McDonough ILGenWeb

EAKLE, George, one of the most prosperous farmers in McDonough County, Ill., who is located in Tennessee Township, that county, was born January 10, 1840, in Ross County, Ohio. His father, John B. Eakle, was born in Augusta County, Va., and his mother, Mary A. (Hire) Eakle, was a native of Ross County, Ohio. The grandfathers, John B. Eakle and George Hire, were natives, respectively, of Germany and the State of Virginia. Grandfather Hire was one of the earliest settlers in Hire Township, McDonough County, which was named after him. John B. Eakle, the father of this subject, came to Tennessee Township with his family, in the fall of 1851, and purchased land from time to time until he was the owner of about 700 acres, mostly in Hire Township. On this he was extensively engaged in farming until his death, on May 28, 1892. His wife died December 29, 1890.

George Eakle is the eldest of ten children born to his parents--six boys and four girls. He obtained his early mental instruction in the public schools of the neighborhood, and remained at home until the death of his father. Previous to this, he had, however, bought ninety-nine acres of land in Tennessee Township. After his father's death mr. Eakle secured ninety-four acres in Hire Township, and subsequently eighty-one acres more. His home is in Tennessee Township, where he is engaged in general farming and stock-raising, and is regarded as a thorough and successful farmer and an intelligent and useful member of the community. The political views of the subject of this sketch are in harmony with the principles of the Republican party.

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Source: The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of McDonough County, compiled by Dr. Newton Bateman, and Paul Shelby, 1907.