History of Lee County, Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

292 HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY
class of 1875. He afterward took up the profession of teackuig,
whicli Le followed in Dixon for three years and later at various
points in Illinois, being for hve years superintendent of the schools
at Washington, this state. In the meantime he started a fruit
farm near Dixon and in 1889 took up his permanent abode thereon.
The place is now called the Five Oaks Nursery and Fruit Farm
and is one of the most valuable properties of the kind in this section
of Illinois. In his yard stands a hue old elm that his mother
brought as a seedling from Boston in the early '80s. There are
forty varieties of shade trees upon his place and many beautiful,
ornamental and fine fruit trees, in addition to handling trees
he also sells decorative plants of all kinds and makes a specialty
of peonies, of which he has many wonderful and beautiful vari-
eties. His nursery goods are shipped widely over a number of
states and he emplo}'s a number of men throughout the year and
one hundred people during the fruit season. He has forty acres
of land and every inch is made available for purposes for which
he wishes to use it. His is indeed one of the line nurseries of Illi-
nois and his nurser}' stock is received in most excellent condition,
owing to the careful manner in which it is I'aised and handled in
shipment.
In 1872 Mr. Hartwell was united in marriage to Miss Lucy
Walker, a daughter of AMlson and Margaret Walker, the former
a native of Kentucky and the latter of Ohio. They came to Illinois
in the '50s settling in Pike coimty and Mrs. Hartwell attended the
State Normal school at the same time her husband was a student
there. She too has made a sjjecial study of flowers and landscape
gardening and has many advanced ideas upon the subject. Indeed
she is a lady of broad general culture, a leader in progress along
those lines in which woman has made her most rapid advancement
in recent years. She was the first president of the Dixon's Woman's
Club and also president of the Phidian Art Club. She is
a lady of notably strong character, of marked individuality and
high ideals and her influence is a l^eneficeut and uplifting one in
the comnnniity. Mr. and Mrs. Hartwell have no children of their
own. but have adopted and reared three : Mary, who is ex-super-
intendent of domestic work in the Chicago schools and now teachei'
of cooking and kindred branches ; Leila, at home ; and Robin, who
is aji expert landscape gardener and now has charge of the Five
Oaks Nursery and Fruit Farm. Mr. Hartwell votes independently
according to the dictates of his judgment and the needs of the situation.
He is a well known Mason, belonging to both the lodge and