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Peter Auten
Biography |
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From the collection of Mamie McKinney, now in the possession of Dorothy Armitage and Karen Hillman
Donated by Sara Hemp - email questions and comments to Sara <cryssara@merr.com>
For more info on the Aten (and various other spellings) Ancestors visit: Aten/Auten Family at
<http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/%7Eaten/>
THE AUTEN FAMILY
By Edward Auten and Peter Auten 2nd, written in 1902; revised in 1915.
Peter Auten was born of Holland Dutch descent at Chili, near
Rochester, N. Y., Oct. 1, 1811; attended select schools in Rochester
and Geneva, and began life as a clerk in a general store at Penfield,
N. P. (New Jersey?). He also taught school. On Oct. 13, 1836, he
was married to Lydia Chapman of Westport, Conn., who was then teaching
school at Chili. Sent by the "American Board" of the Congregational
Church as missionary teachers to the Choctaw Indians, they started soon
after they were married, by sailing vessel from New York City to Cuba,
and thence to New Orleans, and then up the Mississippi River by boat to
the mouth of the Arkansas. From Arkansas City they traveled as far as
they could by coach and after that on horseback to the Choctaw Indian
Mission. The trip, overland was made with great difficulty and danger.
They were often stuck in the mud and had to leave their baggage and
send back for it. The settlers implored them not to go farther, fearing
the dangers of the wilderness and of the Indians, and it was only at
fabulous prices that horses and men could be obtained for the journey.
Finally reaching the Choctaw Mission, Mr. Auten taught among the
Indians for two years. There were three divisions of the Choctaw
nation, one of which had never consented to allow Government schools in
its territory. Mr. Auten was employed by the United States Government
to negotiate a treaty with the chief of this division, looking to the
establishment of schools. In this others had failed, but Mr. Auten was
successful partly, perhaps wholly, on account of the high personal
regard in which he was held by the chief. The chief was very grateful
for medical aid given his wife. He took up with the idea of the
schools, honored Mr. Auten at the Indian "Pole Pullings" and other
public occasions, often protected him, and the Indians made a pet of
baby Lemuel. They would borrow the baby, take him away and bring him
back dressed in Indian baby clothes, and decorated with beads. The
government sent Mr. Auten $500 in special appreciation of his services.
Unable to endure the climate after a serious illness, Mr. Auten
left, with his wife, and came to Radnor Township, Peoria County, in
1838 or early in 1839. He moved to Princeville, teaching school the
winter of 1840-41. He lived in a log cabin just southwest of the corner
of the original village plat (West of the Misses Edwards' present
residence, the cabin later moved directly East of the Misses Edwards');
the school house was the old log one so famous in early Princeville
history. Moving back to Radnor Township he farmed there until 1849,
when he again took up his residence in Princeville, to continue until
his death Feb. 7, 1904. He bought the Samuel Alexander house, one of
the oldest frame dwellings in the village (northeast comer of Block 13,
facing west side of the public square), which he occupied until 1887,
then moving across the street, to his last residence on the southwest
corner of Block 8, fronting the north side of the square.
In Radnor he was school treasurer 1842-50, he having made the
first set of treasurer's books. In Princeville Township he was
Commissioner of Highways 1851-53, Moderator Town meetings 1852, 53 and
56, Justice of the Peace 1854-58, Overseer of Road District 1857-58 and
1859-61, Town Clerk 1859-63. He was of a committee of five appointed at
town meeting 1867 to circulate a petition to raise money to refund to
soldiers their taxes paid toward the bounty fund.
For a number of years after moving to Princeville Mr. Auten was
actively engaged in farming on land one or two miles out from town. He
always did a great deal of writing for other people, especially during
and after war times.
In 1872, at an age when many men consider themselves old, he
started in the banking business to remain in it actively for
twenty-five years, and still able to walk to and from the bank after a
period of thirty years had elapsed. His first partner, George W. Alter,
was fast failing in health before the close of the year 1872, and the
firm name of Auten & Alter was changed to be Auten & Auten. Mr.
Auten's son Edward was the new partner, in place of Mr. Alter, and the
partnership and firm name remained the same until the senior partner's
death in 1904. The business has grown, and a branch bank was
established at Monica in 1893, the firm now (1915) consisting of three
of Mr. Peter Auten's grandsons.
Beginning with his first school in New York state, continuing
through his years with the Indians, and all through his later life, Mr.
Auten was of a decided missionary and philanthropic character. When
teaching his first school he got nearly the entire district to sign the
temperance pledge, something difficult in those days, and was
instrumental in having seventy of his pupils and young people join the
church. It was as a missionary teacher that he went to the Indians, and
until his eightieth year he enjoyed singing hymns in the Choctaw
language. He had always been active in temperance and in church and
Sunday School work, both in the village and going out into the country.
