HARLIN, John William
John William HARLIN. Among the leading and
representative agriculturists of Marshall county, stalwart and sturdy tillers
of the soil, there is none who stands a more prominent figure
than the gentleman of whom this notice is written. His fine farm
is pleasantly located on section 12, Whitefield township. His
birth occurred in Maryland,
January 31, 1827, and at the age of six years was taken to
Wayne
county, Ohio, and later to
Ashland
county, by his parents, Solomon and Christina (WINBIGLER)
HARLIN, also natives of
Maryland. He learned the carpenter’s
trade, which he followed in that state until 1856, when he
accompanied his father and the four children to Illinois, his mother having departed this
life some time previous. Before leaving
Ohio
the father had again married, and by the second union had one
son, Franklin, who now resides three miles southwest of Sparland
in Steuben township, Marshall county. The
children of the first marriage were Daniel, now of
Saratoga
township, Marshall county;
Roxana, wife of Isaac WALKER, of Ashland
county, Ohio; Henry, who died
in Ohio
some nine years ago; and John and George, who carried on farming
together in this state for many years.
On coming to Illinois the family settled in Senachwine
township, Putnam county, west of the lake, where our subject in
connection with his brother George purchased two hundred and
forty acres of land, paying ten dollars per acre for one hundred
and sixty acres and twenty-five dollars for the remainder. They
paid five hundred dollars down but had to go in debt for the
remainder. They gave eighty acres of the land to their father,
on which he made his home until his death, which occurred at the
age of seventy-five years. His second wife survived him for some
years, but has now also passed away.
For thirty years the brothers engaged in
agricultural pursuits in Putnam county, where George died some
fifteen years ago. They had purchased their land on five years’
time, but after the first crop was raised were enabled to pay
off the debt and had something left with which to make
improvements. They were engaged in general farming and stock
raising, in which they ever met with excellent success, but
after the death of his brother our subject sold the land in
Putnam county and removed to his present farm of two hundred
acres in Whitefield township, Marshall county, on which he has erected a
pleasant and comfortable residence.
Until the death of his brother George, Mr.
HARLIN had always lived in his family, and on coming to Marshall county his brother
Daniel’s wife was his housekeeper until his marriage, May 4,
1887, when Miss Ellen PARIS became his wife. She is a native of
Fairfax, Franklin
county, Vermont,
where she was educated in the New Hampton institute, a
theological seminary, and at the early age of sixteen years
began teaching school. She naturally liked study, and the love
she had for her work made her a very successful teacher. In 1872
she came to Illinois, having at
that time a sister, Mrs. J. G. FARIS, living in Whitefield
township, Marshall county, but now a resident of Iowa. Making her home with her sister, Mrs.
HARLIN taught in that township, being for eleven years the
efficient teacher at the Crow Meadow school house, which
position she continued to fill up to the time of her marriage.
On account of the great liking for her work
and the independence of her position, Mrs. HARLIN rather
disliked the idea of marriage, but finally accepted our subject,
and they now have a pleasant home upon his farm, where they
delight to entertain their many friends. As a teacher she was
ever enthusiastic, keeping fully abreast with the times in her
chosen calling, and therefore stood quite high as an instructor.
She is a great reader, being well versed in poetry, history, the
drama, etc., and lover of Scott, Byron, and especially of the
American poets Longfellow, Bryant, Whittier, etc. She also keeps
in touch with Vermont authors, among whom is John G. Saxe,
and takes all the leading magazines of the day. Being quite an
elocutionist, her voice has been often heard in public,
especially on temperance topics, in which reform she takes a
commendable interest. Mr. HARLIN always supports the democratic
party, but his wife is a stanch republican and a firm believer
in equal suffrage. She was reared in the Methodist Episcopal
church, and has always taken an active part in the work of the
church and Sunday school.
Extracted April 2011 by Norma Hass from
The Biographical Record of Bureau, Marshall and Putnam Counties, Illinois,
1896.
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