Randolph County IL Archives Biographies.....Firth, John W. 1842 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/il/ilfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00001.html#0000031 March 1, 2008, 1:10 pm Author: Biographical Publishing Co. (1894) JOHN W. FIRTH is one of the representative and enterprising farmers of Randolph County. He owns a farm of two hundred and ten acres of valuable land, of which one hundred and twenty acres are under a high state of cultivation and yield to the owner a golden tribute in return for the care and labor he bestows upon it. The place is well improved with all the accessories and conveniences of a model farm and is stocked with fine grades of horses and cattle. The owner of this desirable place was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1842, and on both the paternal and maternal sides is of English descent. His grandparents spent their lives in that country. His parents were Thomas and Charlotte (Naylor) Firth, natives of Yorkshire. The father was born in 1800, and in 1820 was married. He and his wife had a family of fourteen children, of whom seven died in infancy. The others are, Seth, who died in 1853; Benjamin, superintendent of the worsted department of E. S. Higgins & Co., of New York; Obed, a retired policeman of New York City; William, who died in England; Riley, superintendent of the carding and spinning department of the manufactory of E. S. Higgins & Co., of New York; Thomas N., who was killed in England, and John W. The first named son, Seth, was employed by E. S. Higgins & Co., in 1848, as foreman of the carding and spinning department in their factory, and at his death, in 1853, his brother Benjamin took that position. The mother of this family was a member of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, and died in England in 1846. In 1847 the father came to America, and lived in New York City until 1861, when he emigrated to Randolph County. Upon the farm on which our subject now makes his home he resided until his death, June 5, 1881. In his native land he engaged in the manufacture of woolen goods, and during his residence in New York was with the firm of E. S. Higgins & Co., carpet manufacturers, remaining in their employ from 1846 until 1861. The latter years of his life were spent in farming, and he became the possessor of a comfortable competence. He was a Royal Arch Mason and aided in organizing a number of Masonic lodges in New York. In politics he was first a Whig, and afterward a Republican. He was much interested in church work and was a local minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church for about twenty years. During his residence in the east, he married Bettie Wilde, who died in 1874. Our subject was a lad of only seven summers when he came to this country. He remained with his father until the death of the latter. While in New York he was also employed in the carpet factory of Higgins & Co., in the carding and spinning department. In 1861 he came with his father to Illinois, and together they carried on farming for a number of years. In Randolph County, December 25, 1868, Mr. Firth married Elizabeth Nelson, who was born in this locality, and who is a daughter of John D. and Janet (Nelson) Nelson, who were natives of Scotland. Eight children have been born of their union: Charlotte J., wife of George H. Davis, of Indianapolis, who is connected with the Big Four Railway Company; William R., an engineer of Perry County, Ill.; Thomas D., at home; Jennie, now a student in Sparta; Dianthy M., Luella, Christina and Obed, all at home. Mr. Firth exercises his right of franchise in support of the Republican party. For five years he served as Road Commissioner and was also Treasurer and Collector of his township. We see in our subject a self-made man, who at the early age of fourteen started out in life for himself and has since made his own way in the world. By determined effort he has overcome the obstacles and difficulties in his path and has steadily worked his way upward to a position of affluence. His well spent life is worthy of emulation. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Portrait and Biographical Record of Randolph, Jackson, Perry and Monroe Counties, Illinois Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the Counties Together with Biographies and Portraits of All the Presidents of the United States and the Governors of the State of Illinois Chicago: Biographical Publishing Co. 1894 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/randolph/bios/firth1402gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ilfiles/ File size: 4.8 Kb