McDonough ILGenWeb

WHEELER, Richmond W., a prominent and prosperous manufacturer of Bushnell, McDonough County, Ill., was born in Pleasant Mount, Wayne County, Pa., November 6, 1830, a son of H. J. Wheeler and Marietta (Chittenden) Wheeler, both natives of Connecticut, the father of Winsted and the mother of Guilford.

The. subject of this sketch availed himself in early life of the opportunities afforded by the public schools of his locality, and afterward devoted his attention to blacksmithing, carriage trimming, harness making and farming. In 1869, he came to Illinois and located in Knox County, where he followed the trade of a harness-maker. He moved to Bushnell in December, 1871, and entered into business with Nelson La Fourette & Co., who were engaged in the manufacture of pumps. The firm is now known as the Bushnell Pump Company — Mr. Nelson having retired — and makes all kinds of wooden pumps, wind-mills, croquette sets, wooden tanks, etc. It employs about twenty men besides salesmen on the road, who dispose of the output throughout the West and Northwest. The plant is situated on the tracks of the Toledo, Peoria & Western and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroads.

In February, 1857, Mr. Wheeler was married to Clarissa B. Hubbell, who was born in Hancock County, N. Y., and two children have resulted from this union, namely: Thomas H. and Harriet C. (Mrs. Mack Pinckley). Mr. Wheeler is a careful and clear-headed business man and possesses the qualities essential to success. Politically, he is a Republican, and has been a member of the School Board for a number of years, serving also as a member of the City Council; is also an elder in the Presbyterian Church.

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Source: The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of McDonough County, compiled by Dr. Newton Bateman, and Paul Shelby, 1907, volume 2, page 1043, extracted 26 Oct 2020 by Norma Hass.