Hollister, Munson bio

Portrait and Biographical Album of Fulton County, Illinois: containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county: together with portraits and biographies of all the presidents of the United States, and governors of the state; Biographical Pub. Co., Chicago, IL; 1890; page 625–626; Transcribed by Margaret Rose Whitehurst
Munson Hollister is one of the most extensive and enterprising farmers in Fulton County, and one of the largest land-holders in all Harris Township, where his farming and stock-raising interests are centered. He is one of the most successful men of his class, and is a fine representative of those who began life without a cent and have worked their way to wealth solely through their own efforts and are therefore rightly called self made.
Our subject was born in Ohio, in Knox County, January 13, 1818. Isaac and Hannah (Kettle) Hollister, his parents, were of old Yankee stock. His mother was a daughter of William and Lucy (Thomas) Kettle. Isaac Hollister was a soldier in the War of 1812, and among the early settlers of Ohio, where he married in 17. Our subject was reared to farming pursuits and was given a common-school education. In early manhood he bought fifty acres of land in his native county, and in 1840 was married and located on it. When he secured his land he did not have a cent to pay for it, but he went to work and cut off timber enough to furnish the required sum, $600.
In order make more money Mr. Hollister followed threshing for a business during the season, working at that from harvest time through the winter, and being considered one of the greatest threshing men in the county at that time. Then separators were unknown, and he had to thresh the grain and clean it up afterward. Being industrious, from time to time he was enabled to ad to his original purchase until he had one hundred and fifty-five acres of land, which he sold when he came here in 1864. He brought with him to this State five teams of horses, a lot of colts and four hundred sheep, but find that the sheep would not do well with the other stock he finally disposed of them.
After Mr. Hollister came to Illinois he bought a piece of land near Table Grove, comprising forty acres. He staid there during the winter, and in the spring of 1868 bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in McDonough County, on which his son now resides. This was new land and he broke it, and had it under good improvement when he sold it to his son and son-in-law. After that he purchased two hundred and twenty acres of land where he now lives. This was partly improved, and he added to its acreage by further purchase until at one time he owned twelve hundred acres of choice farming land. The most of this he put under a good state of cultivation.
Mr. Hollister has given some of his land to his children, but he still has eight hundred acres in this county, besides two hundred and eighty acres in Polk County. He has been very generous to his children, and has given them a good start in life. He gave each child $1,000 toward buying a farm, and most of them are all settled and well-to-do in life, excepting his son George, to whom Mr. Hollister is going to give a farm in the fall of 1890. Mr. Hollister has made a business of stock-raising, and has now some forty head of horses on his place, and keeps a good Percheron horse for his own use. Our subject’s career in life has marked him as a man of superior energy, foresight and thrift, whose keen judgment in regard to business matters has placed him among the wealthy men of his county. He is a sound Democrat in his political views, but has never sought office. Religiously, he was formerly a Methodist, but for many years has been connected with the United Brethren denomination, and is one of the leading members of the Mt. Pleasant Church.
Mr. Hollister has been married three times. He first led to the altar Miss Mary Headington, a daughter of Nicholas and Ruth (Phillips) Headington. She became the mother of nine children, some of whom survive, and she passed away in 1860. The following is the record of the children of that marriage: Eliza J. married Leonard Carter, a farmer now of Polk County, Neb., and they have three children; Mary Ann married Balsard Nebergall, a farmer of Nebraska and they have nine children; Sanford Parker, residing on a farm of his own in McDonough County, near Bushnell, is married and has six children; Lucina married Charles Johnson, a farmer and teacher, owning a farm in Sherman County, Kan., and they have five girls and one boy; Ruth married Benton Howard, a son of Charles Howard, of Marietta, and they have eight children; Melvin, now with his sisters and brother in Nebraska, occupying a farm of his own, is married and has five children; Sarah married Edward Brice, who lives on his father’s place near the parental home, and they have five children.
The second marriage of our subject was with Miss Juliette Elliott, who died in 1878. She left two children, William and George; the former who is settled near his father, is married and has two children; George, who lives in Nebraska, is married and has tow children. The name of our subject’ present wife at the time of his marriage with her was Lovisa (Goff) Langley, daughter of Jacob Goff and widow of Andrew Langley. One daughter has been born of this marriage, Birdie May, a little girl at home with her parents.
A lithographic portrait of Mr. Hollister appears on another page.