History of Lee County, Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY 39
of his village and district, lie considers no effort on his part too
great to promote the general welfare along intellectual, moral or
material lines.
SAMUEL C. EELLS.
One of the most venerable and honured citizens of Dixon passed
away when death called Samuel C. Eells on the 23d of September,
1913. He had passed the ninety-tirst milestone on life's journey,
his birth having occurred in Walton, New York, March 19th, 1822.
His father, Nathaniel G. Eells, was born in New Canaan, Connecticut,
in 1791 and was a son of Samuel Eells, and descended
from one of the old colonial families. Lie served in the War of
1812 and died in 1826. The mother of Mr. Eells bore the maiden
name of Betty St. John and was born in Connecticut in 180U, a
daughter of Cook and Polly (Seymour) St. John, wdio were also
natives of the Charter Oak state and who became pioneer citizens
of Delaware coimty. New York.
Samuel C. Eells was reared upon a farm in the Empire state and
after mastering the branches of learning taught in the common
schools he attended Delaware Academy, manifesting notable
aptitude in his studies, so that when but sixteen years of age he
began teaching, which profession he followed until the age of
nineteen. He came west to Dixon at the request of John S. Coleman,
who had removed to Illinois from Walton, New York, and
who sent for Mr. Eells to join him at Rockford, where he had
established and w^as conducting the Winnebago National Bank.
Removing to Dixon, Mr. Eells was placed in charge of the banking
business in Robertson, Eastman & Company. Later the name of
the firm was Robertson, Eells & Company and in 1859 the bank
became the property of Eells and Coleman, at which time Mr. Eells
became a partner of his fonner fellow townsman, John S. Coleman.
In 1865 the business was reorganized mider the name of the Lee
County National Bank wdth Joseph Crawford as president and
Mr. Eells as cashier. The business was conducted under that
name for twenty years, when in 1885 another reorganization was
effected, bringing into existence the City National Bank with the
same officers. Mr. Eells had been made president of the bank in
1881 and so served until the time of his demise. He established
the safety deposit boxes in the bank in Dixon and introduced many
progressive methods in keeping with the modern ideas of banking.