Dr. Leonard T. Ferris was born in Chenango county, N. Y., in 1817.  He is the son of Stephen G., whose biograpy is given on page 707.

He [Stephen G. Ferris] was a native of Dutchess county, where the family had settled at an early day; emigrated to this county in Dec., 1832, and was one of the founders of the village of Fountain Green. He improved a farm near this place and raised a family of 3 sons, J. M., H. G. and the Doctor, all well known in this county.  He removed to Carthage, and after remaining 12 years, died at the residence of his son in Fountain Green, in November, 1877*.  The mother, who was a sister of Jacob [Jabez] Beebe, who was the chief founder of the village spoken of, died in 1857, and is buried beside her husband in the beautiful cemetery of Fountain Green.

Dr. L. T. Ferris was employed in early life on the farm with his father; after receiving his first education in the common schools he graduated in the study of medicine at the medical department in the St. Louis University, in the spring of 1848, and began practicing soon after.

Mr. Ferris was married in McDonough county in May, 1859, to Helen M. Gilchrist, sister of Gen. Gilchrist, civil engineer.  They have a family of 7 children living, 4 sons and three daughters: Charles L., Lelia, Alice L., Ulysses S., Ralph W., Helen, a little girl of 10, and Hiram G., a boy of 8.

Charles S. [sic], the oldest son, after graduating at Carthage College in the class of '76, attended Rush Medical College, Chicago, and also graduated there in 1878, since which time he has had an encouraging practice with his father.  He was married in 1878 to Miss Ella Connor, of Warsaw, Ill.

Mr. F. was attending school during the Mormon difficulties in 1845-'46, and therefore took little part with his fellow citizens in that noted affair, although he was a Whig and an Anti-Mormon.  He owns a farm of 80 acres besides his town residence and a few other lots.  He is one of the quiet and unassuming business men of his tp.

From the 1880 Gregg History of Hancock County, Fountain Green Township, pp. 828-829, verbatim transcription except for [bracketed text] and added paragraph breaks.

*The tombstone of Stephen G. Ferris indicates he died in 1876.

One of the well known pioneers of this county closed an unusual life career when Mrs. L. T. Ferris passed away last week.  It rarely becomes our duty to chronicle a life so full of distinguished interest and so entirely worthy of the high esteem in which it is held.

Mrs. Ferris came of a long line of sturdy, law-abiding, God-fearing people who founded family pride on unsullied lives and patriotic service - a line in which ran such strong altruistic spirit and love of family that relationships were recorded and cherished.  Throughout her life Mrs. Ferris never tired of reviewing the history of her forebears, renewing acquaintances and old ties with relatives far and near.  In the past year Mrs. Ferris has been much engaged in looking over old letters and corresponding with distant relatives.  Among such correspondents was Albert W. Gilchrist, governor of Florida.

She was well acquainted with the colonial history of her maternal great-grandfather, David Parsons, who was in the revolutionary war and was keenly interested in the organization of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  She was a charter member of Shadrach Bond Chapter of this city.

The events in her own life read like a romance to which this brief sketch can in no way do justice.

Helen Minerva, oldest child and only daughter of Charles G. and Minerva (Holton) Gilchrist was born at Saxton River, Vt., Oct. 23, 1831.  In 1837 her parents drove through from Vermont to McDonough county, Illinois, being from June until September enroute.  There were then three children in the family, Helen, Charles Allen and Van, a young babe.  This babe was so ill when the party started that it was not thought it would survive.  In those three months, mother and child never slept under a roof and as a result of this fresh air treatment, both arrived at their new home in splendid health.

The country being new and schools inadequate, Miss Helen at the age of twelve was sent to New York to her aunt, Miss Miriam Holton and there receive four years of classical education.  Letters descriptive of the eastern experience which she wrote to her parents, are still extant, excerpts from which we hope to give our readers later.

