History of Fulton County, Illinois; together with
Sketches of its Cities, Villages and Townships, Educational, Religious,
Civil, Military, and Political History; Portraits of Prominent Persons
and Biographies of Representative Citizens. Chas. C. Chapman & Co.,
Peoria, Illinois, 1879, page 912, Vermont Township
George W. Derry, wagon manufacturer and general blacksmith, west
side of the Square, Vermont, Ill. Mr. Derry was born near Harper’s
Ferry, Va., in 1824. His father, Wm. Derry, was also a native
Virginian, a farmer, who married Barbara Ross; they had 9 children.
George W., the youngest, went to Freeport, Harrison Co., O., when a
lad, and in 1841 emigrated to Astoria, Ill., where he went to school
and worked at the usual rough and heavy drudgery of pioneers; worked
with Franklin Fackler and Zachariah Gilbert, learning his trade with
the latter; carried on business two years at Pulaski, Hancock Co., then
resumed business at Astoria. In 1847 he married Melinda Anderson, a
daughter of James Anderson. For a time Mr. Derry lived in Mason county;
in 1853 he settled at Vermont and put up his present establishment, and
does a good business. Of his 7 children 5 are living, namely, John and
Armadale, manufacturers of wagons and buggies in Vermont; Wm. L., a
farmer in Kansas; George L. and Elmer E., at home; Sarah S., who
married E. Knock, of Astoria.
