Biographies from "History of Alexander, Union & Pulaski Counties", Illinois, edited by Wm. H. Perrin, published by Baskin, Chicago, 1883. Page 133 E. D. LAWRENCE, fruit-grower, Cobden, was born in Bangor, Me., January 4, 1842, to Darius A. and Susan R. (Wyatt) Lawrence. He was born in November, 1808, in Castine, Me.; she in July, 1810, at Newburyport, Mass. She died in April 1865; he in September, 1882. By trade he was a carpenter, and he made that his business till his death. In May, 1865, he came to Cobden, and made this his home for the remainder of his life. The Lawrence family is of English descent. The first members of the family in this country settled in the colony of Massachusetts, and from there have spread to different States of the Union. Our subject had only one sister and one brother who reached maturity - Mrs. Susan E. Weakley of Nashville, Tenn., and Henry Lawrence, now bookkeeper for John Buck of Cobden. Our subject was educated in the city schools of Bangor, and in early life learned the carpenter's trade of his father. He followed his trade till coming to Union County in March, 1863. He then engaged in farming and carpenter work till he was married December 25, 1865. He then devoted his time almost exclusively to fruit and vegetable raising. His farm consists of 63 acres, part of which he purchased in 1866, the remainder in 1875. Mr. Lawrence has been making experiments with marble which is found on his farm, and finds that there are three varieties, all of which are susceptible of a high polish, and are of superior quality. December 25, 1865, he was married to Miss Minnie Wright, adopted daughter of Rev. Paul Wright, now of Santa Barbara, Cal. Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence have one son dead and three daughters living - Susie E., Grace and Kate L. In 1878 he joined the Cobden Lodge of A.F.&A.M., and is now Master of the lodge. He is also a member of Cobden Lodge, Knights of Honor, and is Past Dictator. In politics, he is Democratic. ============= Pages 133-134 ALEXANDER WILSON LINGLE. A. W. Lingle, farmer, P. O. Cobden, was born in Rowan County, N. C., January 2, 1810, to Anthony and Margaret (Cauble) Lingle, both of whom were born in North Carolina. In the fall of 1817, they emigrated to this State and settled about two miles and a half south of Cobden, on a farm now owned by G. W. Robinson. The lived there till the time of death, and raised their family, four of whom lived to have families of their own - Polly, Alexander W., John A. and Peggy. A. W. is the only one now living. Mr. Lingle's occupation was always that of a farmer, but he understood the coopering business sufficiently to do his own work. For a short time our subject was in the Black Hawk war. June 19, 1834, Alexander was married in Macon County, Ill., to Leah Dillow. [NOTE: Illinois Statewide Marriage Index transcribes the names as Alex W. "Lindell" and "Laura" Dillow. 1850 Union County census lists "Wilson" and Leah Lingle.] She was also born in North Carolina, July 26, 1816, to Michael and Rachael (Cauble) Dillow. They were natives of North Carolina, but died in Piatt County, Ill. They came to Illinois in 1817 and settled first seven miles south of Jonesboro, but in 1833 they moved to Macon County, Ill., settling first on Big Creek, then on the Sangamon River in what is now Piatt County. They were the parents of five children, all of whom lived to maturity; two daughters and one son now living. Mr. and Mrs. Lingle had eleven children, only five now living - Margaret, John F., J. M., Charles M. and Matilda Alice. Six deceased - James M., Henry W., Rachael Elizabeth, Thomas J. and two infants. All the living are married except J. M., who stays at home and runs the farm. When our subject was first married, he settled on Sangamon River, Piatt County, where he remained till 1837, then came again to Union County, and in 1839 settled on present farm, which he entered from the government. His farm consists of 120 acres, almost all in cultivation. In politics he has ever been Democratic, and is a member of the German Reform Church; Mrs. Lingle, of the Lutheran Church. Mr. J. M. Lingle was born January 12, 1852, and has resided on the present farm of his father all his life. He was educated in the Cobden schools, and has made farming his occupation, now having charge of his father's farm. He gives most of his attention to grain and small fruits. In politics he is a Democrat, and is a member of the Lutheran Church. ======== Page 134 L. T. LINNELL, banker, real estate, etc., Cobden. Among the live, wide-awake businessmen of the county may be classed the subject of this sketch. He was born in the State of New York February 13, 1839, and is a son of Samuel and Mahala (Mitchell) Linnell, also natives of New York, who emigrated to Illinois in 1848, locating at Rockford, where Mrs. Linnell died the next year. She was the mother of seven children, but three of whom are now living, viz.: Levi and our subject and one daughter, Laura, the wife of Joel Campbell, a prominent grain dealer of Monticello, Iowa. After the death of his wife some years (sic), Mr. Linnell married Caroline Thorn. He was a Whig; is a Republican. Subject received his education in the common schools of the country, and in the Academy at Delton, Wis., where his parents had removed from Rockford, Ill., and where he remained four years, finishing up with one year at Wayland University at Beaver Dam, Wis. He commenced teaching at the age of 17 years, a profession in which he proved very successful, and which he continued to follow until the storm of war burst upon us in the spring