Returning to Illinois, she taught a term of school and on May 23, 1850, she was married at her home in Hillsgrove to Dr. Leonard Thompson Ferris of Fountain Green.  This wedding was one of the never forgotten social events of that section.  One feature of the elaborate preparations made to entertain the guests was a generous supply of lemonade.  This beverage was new in those days and the lemons, the first ever seen by the guests, were shipped here from St. Louis for the wedding feast. So novel was it that guests took home lemon rinds to show their families.  Of the many wedding guests there now survive but four - Van Gilchrist of Hillsgrove, Mrs. Julia Ferris, Mrs. Margaret Griffith and Mrs. Mary Johnson of this city.  As a wedding gift from relatives in the east, the bride received some mahogany furniture.  Her piano was the first such instrument in this region.  Of late years it has been the delight of her friends and family to her her play quaint old airs on the little instrument.  She has played on it for her children within the past year.

To Dr. and Mrs. Ferris were born ten children: Fidelia Miriam born March 17, 1851, died Dec. 10, 1853; Charles Leonard, Lelia Francina (Lionberger); Delia Helen born Nov. 21, 1858 died June 25, 1862; Alice Lavina (Martin); John Milton born April 20, 1865, died Oct. 7, 1866; Ulysses Stephen, Ralph Willie, Mary Helen and Hiram Gano.  Mrs. Ferris is also survived by a brother, Van Gilchrist, of Hillsgrove, twelve grandchildren and one great grandchild.  One of Mrs. Ferris' brothers, Rastus, died in 1857, Charles Allen died in 1906 and Edw. M. in 1910.

During her long residence in Ft. Green, Mrs. Ferris was known far and near for her kindly, generous nature, her goodness, her love of sociability, her hospitality and for her activities in any worthy movement organized in the meager life of that small settlement.  A Good Templars lodge at Webster received her devoted attention.  She never missed a meeting if she could help it and generally walked the two miles in any weather to attend.  She held every office in that organization and so loyally did she espouse the tenets of the order that to her dying day she used no spirits except as medicines and then with extreme reluctance.  She was a member of the Ft. Green Presbyterian church, later transfering her membership to Carthage.

Mrs. Ferris was educated in the east amid metropolitan advantages and came back to pioneer life and lived for fifty-one years in a village.  The fact that she not only uttered no word of discontent but lived every day of that life to its best advantage, demonstrated her real nobility of soul.  It is not unusual to hear some discontented one say, "I wasted so many years of my life in such a place," but Mrs. Ferris never said it, and felt no occasion to say it.  She was devotion itself to her family and they have repaid such devotion by developing into estimable men and women, in turn devoted to her.

In 1875 Dr. and Mrs. Ferris celebrated their silver wedding anniversary, and in 1900 their golden wedding, both functions being held at the Fountain Green homestead, which this family occupied for fifty-one years.  On June 19, 1900, Dr. Ferris died and in December 1901, Mrs. Ferris moved to Carthage to the present family residence on South Madison street.

This long and active life came to a close Monday evening, April 8th, from the infirmities attendant upon old age.

Brief funeral services were held at the residence Thursday morning and the body was conveyed to Ft. Green, where funeral services were held at the church, Rev. J. F. Young conducting both services.  Mrs. Harry Ralson of Keokuk and Mrs. Wm. Gordon sang favorite hymns and Miss Susan Davidson sang "Crossing the Bar," at both services.  Miss Mary Tyler played the organ at the Ft. Green service.  The sons, Dr. Charles L., Stephen, Will and Hiram, a son-in-law, C. R. Martin, and a grandson, F. L. Lionberger, acted as pall bearers.  In the family lot at the Ft. Green cemetery the dear mother, who had lived all and been all for her family, was laid to rest beside the husband and children who had gone before.

Those from out of town who attended the funeral were: Mrs. Ed M. Gilchrist and Mrs. Harry Ralson of Keokuk, Mr. and Mrs. H. G. Ferris, Warsaw, Mr. Fay L. Lionberger, Sioux City, IA., Mr. Leonard Martin, Ann Arbor, Mich., Mr. and Mrs. Geo. S. Wilbur, St. Joseph, Mo. At Fountain Green the family were joined by Mr. Van. Gilchrist, Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Reinhart [Rinehart], Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Foley and Mr. Charles Gilchrist, all of Tennessee, Ill.