Mrs. Auten was always his equal helper, and they both assisted their
neighbors in spiritual, intellectual and material ways. Mrs. Auten at
times taught school in her own home, and she is remembered by many even
yet for her kind deeds. Her life span extended from March 4, 1807, to
April 11, 1891.
Mr. Auten was in many ways the mainstay of his family, that is
of all his uncles and cousins who came west, and his mother and sister.
He was liberal to them, as also he was to his own children and
grandchildren. He not only favored the right and the just, but stood
positively for right and justice at all times. He was a part of the
building up of Princeville and many strong men of the community often
spoke of him as one to whom they owed their success; he was a helper
and adviser of many people. He died Feb. 7, 1904, at the age of 92
years.
Of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Auten's seven children only three grew to
maturity, Lemuel, Edward and Andrew. Hanford, born Dec. 2, 1842,
crippled by an accident, died Sept. 30, 1845. Emily Ann, born Nov. 12,
1844, lived to about the same age. Two later children, a boy and a
girl, died in infancy without being named. These four all rest in a
cemetery used by all the neighbors, but still remaining in Mr. Auten's
private ownership at the time of his death, near the southwest corner
of the southeast quarter of Section 19, Radnor Township.
Andrew, born March 9, 1841, attended the public schools and
Princeville Academy, and also the State Agricultural College of
Pennsylvania, Center County, Penn. When southern invasion was
threatened at the breaking out of the war, he was a member of the Home
Guards of Pennsylvania. Returning to Princeville he engaged in the
nursery business, furnishing many of the evergreens and other fine
shade trees that now adorn the village and surrounding country. He was
married in 1863 to Alice Smith; died of typhoid fever, Oct. 4, 1864,
leaving a daughter about one month old, Tula Rose. She is now Mrs.
Russell E. Chaplin, and resides at Pomona, California.
Lemuel, born on the border line, between Texas and Indian
Territory, near Fort Towson, Dec. 5,1837, was educated in the public
schools, private schools at Elmwood, Henry and Farmington, Illinois,
and at Union College, Schenectady, N. Y. He was married April 8, 1863
to Esther R. Cutter, a native of New Hampshire, and to them seven
children were born: Edith Corney, Maria Fry, Julia Campbell, Anna and
Esther of Princeville, Andrew of Oberlin, Ohio, and Laura Tambling of
Zion City, Illinois. Mr. Lemuel Auten for years helped to support the
second Princeville Academy, and invested still more money in the
education of his children in college. He lived on a farm in Akron
Township until 1893, then in Monica where he had charge of Auten &
Auten's branch bank for some years, and is now retired in Princeville.
He held the office of Justice of the Peace in Akron Township for one
term, and frequently declined that and other offices. He held office of
ruling elder in Princeville Presbyterian Church for more than 20 years,
beginning in 1870; and has held other offices in that church, as well
as in the Methodist Church which he joined soon after moving to Monica
in 1893. His wife has been active with him in Church and temperance
work and has also been an active member and state officer of the W. C.
T. U.
Edward was born May 27, 1839; in Radnor Township on Section 30;
the cabin was close to the spring near the Northwest corner of that
section. He attended public schools, the Pendleton Seminary at Henry,
Illinois, the Academy at Farmington, Ill., the old Princeville Academy,
Union College at Schenectady, N. Y., where he received degrees of A. B.
in 1862 and A. M. in 1865; also Harvard Law School at Cambridge, Mass.,
where he received the degree of LL. B. in 1865. He was admitted to the
bar in Massachusetts in 1865, and continued study at Harvard Law School
two years longer; was librarian of the Law School during his last three
years there.
Returning to Princeville, he began the practice of law, and was
married in Akron Township, May 6, 1869, to Maria Louisa Cutter. Miss
Cutter was a sister of his brother Lemuel's wife, both of the ladies
having come West as "Yankee School Ma'ams," and being nieces of Dr.
Cutter and of Mrs. Hannah Breese. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Auten's children
have been nine in number, Benjamin C., of Carthage, Mo.; Lydia C., wife
of J.E. Armstrong, Claremont, Ill.; Nellie, Peter, Sarah R., Edward Jr.
and Charles H., all of Princeville, Ill., Hanford Louis of Kennett,
Mo., and Lemuel, twin of Charles H., who died in infancy.
Entering the banking partnership with his father in 1872, Mr.
Auten gave up the regular practice of law, but has always continued to
be an adviser and a holder of many trusts. He also engaged in cattle
raising quite extensively at one time. He was the first Village Clerk,
and has been at different times Trustee and President of the Village of
Princeville. The township office of school treasurer he held
continuously from 1880 until resigning in 1915 in favor of one of his
sons.
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