JOHN W. WHITCOMB, who is now a prosperous and prominent farmer of Gardner Township, was a gallant soldier in the late war and did good service for his country. He comes of New England stock and his father, Solomon Whitcomb, was a native of that part of the country, born in the State of Connecticut. He was a carpenter by trade and was a contractor and a builder. When he was a young man he removed to Owen County, Kentucky, where he married Minerva Toon, a native of that county, her parents having been old settlers of Kentucky. Mr. Whitcomb lived there eight years and then removed with his family to Missouri in the month of March 1850 and engaged in his business as a contractor and builder in Lexington. He subsequently took up residence at Liberty where he died February 2, 1852. He was a member of the Whig Party and interested in the political life of his country. His wife did not survive him long but departed this life in 1854. She has been left with the care of four children all of whom were reared. She was a true and devoted member of the Baptist Church. The names of her children are as follows: J. W., Oscar F., a farmer, Matilda (Mrs. Zirkle), a resident of Seneca, Missouri, and Lucy (Mrs. Ford), of Owen County, Kentucky.

Our subject was born near Owenton, Owen County, Kentucky, December 6, 1842, and was reared there until he was eight years old. He then accompanied his parents to Missouri, the journey being made by way of Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri Rivers on the boats "Warrier" "Wetzel" and "Cansass." After living in Lexington one year, the family removed to Liberty, where the father died. Indians were in the country then and the State was a wild sparsely settled condition. The subject attended schools that were taught under the subscription plan.

In 1854 Mr. Whitcomb, then a lad of twelve years returned to Kentucky, and remained with his uncle William Toon, a farmer, three years. About 1857 he went to New Liberty, that State to learn a trade with a cousin, H. B. Toon. He was with him until 1859, and then accompanied him to Liberty, Missouri, where he remained until 1863. His master became dissipated; leaving our subject went back to Kentucky. Mr. Whitcomb left that place and went to work with others. In August 1862, he patriotically offered his services to his country, enlisting in the Missouri State Militia, in which he served with great credit for nine months, engaging in scouting and looking out for bushwhackers and guerrillas. During that period he was stationed at Liberty. One day a rebel squad appeared in the street of that town about noon. Few of the men of our subject's company were there at the time and they were overpowered in a hand-to-hand encounter. They knocked Mr. Whitcomb on the head with a gun, took him prisoner and held him a short time.

In the month of May 1863, our brave soldier subject was mustered out of the State service of Missouri and he then came to this county. He drove a herd of cattle to Quincy, and thence took them by rail to Cartwright Township, where he hired out by the month for nine months. He subsequently enlisted again, this time in the service of the United States, becoming a member of the Sixty Fourth Illinois Infantry, Company C. In February 1864, he was mustered in at Springfield as a private and sent South to the army of the Tennessee. He fought with Sherman's Army as a member of Blair's Seventeenth Corps. He bore an honorable part in the Atlanta Campaign, fighting at Snake Creek Gap, Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain and at Atlanta. In every engagement he displayed the qualities that mark a brave, faithful and trustworthy soldier. He was never off duty and fought everyday in the various battles and skirmishes on that celebrated march. He was present at Jonesboro, went with Sherman to Galesville, and then returned to Atlanta to prepare for the march to the sea. In the middle of November he started for Savannah and thence northward to Columbus and met the enemy at River's Bridge, Bentonville, which was the last encounter with the rebels as they soon heard of Lee's surrender and then of Johnson's. Mr. Whitcomb was promoted from the ranks to the position of Corporal, and took part in the Grand Review at Washington with Sherman's Army. He was afterward mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky, and was honorably discharged in Chicago, in the month of August 1865.

After his exciting experience in military life, Mr. Whitcomb established himself in Pleasant Plains as a contractor and builder, and he continued thus engaged until 1872. In that year he located on his present place in Gardner Township, one hundred acres of which belongs to his wife. He entered actively upon the work of general farming and stock raising, and in time purchased sixty acres of land and now has an estate of one hundred sixty acres under his management, which is well tilled and highly productive farming land, neatly fenced, and provided with the necessary buildings of a substantial order. He engaged in raising grain, horses, cattle and hogs, having three teams in use on his place. His farm is finely located two miles from Farmingdale, and ten miles from the Capital.

Mr. Whitcomb was married August 5, 1869 to Miss Mary T. Irwin native of Menard County, Illinois. Mrs. Whitcomb was reared in this county however and is the daughter of B. F. Irwin farmer of this part of the State. The pleasant home circle of subject and his amiable wife is completed by their seven children, all of whom are still under the roof tree, as follows: Lizzie E., Charles F., John W. Jr., Edward O., Mary E., Lucretia M., and Irwin C.

Mr. Whitcomb has always shown himself to be a loyal public spirited citizen, and he is held in high regard by the people of this community. He has used his influence to promote the cause of education in Gardner Township as School Director, which office he has held the most of the time since he took up his residence here and is now Clerk of the Board. He is a member of the Masonic Fraternity at Pleasant Plains, and has been through the chairs and he also belongs to the Royal Arch Masons at Petersburg. He is identified with the Farmers Mutual Benefit Association as a member of Hope Lodge at Spring Creek, and the Grand Army of the Republic as a member of Stevenson Post No. 30 at Springfield. In him religion finds one of its earnest supporters as he is an active member of the Christian Church at Pleasant Plains. He is prominent among the Republicans, and has been a delegate to county conventions and is likewise a strong temperance man. He served on the petit jury one term.