of 1861, when he enlisted in Company E, 12th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, as second lieutenant. He was subsequently promoted to first lieutenant and assigned as Ordnance Officer and as Assistant Quartermaster of the Third Division of the 17th Army Corps, which position he filled until mustered out of the service in December, 1864. He came to Cobden the next year and bought a small farm near town, which he cultivated for two years, and then went to Battle Creek, Mich., for his health, but returned here in a short time and bought a drug store in Cobden. Soon after he took in as a partner Dr. J. F. McLoney; he withdrew in 1877, and the next year our subject sold out and turned his attention exclusively to banking and real estate, in which he had been more or less engaged for some time. He now carries on a large banking and real estate business, and may very justly be ranked among the solid men of the community. In March, 1873, he was appointed postmaster of Cobden, and still holds the position; is also a member of the Board of Town Trustees. He was married in 1864 to Miss Isabel A. Longley. The result of this union was six children, viz.: B. McPherson, Lewis M., Grace, Florence, Gertrude and Raymond; the two latter deceased. Mr. Linnell served in Gen. McPherson's Corps during the war, and was in the battle of Atlanta when this officer was killed; was a great admirer of the brave and gallant general. He cast his first presidential ballot for Abraham Lincoln in 1860, also 1864, while in the field - his entire company voting the Republican ticket. ======== Page 134 JOHN LOCKARD, farmer, P. O. Makanda, was born in Lawrence County, Tenn., June 20, 1823, to William and Mary (Ayres) Lockard. She was born in North Carolina; he in Tennessee. October, 1837, they came to this county. They remained here till 1844, when they moved to Missouri. In 1846 they moved to Arkansas, and she died there in 1854. He died in 1865. To them six sons and three daughters were born. Our subject is the oldest of the family. He and two brothers are all of the family now living. They are still living in Arkansas. Our subject's parents living on the frontier all of the time, and continually moving, his early life was full of deprivations. November 14, 1844, he was married to Sarah Hagler. She was born in this State to Paul and Betsie (Clutts) Hagler. They were both early settlers in this county from North Carolina, and died here. To Mr. and Mrs. Lockard the following children have been born: Alfred, Mary, William, Adam, James, Catherine, John, Sarah Ann (deceased), George and Lilly Melvina. Our subject also moved to Missouri, but in 1847 came back to Illinois and settled on his present farm, and has been actively engaged in farming and fruit-raising since. In his farm there are 220 acres, 120 of which are in cultivation. He and wife are members of the Baptist Church. His first vote was cast for James K. Polk. Since voted for Lincoln, etc., but now has adopted the Greenback platform. ======== Page 135 WILLIAM F. LONGLEY, retired farmer, P. O. Cobden, was born in Hawley, Mass., August 6, 1814, and is a son of Edmond and Olive (Field) Longley. He was one of three brothers, all of whom served in the war of 1812, and their father, Edmond Longley, was a Revolutionary soldier. He moved to Hawley, Mass., when a young man and lived there until his death, which occurred at the age of 96 years. He raised a family, all of whom settled within a mile of the old homestead. They were of the old Plymouth stock of Longleys. Our subject remained in Massachusetts until 21 years of age, receiving his education there mostly, and in 1835 going to Ohio for the purpose of taking a full course at Oberlin College, but his eyesight failed and he was compelled to forego it. After teaching a couple of terms in Ohio he returned to Massachusetts and taught there for a term. Engaged in the fall of 1837 in general merchandising in the town of Hawley, in partnership with his brother Freeman. He was appointed postmaster at Hawley, Mass., March 3, 1838, an office he held about six years, being all the time in business there. He sold out and removed to Albany, N. Y., and three or four years later to Sterling, N. Y., and after several changes of business he was again appointed as postmaster, April 27, 1849, at Sterling, N. Y., which he held for four years. His father's age and feebleness called him home, and he sold out his mercantile business and returned, where for one and a half years he carried on the farm. His father dying, he went to Wisconsin and there bought a farm, remaining on it for eleven years. In January, 1866, he came to this county and settled on a farm. He and Mr. Linnell went into partnership in fruit-raising. This was continued, with some changes, until 1879, when Mr. L.'s health failed, and he took his present place as assistant cashier in the bank of Mr. Linnell, and assistant postmaster of Cobden. Mr. Longley was married in Massachusetts December 5, 1838, to Miss Lydia S. Bassett, a daughter of Thomas Bassett. She was born in Ashfield, Mass., October 19, 1820. She is the mother of four children, all of whom are living - Julia Ellen, now Mrs. David D. Lee, in Pawnee City, Neb.; Isabella, now Mrs. L. T. Linnell of Cobden; Fannie S., now Mrs. Herbert Dwinnell of Wisconsin; and William E., living in Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. L. are members of the Presbyterian Church of Cobden. In politics he was a Whig, but is now identified with the Republican party. ============================================================================ ==============