This lady, who represents in her own right forty-five acres of good land in Rice Township, is everywhere recognized as the possessor of more than ordinary intelligence and good business ability. A native of Derbyshire, England, she was born Feb. 17, 1834, and came to America with her four children. Her early advantages were somewhat limited, but her natural habits of reading and observation have placed her in a good position among the intelligent people around her.

Our subject at the age of twenty years was first married, Nov. 10, 1853, in England, to Mr. Benjamin Marsden, who was also of English birth and ancestry, and crossed the Atlantic in the spring of 1860. Upon landing in New York City he sojourned only a brief time in the metropolis, seeking soon afterward the lead mines of Galena, and engaged with relatives at the Small-Pox Diggings. He only lived six years thereafter, his death occurring by the explosion of a boiler in the mines, April 25, 1866, when he was thirty-six years of age.

Mr. Marsden had been carefully reared in the doctrines of the Episcopal Church, of which his father was sexton for a period of more than forty years; and to the doctrines of his church he adhered until his decease. He took a lively interest in the welfare of his adopted country, and identified himself with the Republican party, of whose principles he was a strong supporter. During the Civil War he was drafted into the service before having lived long enough in this country to attain citizenship, and consequently did not serve. Of his union with our subject there were born five children, all living. Their eldest daughter, Lucy, who was born in America, became the wife of Benjamin Klimper, and lives with her husband on a farm in the vicinity of Hampton, Neb.; Mary is the wife of David Funston, formerly of Rice Township, this county and who is now farming in Marshall County, Dak., where he has 160 acres of land; Alice is the wife of Capt. Russell E. Porter, the proprietor of a large ranch in Dakota, and quite an extensive dealer in horses; John owns 600 acres of land in Wyoming Territory, where he operates a horse and cattle ranch; Benjamin was married to Lena Stephens, of Osceola Township, this county, where they are living on a farm.

Mrs. Mary (Webster) Marsden contracted a second marriage on Nov. 26, 1866, with Thomas Brooks, who is a native of Derbyshire, England, and emigrated to America in 1854, landing on the 10th of August. He also came directly to this county and engaged in mining. He distinguished himself as a man of more than ordinary ability, and for a period of eighteen years was Superintendent in the Black Jack mine. In the meantime he purchased a farm, and is now carrying on both mining and agriculture on his own responsibility. To Mr. and Mrs. Brooks there were born four children: The eldest, a daughter, Adelaide, is the wife of John Wolph, formerly of Hanover Township, this county, but now farming in Marshall County, Dak.; Priscilla, Jennie, and Thomas Alfred are living at home with their mother.

Mr. Brooks is a member in good standing of the Episcopal Church, and politically, an earnest supporter of the Republican party. He is a man quiet and unobtrusive in his demeanor, having no ambition for office; a peaceful and law-abiding citizen, who is engaged mostly in attending to his own concerns. The homestead lies on section 4, and presents the picture of a well-regulated country estate, where comfort and plenty abound.

Contributed by Carol Parrish - Portrait and Biographical Album of Jo Daviess and Carroll Counties, Illinois (1889) 325-26