Leonard T Ferris, 32, male, physician, value of real estate 400, born NY, married within the year
Helen M, 18, female, born VT, born within the year

Leonard T Ferris, 40, male, doctor medicine, value of real estate 4100, value of personal estate 1000, born NY
Hellen, 26, female, born VT
Charles, 6, male, born IL, attended school within the year
Lelia, 3, female, born IL
Delia, 2, female, born IL
Jacob H Emerick, 25, male, tailor, value of real estate 400, value of personal estate 25, born "Baravia"
John S Shenck, 23, male, teacher common school born NY
Byron Ferris, 30, male, tinner, born NY
George Alton, 25, male, farmer, born NY
Zolobus N King, 25, male, merchant, value of personal estate, born ME
Stephen G Ferris, 72, male, retired, born NY
Eunice, 72, female, born CT
Iyah Chambers, 40, male, merchant, value of personal estate 6800, born NY
Ruth Beebe, 50, female, born NY

Ferris, Leonard T, 53, male, white, phsician, value of real estate 15000, value of personal estate 2000, born NY, male citizen of the U.S. aged 21 or more
Helen M, 39, female, white, keeping house, born VT
Charles L, 15, male, white, civil engineer, born IL, attended school within the year
Lelia F, 12, female, white, born IL, attended school within the year
Alice L, 7, female, white, born IL, attended school within the year
Ulysis S, 2, male, white, born IL
Jesse, 65, male, white, born NY, male citizen of the U.S. aged 21 or more

Ferris, L T, white, male, 63, married, physician, born NY, father born NY, mother born CT
H M, white, female, 48, wife, married, keeping house, born VT, father born NY, mother born VT
Lelia F, white, female, 24, daughter, single, at home, born IL, father born NY, mother
born VT
Alice L, white, female, 17, daughter, single, teaching school, attended school within the year, born IL, father born NY, mother born VT
U S, white, male, 11, son, single, at home, attended school within the year, born IL, father born NY, mother born VT
R W, white, male, 9, son, single, at home, attended school within the year, born IL, father born NY, mother born VT
Mary H, white, female, 6, daughter, single, at home, attended school within the year, could read but not write, born IL, father born NY, mother born VT
H G, white, male, 4, son, single, at home, born IL, father born NY, mother born VT
Gilchrist, C G, white, male, 78, father-in-law, widower, boarder, born NH, father born MA, mother born CT
Bullock, J H, white, male, 42, boarder, single, boarder, born Canada, both parents born Scotland
Bernethy, Carrie, white, female, 34, seamstress, married, seamstress, born WV, both parents born WV
Nichols, Sylvanus, white, male, 53, laborer, married, laborer, born OH, father born NY, mother born OH

Ferris, Len___ [obscured], head white, male, Jan 1817, 83, married for 50 years, born NY, father born NY, mother botn CT, doctor of medicine, months not employed - 0, could read, write and speak English, owned his farm home free of mortgage, farm schedule 77

Helem [sic] M, wife, white, female, Oct 1831, 68, married for 50 years; mother of 10 children, 7 living; born VT, father botn NH, mother born VT, could read, write and speak English

R W, son, white, male, Mar 1871, 29, single, born IL, father born NY, mother born VT, farmer, months not employed - 0, could read, write and speak English

Mary Helen, daughter, white, female, Sept 1873, 26, single, born IL, father born NY, mother born VT, assists at home, months not employed - 0, could read, write and speak English

[continued on next page]

Hiram G, son, white, male, Aug 1876, 23, single, born IL, father born NY, mother born VT, student at college, attended school for 9 months, could read, write and speak English

Dr. L. T. Ferris, while chopping some wood one day last week, had the misfortune to cut his right foot very badly, nearly severing the first and second toes and cutting the bone of the great toe entirely off, but it does not stop him from business.  He went out to T. G. Wright's, Monday, to intoduce a young lady who came to board with Tom.

Ferris, Helen M, head, female, white, 78, widow, married for 59 years; mother of 10 children, 7 living; born VT, father born NH, mother born VT, spoke English, could read and write

Mary H, daughter, female, white, 35, single, born IL, father born NY, mother born VT, spoke English, could read and write