History of Lee County, Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY 27]
holdings among his children and is living in retirement at the
home of his youngest son.
In China township, this county, Mr. Meister married Miss
Rosanna Hilly, who was born in Germany and who came to
America in 1855. Mr. and Mrs. Meister became the parents of
eight children : Katherine, the wife of J. Clutz ; Mary, who married
Andrew Reinhart; George, who married Rachel Capes and
who lives in this township; John, deceased; Emma, the wife of
William Thomas ; Levi, of South Dakota ; Anna, the wife of John
Reitz, and Fred. Mrs. Meister passed away in 1907 and was laid
to rest in Ashton cemetery. Mr. Meister has lived in Lee county
for a period of sixty-seven years and he has therefore seen a great
deal of the develo^jment and progress of this part of Illinois. He
has borne an active and honorable part in the work of advance
ment and his retirement is well deserved, rewarding many years
of earnest and faithful labor.
IRA W. LEWIS.
Ira W. Lewis, who is serving as deputy circuit clerk, his con-
nection with that position covering many years, while almost his
entire life has been devoted to public office, was born in Broome
county, New York, April 3, 1842, a son of Hiel and Eveline Lewis,
who came to Lee county in the year of their son's birth. The
father, a farmer by occupation, turned his attention to agricul-
tural jDursuits and was continuously engaged in the tilling of the
soil until he passed away in 1880. His political allegiance was
given to the republican party and he was accounted one of the
worthy and representative citizens of the community. The
mother has also departed this life. In their family were six chil-
dren, four of whom are now deceased. The ancestry of the family
can be traced back to a remote period. The gi'andfather was a
son of Nathaniel Lewis, junior, who was born in Vermont, but
spent the greater part of his life in Pennsylvania. He was a
descendant of George Lewis, who came from England in 1650 and
settled in the Green Mountain state.
Ira W. Lewis had a public-school education and was reared
to farm life, early becoming familiar with the best methods of
planting, plowing and harvesting. He remained upon the farm
until ]863, and since that time has given almost his undivided