Rapids City (Ill.) -- History -- 19th century

Abstract Henry S. Shurtleff was one of the earliest settlers of Hampton Township and Rapids City, Illinois. Born in Farmington, New Hampshire, 27 February 1816, he headed west with his father in 1835 and eventually settled in Hampton Township, where he bought 40 acres of farmland and began working in the lumber industry. He also purchased 40 acres of property on the Rock River, and ultimately settled in a homestead in Rapids City, where he worked in the mercantile business, served as postmaster,...