the
righteous December 30, 1890. It is said that no
death in Onarga has ever been more greatly
mourned. Her sweet and gentle spirit had en-
deared her to all who knew her, and she was
known far and wide for her work of benevolence
and charity. As it was written of her, her death
was " a sweetlj', solemn transfer from one Ever-
green Home to another."
From an extended notice published in the
Onarga Leader, we copy the following tribute to
her memory: " No death in the annals of Onarga
ever created more genuine regret and mournful
interest in the community than that of Mrs. i\Iary
T. Pierson. The universal respect, love and admi-
ration with which she was regarded in life were
displayed in general manifestations of sorrow at
her loss; people in all conditions of life seemed to
be personally bereaved by it, and the many ex-
pressions of mutual condolence and sympathy
formed a testimonial to her worth and character
at once touching and beautiful. Each individual
member of the community appeared anxious to
contribute some token of appreciation of the
lovely life and distinguished example of the sweet,
unpretentious woman, the influence of whose
achievements illumines every sacred precinct and is
hallowed in heart — an influence uncircumscribed
by wordly measurement, unlimited by human
vision, the ultimate results being fully recorded in
the Lamb's Book of Life. The graj-haired veter-
ans and old neighbors, whose early struggles in sur-
mounting the difficulties and overcoming the pri-
vations incident to pioneer life were lessened by
her brave words of encouragement, or removed by
her timely assistance; the middle-aged friends and
acquaintances who came later and were cordially
welcomed in her quiet, winning way, and made tf)
feel at home amid new and strange surroundings,
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAHHCAL RECORD.
817
or grew to manhood and womanhood in the atmos-
phere of her benefieenee; the little ones whose
lives were begun under conditions made possible
b3' her foresight and activity in church, school