Samuel R. Pollock, who is a native of Stephenson County, and was born June 9, 1852, is one of the live men of the county. His business experiences have been varied, he having been a farmer, school teacher, stock-raiser, and dealer in farm implements, in each of which callings he has been successful. He is the son of Thomas Pollock. His paternal grandfather was a native of Scotland, and was born and reared near Glasgow, where there yet remains a remnant of the old family. He was a Scotch farmer and came to this country at an early day, and became a pioneer in the settlement of Ohio. A son of his, the uncle of the subject of this sketch, lives on the old homestead, where the grandfather first settled. The grandmother was also from Scotland.

The father of Mr. Pollock was born in Pike County, Ohio, twelve miles from Portsmouth, in 1815, where he grew to manhood with his parents, and assisted in clearing the farm. He remained at home until he married, and in 1840 came West and located in Stephenson County, where he bought land, and then returned to Ohio, and again, in 1842, came back with his family. There was a log cabin on the claim he had bought, which served as his first home in this county. He soon after bought a large tract of land composed of prairie, timber and brush land. He was married first in 1838 to Mrs. Jemima Ann Lucas, daughter of Mr. Wilson, of Pike County, Ohio, who was born in 1815. The issue of this marriage was three children. In 1860 or 1861 he was married again, to Miss Elizabeth Van Matre, daughter of Morgan Van Matre. By the second marriage there were seven children. Mr. P. was a shrewd man in business affairs, and had the reputation of making profitable investments, and trades in real-estate. He held several local offices, which he filled to the satisfaction of the people.

Samuel R. Pollack remained with his parents until he was twenty-four years of age, when he married, and lived on the homestead four years, and then moved to Muscatine County, Iowa. He remained there four and one-half years, and then returned to Oneco Township, where he has resided ever since. During the winter of 1884-85, he taught school. In 1885 he began dealing in live stock, and engaged in the sale of farm implements during the spring of 1887, being the junior partner of the firm of Chadwick & Pollock.

In 1875 Mr. Pollock was married to Miss Agnes Noble, daughter of Cary Noble, who was a son of Benjamin Noble, the latter a son of William Noble, who came from Europe. Her father emigrated from Maryland to Clinton County, Ohio, and subsequently to this county. In the fall of 1838 he returned East, traveling the distance to Cincinnati on horseback. In the fall of 1839 he organized a colony of sixty-five people, and returned with them to Stephenson County, thirty-five of them landing at T. J. Van Matre's house. Mrs. Pollock was born in 1857 in Rock Grove, this county. Her people came from Pennsylvania, but her grandfather on her mother's side was of German descent, and on the father's side of Irish descent. They had four children: Lottie E., born in 1877; Benjamin E., in 1879; Nettie E., in 1884; Samuel Van Saun, in 1886. The father of Mr. P. is seventy-two years old, and has never lost a child or grandchild by death.

Samuel R. Pollock started to school at Madison when eighteen years old, and left there when in the Freshman class; afterward he taught in the winter for eight years to earn the money with which to improve himself, as his natural ambition led him that way. He taught every winter from 1871 to 1878, his last teaching being in 1884-85. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, being a member of Lodge No. 687, and was a member of the Chapter in West Liberty, Iowa, during his four and one-half years' residence in Muscatine Co. Prior to that time, in 1879, he was elected Master of Orangeville Lodge No. 687, and during his residence in Muscatine County was Master of a lodge for two years, and represented that body at the Grand Lodge held at Council Bluff, Iowa, in 1884. The lodge of which he was a representative is one of the oldest in the West, known as Ionic Lodge No. 122, of the jurisdiction of Iowa.

Mr. Pollock is an even-tempered citizen. He is continually on good terms with himself, and, therefore, on good terms with everyone else. He is popular with everybody, and the inherent propensity of the Scotch people to make money crops out in him to a large degree. While he is a money-maker, and a money-getter, it is not for the purpose of keeping it for purely selfish purposes. He is public-spirited in the largest sense of the word, and while not extravagant or prodigal with his money, contributes freely and cheerfully to all public enterprises. He is a friend to the poor and the needy, and the benevolence and charities of Masonry are fully exemplified by his charitable acts. In all ages the world has been made better by the birth and life of such men

Contributed by Carol Parrish from Portrait and Biographical Album of Stephenson County, Ill. (1888), p. 550