This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Warner, Conner, Bryant, Dodge, Sears, Fuller, Bacon, Shaw, Thomas, Loomis Classification: Biography Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/Zh.2ADE/1331 Message Board Post: From the Biographical Record of Whiteside Co., Illinois 1990, page 228. JOHN H. WARNER. Sound judgment, combined with fine ability in mechanical lines, has enabled the subject of this biography, a well-known resident of Prophetstown, Illinois, to attain a substantial success in life, and his history is of especial interest. Mr. Warner was born in Jefferson county, Missouri, November I I, 1812, and is a son of jabez Warner, a native of New England, who, when fifteen years of age, went to Missouri with a brother and located in St. Louis. With his brother he learned the cooper's trade, and later he carried on quite an extensive cooperage business in St. Louis. though he made his home in Jefferson county. .There he married Miss Elizabeth Conner, who was reared in Missouri, and to them were born ten children, of whom our subject is the oldest, the others being as follows: Mary E. , who married Job Dodge, a merchant of Prophetstown, and both are now deceased; Elias B. and Andrew J. , deceased, both of whom married and reared families; Edward B. , who was county treasurer of this county for some years and is now deceased; Sarah C., widow of Silas Sears, a farmer of this county; Eliza, widow of Andrew Fuller and a resident of Sterling; Ellen M., who married Henry Bacon and died in southern California; ! M. P., a resident of Morrison; and Jabez F., a business man of Prophetstown, who died in 1899. In 1837 the father came to Whiteside county, Illinois, and bought a claim near Prophetstown, upon which he located the following year. He also opened up an adjoining farm, which is now within the corporate limits of Prophetstown. Here he spent his last days, dying in 1847. His wife long survived him and passed away when nearly ninety-nine .years of age. The subject of this review was reared in St. Louis and obtained a good education in the city schools. He learned.the cooper's trade with his father and remained under the parental roof until twenty-one years of age. In Jefferson county, Missouri, he was married, March 12, 1835. to Miss Clarissa E. Bryant, who was born in that county May 28, 1818, a daughter of Colonel David Bryant, a distinguished officer of the war of 1812. He was born in Canada and was reared by French people, as his mother died when he was a child. Later he moved to Jefferson county, Missouri, where he owned and operated a large farm, also a tanyard and gristmill, being one ot the most active and prominerit business men of that locality. After his marriage, Mr. Warner resided in St. Louis for a few years and then purchased a farm in Jefferson county and turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. In 1840 he came to Whiteside county, Illinois, where he spent one year at this time. He took up goverment land, erected thereon a claim shanty, and while here he cut and made hoop poles and worked at the cooper's trade in Prophetstown, manufactuting barrels. In 184I he returned to his farm in Jefferson country, Missouri, and operated the same until 1850, when he sold the place and moved to Peru, Illinois, where he built a house and cooper shop and carried on busness for two years. Disposing of his property there, he again came to Prophetstown in 1852, and purchased a residence which has now been his home for forty-seven years. In partnership he engaged in the cooperage business and in pork packing on quite an extensive scale for several years, and their efforts were crowned with success. Our subject bought two hu! ndred acres of raw land three miles from Prophetstown, which he has improved and cultivated until it is now one of the most desirable farms of its size in the locality. Of the eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. Warner, four are still living, namely: James, a civil engineer of Oregon; Orpha, wife of George Shaw , of Prophetstown; William, who is married, has two children and resides in Prophetstown; and Frank, who is also married and living in that place. Those deceased are Mary Josephine, who died at the age of one year; Thomas Edward, who died in childhood; Adaline, deceased wife of N. J. Thomas, of Aurora; and Emma, deceased wife of Edward Loomis. In his political affiliations Mr. Warner was originally an old line Whig, but since supporting Abraham Lincoln for the presidency in 1560{sic}, he has been a stanch Republican. Although he has never sought political preferment, he was elected to the first city council of Prophetstown, and most capably filled that position lor several years. He has been prominently identified with the growth and upbuilding of the place, and is one of most honored and highly respected citizens,