History of Lee County, Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY 297
promote its upbuilding and growth, and through his efforts splen-
did progress has been made and the church is now in an excellent
condition both spiritually and financially. He is a very progres-
sive man, a wide reader and deep thinker and his consecration to
the work is manifest in the earnest, zealous manner with which he
has promoted the interests of St. Mary 's church and parish.
GEORGE HILLS SQUIRES.
Dixon lost a representative citizen and a progressive business
man when George Hills Squires was called from this life in September,
1907. In all respects he measured up to high standards
of manhood and citizenship and thus at his j^assing he left to his
family the priceless heritage of an imtarnished name. He was
born in 1843, in the old historic town of Bennington, Vermont,
his parents being John N. and Emma L. (Bigelow) Squires, the
former a manufacturer. He was descended from two of the most
prominent of the old colonial families, the Brewsters and the
Bigelows. Following the acquirement of a public school education
in his native city, George Hills Squires came to the middle
west thinking to have broader business opportunities and advan-
tages in the comparatively new, but growing section of the country.
He was nineteen years of age when he arrived in Burlington,
Iowa, where he engaged in the wholesale drug business, remaining
in that city until 1873. He next went to Troy, New York,
where he continued in business until 1886. Two years later he
arrived in Champaign, Illinois, where he continued for three years
on the expiration of which period he came to Dixon, where he
established a paper and wooden box business in which he remained
to the time of his death in September, 1907. Throughout his
entire life he was accounted an energetic, progressive business
man, applying himself closely to all the duties which devolved
upon him, meeting every obligation and keeping every engagement.
His commercial honesty too was above question and the
success which he achieved was the merited reward of persistent
effort.
On the 10th of September, 1872. Mr. Squires was united in
marriage to Miss Eleanor Dement, a daughter of Colonel John
Dement, who came to Dixon about 1840 and engaged in the real-
estate business. He was also in the government employ in charge