George W. Howland

Carroll County, IL. - Biography

George W. Howland is one of the intelligent and prosperous farmers of Washington Twp. and owns a good farm of 224 acres on sections 34 and 35, his residence being on the latter. This place he has lived on and owned for 31 years, having first bought it in the year 1858. For three years prior to that he had also been a resident of the county. He is a native of Maine born in Phillips Twp. Somerset County, not far from Moosehead Lake, Nov.26, 1818. He is the son of John & Lydia (Hardy) Howland, both of whom are now deceased. The mother died in Wayne County N.Y. in 1837, and the father died of cholera at Lemon's Point, Iowa in 1852, at which time he was about 62 years of age. John Howland was the grandson of JeblandHowland, a native of England and a sea-faring man, who emigrated to this country at an early day, and settled in the town of Wiscasset, ME. He died in that place about the year 1824, at which time he was more than 90 years old. He was the father of a numerous family - one of his sons, Briggs Howland, being the father of John, and grandfather of our subject. Briggs Howland was born in Wiscasset, but for several years in his earlier life had been a sea-faring man. Later he became a farmer, and was engaged in that avocation up to the time of his death, which occurred when he was about 65 years old. He was married to a Scotch-Irish lady named Murray, who lived to about the same age as her husband.

The maternal grandfather was Jesse Hardy, who was a native of Scotland, but had emigrated to this country, and spent the greater part of his life in the New England States. Late in life he removed to Noble County OH and there died when past 75 years of age. His occupation had also been a farmer. His wife was Bridget Reed, who came of Scotch-Irish descent, and whose father, John Reed, served throughout the Revolutionary War, and was one of the patriots who threw the tea into Boston Harbor. He was in a great many battles, but was never wounded, and lived to an extreme old age, being more than 100 at the time of his demise.

When our subject was 12 his parents moved to Wayne County NY and there in 1837 his mother died. Later his father, with his children, moved to Ohio, settling in Monroe County. Some time after this our subject, who had for 7 years been working on the Erie canal, joined the rest of the family in Ohio. A year later our subjects father was again married, and shortly after removed to Polk County Iowa, where his death occured.

George Howland was the eldest child of his fathers first wife, and in his youth received but a limited education. This, however, he has in recent years supplemented by careful reading and study and he has by that means become a well informed man. July 23, 1843 in Ross County OH he was united in marriage to Persia A. Blakey, a native of Orange County VA born March 13, 1824. Her father, Churchill Blakey, was a Captain in the Revolutionary Army, died when a little past middle-life when his daughter was quite young. Some time after his decease his wife was again married and with her second husband and children, removed to Ohio, where her daughter, Mrs. Howland, spent her earlier years. For some time before her marriage, however, Mrs. Howland had lived with the widow of Governor Worthington, for whose house she was married. Our subject and his wife became the parents of 10 children, seven of whom yet live. Cordelia is the wife of Arthur Dumpy, a resident of Savanna; Eleanor is the wife of Wm. D. Gillogly, a farmer in Carroll Twp; James is married to Alice Brown and is living near Clayton Iowa, on a farm; George Frank is unmarried and is with his parents; Harriet L. is the wife of Joseph Gillogly, who is likewise a farmer in Mt. Carroll Twp; Jessie E. is the wife of Charles Mitchell an engineer on the St. Paul & Milwaukee Railway, living at Marion Iowa, and Catherine is the wife of Wilson B. Gilman. The deceased children are Charles A., who died while in the Union Army at Savannah GA. He had been in the Army of the Southwest and had been engaged in the battle of Nashville, in TN when his regiment was ordered to join Gen. Sherman at Savannah, and he there contracted an illness which terminatedhis life on Jan.27, 1865. He was a member of the 92nd IL Infantry. Mary died at the age of 1 and Sarah A. when 5 years old.

Mr. Howland came west first in 1846, settling in Dubuque Iowa. The following year he removed to Weston, Jo Daviess County and lived there for 7 years, employed in buying and selling minerals for the firm of Hughlett, Goldharp & Grain, of that place. At the expiration of that time he came to this county, which has ever since been his home, and where he has become one of the best-known and most highly respected citizens of the county. He has taken a somewhat active part in the political affairs of his township, and for some years has been Justice of the Peace, and also Town Collector. In politics, he is a strong Republican, and his first Presidential vote was for William H. Harrison, and his last so far, for his grandson, Benjamin Harrison.He is an active and esteemed member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and in all the relations of life has ever performed his whole duty as a good man, a good neighbor and a good citizen.

"Portrait and Biographical Album of Jo Daviess and Carroll Counties, Illinois"
Published by Chapman Brothers, Chicago, Ill. 1889.
Ref. pg. 809
Thanks to Carol Parrish for transcribing Carroll County Illinois Biographies

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