JACOB RICE (deceased)-- For a long period a representative farmer of Mount Morris Township, Ogle County, Ill., and one of the most highly esteemed men in his locality, was born in Washington County, Md., on September 5, 1824, a son of Jacob and Mary (ROWLAND) RICE, whose home was near the spot afterward made historic by the Battle of Antietam. Full details in regard to their lives are contained in a biographical record of the late Hon. Isaac RICE, which appears elsewhere in this connection. The subject of this sketch attended the school in Ogle County taught by his brother Joshua, and remained with his parents on the home farm in Mount Morris Township until he was twenty-seven years old, when he began farming on his own account. After his father's death he returned to the homestead, four miles north of Mount Morris, where he died on February 2, 1904, and where his widow and sons still reside. The marriage of Jacob RICE took place December 11, 1851, on which date he was wedded to Elizabeth ZIEGLER, a native of Jefferson County, Va., born on September 7, 1833. Mrs. RICE is a daughter of Jacob and Margaret (STANGER) ZIEGLER, who settled in Ogle County when she was eight years old, and in 1841, her father acquired 300 acres of Government land at $ 1.25 per acre. He died in 1843. In girlhood Mrs. RICE often went out after the cows when the wolves were howling about her in all directions, and her mother brought the first domestic turkeys ever introduced into Ogle County. Three children resulted from the union of Jacob RICE and Elizabeth ZIEGLER, namely: William A.; Frederick N.; and Eldridge E./ Frederick N. is a graduate of Mount Morris College and of Dartmouth College, and present (1908) County Surveyor of Ogle County. The family are well informed, being habitual and discriminating readers, and the eldest son, William A., is a versatile and popular writer, having for several years been a frequent contributor to a local paper. The Rice homestead is a delightful spot, situated as it is upon an upland, and commanding an extensive view of most attractive scenery, including the greater part of Leaf River Township to the north. The venerable omther of the family is an object of profound regard to all who know her, and her sons are among the most intelligent, substantial and useful citizens of the community.
1909 Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Ogle County Volume 2 by Munsell Publishing, Chicago, IL.
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